Recent Investment Activity - DGI Portfolio

Hello everyone, 

Thank you so much for the continued support of my blog and my journey to grow wealth.  If you follow my blog, I try to invest small amounts on a weekly basis to existing portfolio positions, along with sprinkling a larger buy here and there when I see value in a particular stock.  For example, I initiated a position in Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) during the Brexit event a few weeks back.  Otherwise, I basically dollar cost average into my positions in my so-called core holdings, suck as Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM).  Over the past year and half I've slowly accumulated decent positions in those core holdings and will continue to add weekly or monthly to build full positions and increase my dividend income.

So far in July, I've not been overly busy in investing, as prices are at all time highs so I haven't pulled the trigger on a new position or larger buy, but I've still had a few of my monthly buys go through.  In addition, I have of course contributed to my 401k plan, as I typically add $450-$500 bi-weekly to that account.  Here are my recent investments, as of July 8th:

Purchases:

Special Agent Dividend's Dividend Growth Portfolio

Target Corp. (TGT) $25
Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $63
Wells Fargo & Company (WFC) $45.85
The Coca-Cola Company (KO) $31
Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) $60

Total Portfolio Purchases: $224.85

401k - Thrift Savings Plan

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) $495
Currently investing at 53% C Fund, 27% S Fund and 20% I Fund

Total TSP Purchases: $495

Overall investments: $719.85

That's it for this quick update.   Not too much action, but I'm hoping the cliche saying "slow and steady wins the race" proves true over the long haul.  Thank you for reading and I'll be posting a dividend income update soon, along with some awesome news on my rental property.  

.  

Weekly Buys and Dividends

Hi fellow DGIers and readers,

Thank you for the continued support of my little blog, as I chronicle one dollar at a time (literally) in my investing journey.    As I mentioned last week, I've been traveling for work.  I had another slow week, as I'm having to pay my tax bill in a few weeks, so I've throttled down a tad to compensate for that money going to Uncle Sam.  However, I'm still plugging away with my small investments, especially my monthly buys that I directly invest.   While there is certainly better options, depending on each individual and/or preference, I feel this type of investment enables me to slowly accumulate shares and dollar cost average into full positions.   

Here is the breakdown:

Purchases:

Special Agent Dividend's Dividend Growth Portfolio

ConocoPhillips (COP) $60
The Walt Disney Company ((DIS) $20
Bank of America Corp. (BAC) $13.60 (one share)
The Proctor & Gamble Company (PG) $55

Total Purchases for the Week: $148.60

Dividends:
BP plc (BP) $36.82 (DRIP)
Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) $10.19 (DRIP)
Bank of America Corp. (BAC) $1.45

Total Dividends for the Week: $48.46

Well, not much going on this week, but I'm an advocate of every dollar counts in this investing journey.   With that in mind, I added $148.60 to prior positions and was able to reinvest dividends in two of my three dividends received this week.  Of note, as detailed in last post, I FINALLY crossed the $100 mark in monthly dividends, which was a nice little boost for me. Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope everyone had a great weekend! 

Weekly Investment Activity and Dividends

Hi everyone,

I've been traveling this week for work, so I haven't had much spare time for my blogging addiction of reading fellow DGIers.  Also, I didn't make any proactive buys this week, as I didn't see any deals I wanted to jump on (plus still waiting to see the damage done by the taxman!).  However, I did have two ongoing buys go through, with $50 to Exxon Mobil and $60 to Lockheed Martin.   I also invested $598 into my TSP retirement account.   I had two dividends roll in this week, while small, it's still a passive stream of income that keeps growing!  Well this will be a short post to detail my weekly activity.  I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!  

Here is the breakdown:

Purchases:

Special Agent Dividend's Dividend Growth Portfolio

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $50

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) $60

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) Retirement Account

C Fund (60%), S Fund (20%), I Fund (20%) $598

Total Purchases for the Week: $708

Dividends:

McDonald's (MCD) $3.69

Realty Income (O) $1.99

Total Dividends for the Week: $5.68

Well, that's it for this week, as it was relatively slow, but still managed to invest $708 to add to my growing snowball.   Thanks so much for stopping by!   

