Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. December finally provided some relief from a dividend cut standpoint. My only cuts were in ETFs/CEFs and resulting from currency conversions. This allowed me to lower my exposure to high-yield and high risk securities. I am pleased to say that my annualized dividend income increased for the month, keeping alive the string of 13 consecutive months of increases dating back to December 2007 when I began tracking it. 2009 will be a challenge to keep the string going. I anticipate additional dividend cuts in the near-term.
My goals were defined in this December 1, 2007 Investing Goals post. I am pleased to note that both of my goals were achieved in 2008 - not may investors can say that. Below is an updated version of the table found in the original post.
| Description | Dividend Income Annualized | Yield on Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 2027 Goal | 110,000 | 20.00% |
| 2017 Goal | 30,000 | 10.00% |
| 2008 Goal | 4,000 | 4.90% |
| December/2007 | 3,054 | 5.00% |
| Purchases YTD | 4,424 | 0.91% |
| Div. Changes YTD | (47) | -0.01% |
| Sales YTD | (1,795) | -0.62% |
| December/2008 | 5,636 | 5.28% |
| Purchases | 237 | -0.10% |
| Div. Changes | (75) | -0.07% |
| Sales | (108) | -0.06% |
| November/2008 | 5,582 | 5.51% |
The above information covers the current month and year-to-date through the current month.
Click here for a Detailed Historical Progress Table.
For the month, annualized dividend income increased $54, and Yield on Cost (YOC) decreased -0.23%. These changes were driven by new purchases, dividend changes and sales. Let's examine each of the these categories:
Purchases: The $237 increase in annual dividend income and -0.10% increase in YOC related to the following purchases (yield at the time of purchase):
- $47 KMB (4.39%)
- $36 CLX (3.53%)
- $47 BLV (4.76%)
- $36 CVX (3.64%)
- $21 AFL (2.54%)
- $50 SYY (4.16%)
Dividend Changes: The ($75) decrease in annual dividend income and (0.07%) decrease in YOC related to the following dividend changes (a=dividend stated in annual terms, q=quarterly, m=monthly):
- $18 MCD $0.375q>$0.50q 0.02%
- ($18) PID $0.55q>$0.44q -0.01%
- ($1) VIG $1.05q>$1.03q -0.01%
- ($1) VYM $1.56q>$1.44q -0.01%
- ($5) VNQ $3.08q>$3.00q -0.01%
- ($5) VFH $1.34q>$1.33q -0.01%
- ($1) MFC $0.21q>$0.20325q 0.00%
- ($6) TEG Correct Share Count 0.00%
- ($1) BLV $4.00a>$3.89a 0.01%
- ($55) ETO $2.339a>$2.15a -0.05%
The decrease in MFC was due to currency conversion resulting from a strengthening U.S. dollar compared to the Canadian dollar. The TEG change corrects an errant share amount entered into my spreadsheet.
- ($108) : AOD : (0.06%)
That's it for this time. The next monthly progress update will be on Saturday, February 7th.
(Photo: sanja gjenero)
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div4,
Great post. You are doing very well. Thanks and continued good luck.