The Dividend Growth Portfolio To Grow Old With - Update IV: Getting Up When Life Knocks You Down

Prelude Life comes at you fast. It has been almost a calendar year since I last issued an update on this portfolio. This has been for a few reasons, some practical, some circumstantial. A couple of major life events distracted me both mentally, and financially from raising enough capital to add to the portfolio. Shortly after my last portfolio update (while in the middle of a DIY kitchen remodel), I learned that I had a pretty serious medical condition involving my heart.
The last 10 months have been pretty hectic with doctor's appointments, traveling to Cleveland for tests, and finally having open heart surgery at the age of 28 years old in January of 2018 to rectify the issue. In between that time frame, we welcomed our first child into our family in June of 2017. Both fortunate and unfortunate circumstances have kept me away from my investments for most of the past year. What can I do? I feel blessed that everything appears to be working out OK in the end. Life happens, you just need to get back on the saddle, and push forward. Luckily, the market has been good to us investors while I have been away.
Still recovering from surgery, I have taken the opportunity to get back into writing and focusing on my investments. As a married, young professional, family man, I have my share of expenses including student loans, house, car, child, and now medical bills. While I don't have any regrets and would never trade my family for anything, my reality is that if I want to make... Read more