Weekly Investment Purchases, Dividends and Passive Income

Hi everyone,

I hope everyone is enjoying the weekend thus far.   I have plans to simply hang out with my family and get outdoors, weather permitting, as it seems the rain keeps coming.  It's nice to spend good quality time with the family after a long work week.  It's amazing how fast the little ones are growing up, so I try to spend every second with them before 'daddy' isn't as cool anymore and they want to be with friends more and more.   This post will detail my weekly activity, as I had several small automatic purchases and a few other purchases to add to existing portfolio holdings, dividends received and, lastly, semi-passive income generated from my rental property.   Here is the breakdown:

Purchases:

Special Agent Dividend's Dividend Growth Portfolio

The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $50

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $50

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) $26.16 

Kinder Morgan Inc. (KMI) $36

Total Purchases for the Week: $162.16

Dividends:

Target Corp. (TGT) $4.29

Unilever: (UL) $3.31

Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) $14.99 (DRIP)

Total Dividends for the Week: $22.59

Other Income: 

Rental Property - Payment received for March rent, which netted $295 in positive cash flow.   

Another week in the books and I was able to add a little to my portfolio, as every dime helps!   I used $162.16 to add to existing holdings, received $22.59 in dividends and netted $295 in passive income from rental property.   Well, that's it for this short post, as I'm off to spend time with the family.   Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Weekly Investment and Dividend Activity - DGI

Hello everyone,

Thanks for stopping by my little blog that chronicles my investing journey.   I can’t believe the first week of March is in the books, as this year is passing by fast.   I had a few small buys this past week, as I used a little cash that was in my Loyal3 account to add to my DIS and KO positions, as well as some automatic purchases in my DRIP plans.   I had another contribution go through to my 401k, Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).  Lastly, and my favorite, I had some dividends roll in, which was reinvested.  Ford (F) paid a special dividend on top of the quarterly payout, so that was a nice little bump in my income already for the month.   Here are the details of this week’s activity:



Purchases:

Special Agent Dividend's Dividend Growth Portfolio

The Walt Disney Co. (DIS): $30

The Coca-Cola Co. (KO): $10

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ):  $50

Exxon Mobil Corporation (XOM):  $50

Total invested $140

Retirement Account

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 401k Employee Plan

C Fund (S&P 500 Index Fund) - $298 invested 

S Fund (Small Cap Index) - $105 invested

I Fund (International Index) - $95 invested 

Total invested $498

Dividends:

Ford Motor Co. (F):  $37.81

ConocoPhillips (COP):  $5.12

Total dividends received $42.93

Summary: 

Off to a decent start this month, as I hope to add fresh capital on a weekly basis to further kick start my portfolio.   I’ll continue to use my small investment strategy until I build a nice solid base of my core holdings and really start the momentum of the compounding effect.  Once again, thanks for stopping by and for the continued support!   

Bi-Weekly Investment Activity - Stock Buys, Dividends, TSP

Hello everyone,

Thanks so much for stopping by and the continued support.   I've had a pretty mild two weeks when it comes to investing (this post has some carry over from last week's activity), but I'm still plugging away with my weekly and monthly purchases.  This past two weeks has seen several of my monthly purchases executed, such as Proctor & Gamble, Lockheed Martin and the Walt Disney Company.  In addition, I've made several small buys to add to existing positions, such as Apple, Coca-Cola, Target and Bank of Nova Scotia.   In addition to my dividend growth portfolio, I contributed to my work sponsored 401k type Thrift Savings Plan, which is further detailed below.  I had a few dividends roll in, nothing spectacular, but man I love seeing them pop up in the account.  Lastly, I had some passive income coming in from my rental property.   Overall, not too shabby!  While I'd love to throw a few thousand in weekly, it's not practical for me, so I'll keep at it one buck at a time.  

Purchases:

Special Agent Dividend's Dividend Growth Portfolio

The Walt Disney Co. (DIS) $30

Apple Inc. (AAPL) $20

Target Corp. (TGT) $20

The Coca-Cola Co. (KO) $10

Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT) $60

ConocoPhillips (COP) $25 and $60

Proctor & Gamble Company (PG) $55

Bank of America Corp. (BAC) $48.81

Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS) $40.25

Total invested $369.06

Retirement Account

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) 401k Employee Plan

C Fund - $298 invested 

S Fund - $105 invested

I Fund - $95 invested 

Total invested $498

Dividends:

Kinder Morgan (KMI) $5.75 reinvested for .39 shares

Proctor & Gamble (PG) $8.03 for reinvested for .098651 shares

Realty Income (O)  $1.99

Total dividends received $15.77

Other Passive Income: 

Rental Property:  I received $1300 in payment for my rental house, which netted approximately $300 after mortgage payment and management expenses.  

