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I would say that 2014 was a great year for my dividend income porftolio. Although I did not hit my goal for the year in dividend income earnings, I continued to grow my stock holdings and look forward to future growth.
Here are a few highlights from the past 12 months.
2014 Dividend Income
As expected, I recorded my highest dividend income earnings during 2014. I earned $967.12 in dividends paid out from 23 different stocks in my portfolio. This was an increase of $316.96 or 48.8%since last year (2013).
Here is a look at my dividend income over the past 4 years –
- 2011 – $243.81
- 2012 – $431.02
- 2013 – $650.16
- 2014 – $967.12
As you can see, I have steadily grown my dividend income each year since starting out in 2011. I expect to see similar growth in the future as long as I continue to invest new capital into the market, while investing in only the best blue chip companies.
New 2014 Investments
Since I am still in the allocation phase of building my income portfolio, I am activiely investing new money into dividend stocks. During 2014, I invested $8,047.41 in several stocks.
New 2014 Investments – $8,047.41
Using my current yield on cost (4.37%), I am estimating this new capital increased my annual dividend income by at least $350.
While my new investment total is lower than my 2014 goal of $10,250, I am pleased with my results. I hope to continue this trend and invest another $8,000 to $10,000 in 2015.
Highest Monthly Total
During 2014, I set a new monthly record in dividend income. In December, I earned $146.82 which is the highest monthly total I have ever earned.
December 2014 Dividend Income – $146.82
I feel that in 2015, I should be able to pass the $200 monthly mark – likely in December.
Yield on Cost
My yield on cost dropped to 4.37% in 2014. This is down from 4.48%, which is where I started the year.
Yield on Cost – 4.37%
The drop in YOC is directly releated to the new investments made ($8,047.41) during the year. If I were to hold off on investing new capital, I would likely see my YOC number increase.
3-Month Rolling Average
I like to track a 3-month rolling average when it comes to reporting dividend income. While it is important to keep track of monthly income earned each month, the rolling average accounts for fluctuations month to month. The fluctuations are a result of quarterly payout cycles dividend stocks payout on.
I ended 2014, with a 3-month rolling average = $89.71.
This means that if all 23 stocks in my portfolio at least maintained their current dividend, I will earn a minimum of $1,076.52Final Thoughts
I finished the year with a portfolio of 23 dividend stocks that represent 9 different sectors. While the portfolio is not completely diversified across sectors and individual stocks, I feel that I have made a lot of progress spreading my investments out.
