Q1 2020 Dividend Report

Published Mon, 06 Apr 2020 14:04:41 -0400 on Seeking Alpha

I earned a record total for dividend income through Q1.
I invested in six different companies through the quarter.
Dividend growth was strong across my portfolio.
My Background
Each investor faces a different set of circumstances. Now 33, I have been investing since I was 22 years old. My first investment in individual stocks was made in the heart of the financial crisis back in May of 2009. I purchased 40 shares (80, split-adjusted) of Toronto-Dominion Bank (NYSE: TD). However, for years before making that purchase, I had been researching the best methods available for both wealth creation and preservation.
I don't believe in taking unnecessary risks and felt the whims of the stock market were too fickle as far as capital gains are concerned to base my aspirations of financial freedom on. Dividend growth investing stands out as it is far more predictable that a healthy company might increase its dividend by 6% than to make any sort of prediction about stock price volatility in the near term.
On this basis and from my initial foray into the markets with TD, I've built a portfolio of 33 cash-flowing equities. My goal is ultimately to have a stock market portfolio which provides enough income to cover all of my expenses. While some feel that it only requires 10 companies to achieve ultimate diversification, I believe there is room for a healthy level of redundancy to avoid the hiccups involved with company-specific performance. Regardless, I endeavor to always own the best-of-breed companies in their respective industries. I can live with slower growth if it means greater security for my invested dollars.
This is a strategy I have researched over time and came to trust because it can work for me both as a young investor and likewise carry me through the decades to come. While it may not turn heads at a dinner party, it has proven its value over the past few hundred years and remains as relevant as ever today in our digital age.
Having noted the... Read more