Summary: 

Overall, in the past two weeks, I put $867.06 in fresh new capital to work with my investments.   

I had some passive income rolling in thanks to dividends and my rental property, which is what this journey is all about.   I'll be following up this post with my monthly activity, so be looking for that in the next day or so.  Thanks for stopping by and for the support!   

Weekly Investment Activity – First Week of December

Weekly Investment Activity – First Week of December

Hi everyone,

This posting will detail my investment activity for the first week of December, as I did not get a chance to write a post all week.  Work and family has kept me really busy, so I haven’t had much time to blog about my ongoing investment activity.  I will be posting a separate posting to detail my current weekly activity, as I’m still trying to actively contribute to my dividend portfolio and/or retirement account on a weekly basis.  I had one ‘larger’ buy during this week, as I already posted about.  In addition, I continued investing smaller amounts in my Loyal3 account and through direct investment plans. 

Dividend Growth Investing:

During the week, I made one purchase in my main brokerage account, as discussed in a separate posting.  This was an untimely purchase, as the stock has significantly dropped since the purchase, but the long term outlook remains positive in my opinion.  I added to my position in BP p.l.c. (BP), which I initially initiated in November.  I purchased 15 more shares of BP, at a purchase price of $39.60 per share, for a total investment of $594.  With that purchase price, it provided a Yield on Cost (YOC) of 6.06% with an annual dividend payment of $2.40 per share.  This new purchase brings my total position of BP to 37 shares and lowers my cost basis to $40.58 per share.  As of closing this past Friday, BP is trading at $36.24.  I’ve been contemplating adding to my position at these levels, and will make a decision this coming week to see where I allocate my capital. 

I've toned down my trading in Loyal3 lately without the credit card perk, but did manage to make a few small trades.  I continued making small ongoing purchases, and this week I invested $70.00 in three companies.  I contributed $25.00 to the Walt Disney Co. (DIS) and $25.00 to Unilever (UL).  Lastly, I contributed $20.00 to the Target Corp. (TGT).  Not much, but I figure even these small amounts will dramatically add up over the long term. 

In my direct investment plans, I had a few contributions go through in my ongoing investment accounts.  I had a contribution to Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ), as I invested $50.00 that added 0.99167 shares to my position.  In addition, I contributed $65.00 to my Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) account, which purchased 0.693831 shares.

Lastly, I had a few automatic dividend reinvestments go through.  I received $1.70 from ConocoPhillips (COP), which was reinvested to 0.02575 shares.  Ford Motor Co. (F) paid a quarterly dividend of $6.38, which was reinvested for 0.406 shares.  I’ll be selectively reinvesting dividends that I receive in my Loyal3 account and will only detail them in my Loyal3 activity.

Overall, I invested $787.08 for the week, which was used to add to current positions.  I invested in seven companies, which were BP, COP, F, DIS, UL, VZ and TGT.  I’ve been saving for another larger purchase this month, with the energy sector still remaining the most logical option.  However, as I discussed earlier, I would like to initiate a position in the financial sector and still have BNS on my short list.  Thank you for checking out my blog and for all the support!

New Stock Purchase – Not BBL this time

New Dividend Growth Buy – Not BBL this time

Hello everyone!

     Well, I've made my first buy of the month of December (didn't take too long).  I planned on making two purchases for the month, if feasible with available funding.  I knew I would most likely be buying an oil related stock for one of the purchases, as I had to take advantage of the big oil drop.  I missed the Black Friday drop in the oil sector and was kicking myself the whole weekend, so I couldn't wait to pull the trigger on Monday, if the pricing was right.  To my surprise, oil stocks have rallied for the most part this week.  But, luckily, I bought first thing Monday morning and still got a very good price, in my opinion.  We will have to see where the market takes us with the oil companies for the remainder of the year, as it is kind of shocking for such a rally after oil has been hit so hard. 

