Category: Investments
The Dividend Debit Card
Wouldn’t it be nice if you had a debit card that magically created money for you? You would wake up to new money in your account, knowing that you could spend it without guilt? Welcome to the year 2022, and you have this magic card. This card is called the Cash App debit card and…
Investing for Interest 101: What is Fixed Income?
I am reaching the point where I am operating at maximum capacity. In a dream world, I would make this into a 10-part series and flesh out each investing option below. However, I still have a day job. So, today I will combine a lot of information into a short article. Hopefully, I will dig…
5 Takeaways from “Investing in Fine Wine”
“Investing in Fine Wine” by Alex Andrawes is the book I never knew I wanted to read. I was browsing Kiplinger’s personal finance magazine and saw an ad about investing in wine. I’d never thought about wine as an investment, so I decided to read a book about the process. Wine is an exciting asset…
Stock Market Investing 107: Back to Basics
As the New Year approaches and the threat of more lockdowns looms, I thought I’d go back to the basics. The stock market may not have the same trajectory that investors seek. Most of us see stocks only going up—something that might be changing. A choppy stock market that is trading sideways is still an…
Roth IRAs vs. Municipal Bonds: Who is the Tax-Free Champion?
Taxes are a necessary evil because they help fund the society where we live. However, our responsibility as investors is to minimize our tax bill in the most efficient legal way possible. Two ways I have previously discussed are through Roth IRAs and Municipal Bonds. But given $6,000 a year to commit, which method would…
7 Reasons Dividend Growth Investing is For You
You may have heard the term passive income before. However, you may not truly understand the meaning or effect that it can have on your life. Usually, when the words passive income come up in conversation, people are talking about dividends. Dividends are the most passive of passive income. Once you set up your portfolio,…
5 Takeaways from “Dividend Growth Investing”
“Dividend Growth Investing” by Freeman Publications is a detailed look at one of my favorite pastimes. I have been a dividend growth investor for over two years, and I still love reading other people’s take on this vital strategy. Dividend growth investing (DGI) is the process of investing in companies over time. As time progresses,…
Dividends vs. Capital Gains 2
There has never been a better time to make the switch from a capital gains investor to a dividend investor. In fact, I would classify most capital gains-lovers as traders. As we move into an inflationary period, the growth stocks that many capital gains traders love may not outperform as they did over the last…
Stocks vs. Bonds: Is 60/40 Still Effective?
Times are a-changin’, but strategies remain constant. One of the more effective strategies from the 1970s and 1980s was the 60/40 split between stocks and bonds. But is that same strategy still effective today? Or is the concept of diversification the underlying prize of the party? The 60/40 rule promotes that investors best prepare themselves…
Intro to REITs V: Fundrise vs. REIT Stocks
Having a backup is necessary if we want to prevent disaster. This mindset also applies to our investments in the stock market. We like to diversify our stock portfolio to ensure we hedge against possible downturns. However, it is also a great idea to diversify our portfolio to assets that are not on the stock…
How We Plan to Retire on Dividends 2
The world runs on dividends and love. Well, I just made that up, but MY world runs on dividends and love. I wrote the article “How We Plan to Retire on Dividends” roughly five months ago, and a lot has changed since then. Actually, everything is the same, just the amount of passive income from…
Dividend Growth Investing vs. Income Investing
Fall is a beautiful time of the year. The weather turns cool, the leaves turn orange, and we get to enjoy our income streams during Christmas shopping. We all have passive income streams, correct? Building a stream of passive income, whether from royalties, dividends, rents, or business, is a great way to supplement your earned…
The Magic of Income Investing
This article will be difficult for me to write. Not because of the subject matter, but because of the multiple paths one can take when income investing. I’ll try my best to contain my excitement and stay on the mission. Welcome to the wonderful world of Income Investing. This world is vastly different from Dividend…
Love Income? Try Business Development Companies
The more I invest, the more I love venturing into new territory. As our dividend portfolio reaches $200,000, the thought of trying new things seems like a great idea. I noticed that I follow two separate yet distinct investing philosophies. The first model is called Dividend Growth Investing (DGI). It consists of investing (and reinvesting)…
How to FALL into Investing
Autumn is creeping upon us, and what better time to start investing? The leaves are turning orange, the weather is becoming cool, and our wallets are preparing for the busy Christmas season. Wouldn’t it be nice to have our dividends pay for Christmas shopping next year? In the article “A $1000 Dividends Shopping Spree,” I…
The Magic of Dividend Growth Investing
There is a certain magic in growing your own crops. You fertilize the soil, plant the seeds, and hopefully pick the fruits that the plants produce. But, gardening should only be for people with patience. There is no fast way to start a crop-producing garden. Welcome to the world of Dividend Growth Investing or DGI.…
Be Smarter Than the Average Bear (Market)
“The market is going to crash!” You have probably been hearing this for the last 4-6 years, or even longer. The market always seems to be hitting new highs, and it never seems to be a good time to invest. However, time in the market is better than timing the market. This saying means that…
Preferred Shares vs. Closed-End Funds: The Battle for Income
Man do I love dividend growth investing. Buying blue-chip companies, receiving dividends, reinvesting the income, and let the compounding effect happen over time. I love buying companies like Coca-Cola (KO), Pepsi (PEP), Walmart (WMT, and Target (TGT). Even better is buying growth companies that pay small dividends like Costco (COST) and Microsoft (MFST). Their small…
Selling Covered Calls for Passive Income
Options, options, options—we all love having options. Therefore, we should all learn how to trade options on the stock market. Learning to trade options is part of our bigger plan to diversify our passive income. First, a quick disclaimer. This article will not give you an exact science or step-by-step guide to selling covered calls.…
5 Takeaways from “Mortgage Backed Securities”
“Mortgage Backed Securities” by Justin Adams is a fantastic book just for the fact that it is 30 pages long. After reading an almost 400-page book over the last week, it is great to find a short book. Mortgage backed securities are mortgage loans that banks group together and sell like bond-like securities. You will…
