Dividend Growers and Initiators - Portfolio Answers

Hi Everyone,

Finally the wedding season is over and my wife and I can get back into a more normal routine!  The posts should come out more regularly now and I look forward to connecting with the blogging community, especially the Early Retirement and Dividend Growth Investors out there.  Which brings me to my post tonight - Dividend Growers and Initiators and my portfolio answers....

Our Current Portfolio

Hi Everyone,

Sorry it's been so long since the last post (seems to be a theme) but hopefully these will start coming out more frequently now that the wedding is over, the sun is setting sooner and I have more time on my hands.  Our wedding went absolutely beautifully!  August 16th was a reasonable 80 degrees with low humidity, the sun was shining and there wasn't a drop of rain in the forecast.  My wife looked stunning in her dress and we had the time of our lives!  We vacationed in Aruba for 8 days which was a wonderful island with great people however, we would not go back.  There was not much to do, especially after just going to Hawaii last year, but we both agreed that the relaxed nature of the trip was exactly what we needed.  We met a few other honeymooners on our trip who were fun to hangout with.  We did snorkeling, a sunset cruise and an ATV safari to the desert side of the island.  If you like crystal clear water with no waves, hanging out by the pool and drinking a lot, this island is for you.  However, if you like to hike, surf and do adventurous things, you would be better to go somewhere else.  This past month, we had 2 other weddings to attend which were a lot of fun as well!  How was your past couple months?  Fun? Tiring?

So without further adieu,

Here is our current early retirement portfolio:

Savings Rate and Monthly Investing

Hi Everyone,

Hope you all have had a nice couple of weeks.  I have been incredibly busy with work and as such, haven’t had much time to write.  With July 4^th write around the corner, we are over half way through 2014 and the year is just flying by.  It could be because the fiancé and I have had a wedding every weekend for the past 3 weeks, plus wedding planning of our own, but this year seems to be moving incredibly fast.  Without further ado, this next post will be about our savings rate and what we are roughly investing every month.

Savings Rate:

Our Financial Past

Hi Everyone,

Summer is bearing down on us quickly and my fiancé and I are in for a wild ride.  We have 3 weddings to attend in June, plus a graduation party.  In July we have Bachelor/ette parties every weekend, August is our wedding and then 3 more weddings to attend after ours.  With such a busy schedule, it will be nice to have a 9 day honeymoon to really relax and recuperate before getting back to our busy lives. 

More on our financial situation:

Both of us have normal 8-5 jobs making an average salary.  I am a Project Management Analyst for a government contractor and my fiancé is a Social Worker for the state. 

About Me

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for visiting my blog!  The goal of this blog is to document my journey towards retirement.  I have no idea how long it will take or when I will feel comfortable enough to retire, but stay tuned and find out!

I am 26 years old and will be getting married on August 16^th, 2014.  My fiancé and I both enjoy traveling and although I have not been to too many exotic locations, it is something that both of us have become passionate about.  I have currently been to every state on the east coast except Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.  I’ve been to Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arizona.  I’ve also been to the Bahamas, Hawaii and for our honeymoon we are going to Aruba.  I bought a house back in February 2012, so I am more focused at investing than paying down the mortgage since we have a good interest rate.

Now for a few financial tidbits since this is a retirement blog. :)