     I had narrowed down my 1^st choice for investment in the energy sector to BP p.l.c. (BP), as I already actively contribute in a direct investment plan in Exxon Mobil Corp. (XOM) and ConocoPhillips (COP).  During the past two weeks, I had made small purchases of BHP Billiton p.l.c. (BBL), so it was hard not to add to it with a huge drop on Black Friday.  But, I decided to wait and see how it plays out before adding more BBL at this time with limited capital.  In addition, I initiated a small position in BP at the beginning of November, so I was looking to add to it soon.  In that purchase, I bought 22 shares of BP at a share price of $41.25.  The Yield on Cost (YOC) was a very nice 5.82%. 

     On Monday, I decided to add to my position in BP, so I purchased 15 more shares of BP.  I missed the 52 week low on Monday, but still made the purchase at $39.60 per share, which I consider a very good value at that price point.  With that purchase price, it provided a YOC of 6.06% with an annual dividend payment of $2.40 per share.  This new purchase brings my total position of BP to 37 shares and lowers my cost basis to $40.58 per share. 

     This week has seen a rise in the price of BP, as it was trading today up to $41.59 and closed at $41.31.  Much of the rise has been attributed to the rumor mill, as rumors were flying of a possible merger between BP and Royal Dutch Shell p.l.c. (ADR).  However, I haven’t seen anything of substance to substantiate this claim, so we will have to see how that all plays out. 

     Besides my ongoing monthly purchases, I will be looking in other places besides oil for the remainder of the month to initiate a position, such as in the healthcare or financial sectors, as I detailed in my Watchlist.  Thanks for stopping by and please let me know what you think of this purchase.  Anyone else pick up any oil plays this week? 

Special Agent Dividend

Weekly Investment Activity – Dividend Growth Investing

Weekly Investment Activity – Dividend Growth Investing

Hello everyone,

It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving has come and gone, and the year is almost up.  Time flies!  In that regard, another week is in the books and with it being a short week here in the states, it flew by.  I had some investments go through during the week, as I added to existing positions through my main brokerage, Loyal3 and direct investing.  In addition, I contributed to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) and saved some extra capital for another purchase.  I ended up missing a buy on Friday, as I completely forgot that the NYSE was closing early and was trying to watch how far energy stocks would slide.  Oh well, there is always Monday and I’m hoping to add to my BBL or BP position.  This posting will detail my investment activity from November 24 to November 28. 

Dividend Growth Investing:

I made one purchase in my main brokerage account.  I added to my position in BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL), which I had just initiated last week.  It was hard to resist, as BHP has been severely hammered since the summer and it is allowing a nice entry point to invest.  Furthermore, the Yield on Cost (YOC) is hanging around near 5%, which is just too tempting.  I bought 10 shares at $50.44 per share for a total price of $504.40, which brings me to a position total of 21 shares. 

In my direct investment account, I had one buy go through, as I contributed $55.00 to my ConocoPhillips (COP) investment.  The share price was $65.97, which purchased me 0.833712 shares.  I now have 4.455058 shares of COP, which I’m slowly accumulating through monthly purchases. 

Lastly, I had several small purchases executed in my Loyal3 account.  I’m beginning to tone down these purchases without the credit card benefit, especially with better value in stocks not available through Loyal3.  I contributed $35.00 to add to my Unilever (UL) position, which added 0.8406 shares at a share price of $41.64.  In addition, I contributed $25.00 to add to my Walt Disney Co. (DIS) position, as it purchased me 0.2724 shares at a share price of $91.79. 

Breakdown:

BHP Billiton PLC (BBL): $504.40 invested for 10 shares

ConocoPhillips (COP): $55.00 invested for 0.833712 shares

Unilever (UL):  $35.00 invested for 0.8406 shares

The Walt Disney Co. (DIS):  $25.00 invested for 0.2724 shares

Thrift Savings Plan:

During the week, I had a bi-weekly contribution to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account.  I contributed approximately $415, which was spread out between the C Fund (Common Stock Index), S Fund (Small Cap Stock Index) and the I Fund (International Stock Index).  The allocations were spread out at 52%, 28% and 20% respectively.  Also, as another milestone, my TSP account now sits above $50,000! 

