Blog Update! New Picture

   

    Just a quick post showing off my new Twitter and blog profile picture. It is a wonderful piece designed and created by the artist The Art of Justice, you may find on Facebook, which also has some of her other works. Definitely check her out if you are thinking of getting a new profile picture, and want it to be completely original.

2015 Goal Progress Update!

    Now that the first half of 2015 is coming to a close, its a good time to review the goals I set out for myself for the year at the end of 2014. It has been a pretty busy and exciting year so far and I continue to work at my goals and share them here. Overall, I am quite happy with most of my 2015 goal progression.

1)  $1,200 in yearly estimated dividend income - Accomplished!

Portfolio Update: April 6th

    I have been making quite a few purchases of late and realized that its been quite some time since I last posted a portfolio update post, the last one being at the end of January, woops! So here is the status of my portfolio as of April 6th. 

My 2014 Investing Review and 2015 Goals

     2014 has marked my first full year of investing directly in stocks and collecting dividends. Throughout the year, and a couple months in 2013 I have slowly been building up my dividend stock portfolio. By adding in just small increments, generally between $200-800 a month I have managed to create a portfolio that churns out an estimated $610 a year, or averaged out to $51 a month! In some months, my little accumulation of dividend income has boosted my overall income by up to 4% and could if needed be able to cover a couple reoccurring expenses, or a trip to the grocery store.

Started up on Twitter

    Just a quick post to mention that I'v now started up a twitter account based on my blog here. As I mentioned in my last blog plan update, I have been pretty busy and unable to post more article/in depth posts than I would like so to help combat that and be more active I will be using Twitter for quick thoughts on how the markets are doing, how stocks on my watchlist are performing and my shortlists for probably buys. Perhaps also a "I wish I had the cash to buy this" kind of thingAlso might be a bit more user friendly for conversations and the like. So if you like my content here feel free to come find me and follow me @Dividend_Wisp on Twitter.  :)

    Yikes, that was way above 140characters!

Blog Pan: Update 3

   Hi everyone! I'v been fairly busy the last few weeks and have been trying to work on a few articles/posts. This weekend I hope to have a new Recent Buy post done as I initiated a new position from my last watchlist. I am also working on a couple articles, one on the benefits of and why I have my portfolio in a Tax Free Savings Account(TFSA) and using Dividend Re-Investment Plants (DRIP's). Both of those are fairly close to being done, but need some final touches and some more research, TFSA facts can be a bit hard to nail down definitively, and the wording on the Canada Revenue Agencies website is not always clear...

    From my last blog plan, I would like to follow though on the second part of the Excel tutorial, which considering I have also started using Google Document/Spread will try to incorporate them together. Many of the formula's are the same, or at least very similar in execution. Google Spreadsheets also have some great benefits such as being able to have updated stock ticker info :)

    Following up on the previous outlines on what I would like to do, so far I am quite happy on my current formatting of posts, more detailed and concise Income and Expense tracking. This month I was able to make a purchase again, but I would still like to do a review of my previous watch list companies to track their performance and reminisce over 'what might have been', perhaps in a similar format to how Business News Network (BNN) shows its guest speakers past picks results.

Blog Plan Moving Forward... 2.0!

    Hi everyone, so now that I'v had some time to put up some of the key foundation posts and pages and even my first monthly round of Dividend, Portfolio and Income/Expenses updates! Along with my first Excel Tutorial I'd like to revisit some of my past goals for moving forward.

So going forward into the next couple months I'd like to set the following Blog Goals for myself to be done by the end of September!

1) In the least the next Excel Tutorial, going into further detail the use of formula's to help track and manage your portfolio.

2) Make a detailed post on the use/my views of TFSA's/RRSP's for i) young adults like my self, ii) those nearing retirement, like my parents.  Keep in mind these will be somewhat generalized in that any strategy is not a 'one fits all' kind of deal. Specifically with different objectives, spending habits and tax consideration to bear in mind.

My Portfolio Goals and Investing Criteria!

    As I am just starting to build up my portfolio, I have a few goals and criterion for going about it.
My goals are:
1) To generate income; preferably monthly with stable dividends and distributions. Which is why if you look at my portfolio most of the holdings pay monthly, and the two ETF's I hold also pay monthly.

2) Maximize tax efficiency; currently all my holdings are Canadian tax eligible investments, which makes their dividends, distributions and any capital gains 100% tax free! The power of compounding returns, when combined with no having to pay taxes on your investment income is amazing! Not to mention it makes tax season less complicated!

3) Dividend growth; for the long term in order to keep pace with or beat value eroding inflation I look for companies who have a history of increasing their dividends. However, if management is reinvesting into the company in order to grow the business then so long as the company has a yield of 3%+ then I will discount the dividend growth in favour of a stronger business in the long term.

My Blog Plan Moving Forward...

So as I have only just started actually writing the posts, I have been thinking for some time on what I would like to publish here. So over the next little while I would like to cover/ put up the following things:

1) My portfolio goals and basic reasoning behind how I go about getting to them - Done!

2) Simple ways to use Excel for tracking and researching - In the works! 1/2 Completed

3) Put up my monthly expenses/income(including monthly dividend payouts) which I have saved from a few months back, and on an ongoing basis post those changes monthly. I'v always loved going to other bloggers sites and seeing their monthly dividends going up! - Done!

4) My views on using RRSP's, TFSA's and taxable accounts. i) for youth/younger people like me ii) and for those nearing retirement, such as my parents.

5) Figure out a consistent and appealing formatting structure for my posts... - Ongoing!

6) And last, to perhaps make this a quarterly feature(or more) where I outline topics I want to cover, and get input from readers on what they would like me to research and post about :)