Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Recent Buy - Digital Realty Trust, Inc (DLR)

Hi Everyone,

Well, like I said with the last recent buy post, things have slowed down a bit, but this month my wife and I have now managed to purchase 2 fine companies!  A third purchase may come soon after this one, so stay tuned.  The student loans are paid off and we are 1 wedding down out of the 7 we are attending this year.  With most of the costs such as hotels and gifts paid for already hopefully we can get back to putting more money to work.  

With this purchase, my wife and I have put a total of around $24,000 to work since the beginning of 2015.  My goal of investing roughly $40,000 is coming ever so close! Greater than half way to our goal with still more than half the year left to go...  pretty sweet!  I'm sticking with the REIT theme as they are still depressed due to potential rate hike increases so with that being said, my next purchase was Digital Realty Trust, Inc (DLR)...

Friday, May 15, 2015

My Amazing Wife

Hi Everyone,

I might be just a tad biased, but I truly believe I have one of the greatest wives you could ever ask for.

I've thrown around hints on various blogs that I work on average 50-60 hours per week year round.  I'm doing this because I want to spend as much time with my future kids/family as possible when the time comes.  However, this time away from home leaves my wife alone and wondering what time I will be finished...  every night.  

She is incredibly supportive and understands that this lifestyle we live is a means to an end but my work load is putting a strain on my personal well being.  I love my wife, if I didn't I would not have married her, so being away as much as I am just kills me at times.  We shoot down invitations to fun activities and generally she is just sitting at home waiting for me to get there.  I would kill to be cuddled up on the couch watching a movie with a cold beer in my hand, but our life is not that way.  

She works a full time job as a social worker which is a tough job.  The stories she hears and the situations that occur in that line of work send chills down my spine but she truly has a kind soul.  She'll put anyone before herself and she's always there when you need her.  She works a thankless job 40 hours a week and then comes home to another "thankless" job...  but no longer!

Now I'm not one to put gender roles onto anyone, but we have kind of fallen into the I work and she cooks type of roles.  I would completely become the homemaker if the situation presents itself but right now we don't have that type of lifestyle.  With that being said, she has done an amazing job over the past few months to have dinner on the table when I get home and the house is in tip top shape as well.  Like I said, being a homemaker can sometimes be a "thankless" job so I just want her to know that she is seen.  Even though there is no extra money being made with the things that she does, if it wasn't for her our "house" would not be a "home".  She saves us money by cooking homemade meals which I might add are delicious and she removes the stress of coming home to a dirty house. I'm grateful and I admire the heck out of her for doing what she does every day/night.

You hear all the time that marriage can be tough.  Taking two lives and turning it into one is a never ending challenge, but currently my wife and I have found a common goal...   To live the American Dividend Dream!  Being on the same path and having the same mindset has been a key to success in our house.  Without her support and her willingness to take care of our home, I would be lost.  Our marriage would not be as strong as it is today.  She is truly my rock and I can't wait till our dividends are throwing off substantial income so I can drop down on my working hours and hang out with her more.

For all the bloggers out there with families, how do you get by?  Did you work hard when you were young to have more time in the future?  Or are you regretting you didn't find the dividend investing lifestyle sooner?  

Thank you, C!

I love you

ADD

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Dividend Income - April 2015 Update

Hi Everyone,

It's that time again when I get to post about a favorite topic of mine, dividends!  I hope this post inspires other investors out there to start saving and investing as soon as they can.  The power you feel knowing that you are richer than you were yesterday and you didn't have to work for it is a wonderful feeling.  Watching the totals pile in from all the various bloggers out there in this community continues to be a driving force to get myself to save and invest more and more.

I realize that our situation is different than every other blogger out there but its not how much you make, its how much you save.  My competitive nature drives me to save as much as I can which in turn creates more passive income once the money is invested.  So with that being said, lets get down to the numbers:

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Recent Buy - W. P. Carey Inc. (WPC)

Hi Everyone,

Well, the year has slowed down a bit with regards to buys, but the savings account has been built back up after I used them all up to pay off the student loans so hopefully I can get back to putting more money to work.  With this purchase, my wife and I have put a total of around $22,000 to work since the beginning of 2015.  My goal of investing roughly $40,000 is within sight! To think that we are more than half way to our total is a great feeling since we are just 4 months into the year.   The market continues to stay at elevated levels but there was some recent weakness in REIT's so with that being said, my next purchase was W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC)...