Summary:

Well another week down, as I keep adding weekly to my portfolio.  Something I noted when I was writing this post is that I have made a weekly purchase since starting this blog, which is awesome!  I doubt I can keep up the pace but I’m trying to really kick start my portfolio in overdrive to benefit from the compounding effect.  Overall, I was able to invest $1,034.40 this week, as I added to four (4) positions, BBL, COP, DIS and UL, and I added to my Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).  

Special Agent Dividend

New Stock Purchase - BBL Again!

New Stock Purchase – BBL Again! 

     Well this week I decided to add to my small position in BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL), as the price stayed depressed and I think it is one of the more attractive values in the market today.  In that regard, it stayed at the top of my watch list and I pulled the trigger again when the price sank on Tuesday.  I ended up buying 10 shares at a cost per share of $50.44, which is slightly higher than my $50.13 I paid last week.  In total, I paid $504.40, which added $24.80 to my forward annual dividend income. 

Quick summary of BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL): 

BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL) has a diverse business, as it is engaged in mineral and oil/gas exploration, development, production and processing.  According to USAA Brokerage, two analysts have recommended BBL as a Strong Buy, while two have it listed as a hold.  However, the average consensus of the analysts’ has a 12 month target price of $65.93, with a range up to $73.60.  As you can see from the chart below, the BBL stock price has been hammered, especially starting in late July.  This gives an excellent opportunity to initiate or add to a position with BBL.  The main concerns driving the prices down seem to stem from the de-merger of some assets of BHP BILLITON and the overall weakness in oil since the summer. 

     

     Overall, BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL) seems to be attractively valued at the moment, as most stocks have soared to near 52 week or all time highs.  In addition, the drop in share price has allowed a very nice Yield on Cost (YOC) of near 5%!  I have noticed numerous fellow bloggers taking advantage of the drop in BBL, along with other energy / oil based companies.  It is one of the better sectors for value at the moment, so I think we are all on the same page.  I’ll continue to watch for good prices in the energy sector, but I’ll also be on the lookout to diversify into the financial sector soon. 

Summary:

     I added 10 shares of BHP BILLITON PLC (BBL) at a purchase price of $50.44 per share to my position, which now gives me 21 shares of BBL.  My forward annual dividend income from BBL is now $52.08, which gives me a total of $288.80 annual dividend income.  I have made a few other small purchases this week, along with a 401k contribution, which I will detail in my weekly summary in a day or two.  Thanks again for checking out my blog and following along with my journey, as it is much appreciated. 

Special Agent Dividend

New Buy - Dividend Growth Investing

New Buy - Dividend Growth Investing

Hello everyone,

I wanted to post an update of a purchase I made this week.  I'll provide more details later on, as I have a busy weekend planned.  Also, I have some other small purchases to detail in my weekly summary that I'll hopefully post in the next day or so.  

This week I decided to pull the trigger on BHP Billiton PLC (BBL), as it was hitting 52 week lows.  As many fellow DGI bloggers have pointed out, finding value is difficult but not impossible in this bull market.  In my opinion, BBL is very attratively valued with the current weakness in energy and the de-merger issues.  BBL has been on my watchlist and I couldn't resist buying when I seen it hitting the lows.  

"BHP Billiton PLC was incorporated on May 9, 1996. It is engaged in minerals exploration, development, production and processing, and oil and gas exploration, development and production. Its operating segments are Petroleum and Potash, Copper, Iron Ore, Coal, & Aluminium, Manganese and Nickel. The Company has operations in Australia, United Kingdom, China, Japan, North America, South America, and Southern Africa." Summary provided by USAA Brokerage.

Purchase information:

BBL:  Bought 11 shares at a purchase price of $50.13 per share.  

This purchase adds $27.28 in annual forward dividend income.  At the purchase price, the Yield on Cost (YOC) was an impressive 4.94%.  Sadly, I didn't have much capital saved, so I only bought 11 shares.  With some freebie trades, I don't mind making smaller purchases, especially at great deals.  The very next day, BBL was up substantially.  I'm hoping it stays down though, so I can double my position soon.  

I'll update this post soon with additional details.  Thanks for stopping by! 

Special Agent Dividend