I received $154.35 in taxable March 2018 dividend income.

Keeping to a strategy is indeed easier said than done. I’d much rather make some large contributions to my taxable account. Instead, I’m prioritizing 1) my emergency fund, and 2) my tax-sheltered accounts. If I have another emergency come up, I want to already have my tax-advantaged contributions set for 2018.

My depleted emergency fund is showing some signs of strength again after my bathroom remodel. I felt good enough to make a partial contribution to my 2018 Roth IRA this month. Meanwhile, taxable dividends roll in steadily and I picked up a share of a company new to my portfolio.

I always have to strap in my seat belt when I look at dividends in the final month of each quarter. March did not disappoint! I’m very happy with this month’s income. VTI’s dividend will be automatically reinvested, and the rest of the dividends will go toward purchasing other DGI shares.

March 2018 Purchases

1 share of Medtronic @ $83.90/share

I let my dividends build up a bit more than usual. March is a great month for me, so this wasn’t as grueling as it would be some other months. I splurged on a stock I’ve had on my watchlist. 40 years of dividend growth, <40% payout ratio, and a 7% increase the last time around.

Roth IRA: 8 shares of VTI @ $141.82/share; 15 shares of VXUS @ $57.60/share

I tend toward index funds for my tax-sheltered accounts. VTI is total US stock index, and VXUS is total international stock market. These ETFs are balanced, spread out, low-fee, and maintained over the years with no further effort on my part.

March 2018 Dividend Growth

March’s dividend growth was off the charts for me (as I’m sure it was for many others!). I had nine (!) companies give me significant increases. All increases beat the average inflation rate, and four of them were over 15%. Furthermore, V and NOC both increased their dividends ahead of their regular, annual schedule.

Altogether, March dividend growth nets me $22.67 additional income per year. At my average portfolio yield of 2.31%, I would have to contribute $981.44 in new money to generate this much income. It’s hard to believe dividend growth investing has been around for so long, and I just discovered it less than two years ago. I couldn’t be happier.

March 2018 Taxable Income

 

I also include tax-sheltered dividend income at the end of every quarter. I don’t get as excited about this income since I am a long way off from using it. But, it is real income and keeps my snowball rolling.

 

 

Head on over to my portfolio page if you’d like to see what companies pay me in other months!