Category: Investments
The $5 per Week Dividend Investor: Time to Get Started
No more excuses. Let’s try something different today. I want to start you off as a dividend investor at the lowest level. Most people believe you need a ton of money to become a dividend investor. This theory is partially true. If you want to retire on dividends alone, you will need millions of dollars—true.…
I Heart Income Investing: The Joys of Portable Income
I will retire this year after 24 years of faithful service in the US Marine Corps. I will walk away with a good-sized retirement check, but I will have something else. I will still have $1,600 per month in dividends flowing into my accounts. I can do whatever I want with this money because it’s…
Investing for Interest 111: CD Ladders vs. Treasury Ladders
Do you prefer saving over investing? Do you want to maximize the rates on your high-yield emergency fund? The Federal Reserve has said that interest rates will be “higher for longer,” meaning that savers can earn a respectable amount of interest income. But which route will you take for your savings allocations? There are many…
Treasury Bonds vs Municipal Bonds: Federal vs State Tax Advantages
A true marker of a wealthy mindset is the passion for reducing taxes. Often rich people receive grief because they want to lower or eliminate their tax bills. They usually receive this hate from the lower or middle class, who pay a large percentage of their income to the government. However, rich people pay the…
Series “I” Bonds vs Index Funds: Making the Leap From Saver to Investor
The most challenging aspect of becoming financially independent is making the leap from a saver to an investor. It’s nearly impossible to save your way to financial freedom. As much as we love the comfort of having our money in savings, earning 3-4% on your cash won’t net you enough to retire. How do we…
Annuities vs. Income Investing
Do you like betting against yourself? Do you believe someone can handle your money better than you? Although there are times to let the professionals handle the situation, we can still learn the information to give us additional options. Every American should have an income investing portfolio to assist them through life. Even passively earning…
Series “I” Bonds 4 Life: It’s Always a Good Time to Buy Savings Bonds
As inflation slowly recedes, so does the hype for one of my favorite investment tools—Series “I” Bonds. The hype turned into mania when they paid 9.62% interest last year. The goal of an “I” bond is to protect your cash from inflation while giving you a modest return. When they hit 9.62%, it was probably…
Achieve F.I.R.E. via Income Investing
We all want to escape the workforce. I have been working since 1997, when I started at McDonald’s, and I’ve never seen an employment market like this. Everyone is overworked, underpaid, and struggling to survive. Leadership is even more chaotic and unorganized than the employees. If you do not have your finances in order, you…
Dividend ETFs vs. Index Funds
A few improvements to investing have changed the game for the average middle-class investor. These are fractional shares, zero commission fees, and automated investing. Today, we can invest $5/week into our favorite index funds and dividend ETFs to slowly grow our portfolio. Plus, we can still go all in with $5,000 when we get our…
My High-Yield Savings Account: Year in Review 2022
Today we celebrate. 2022 was an incredible financial year; therefore, we can ring in 2023 with a bang. My high-yield savings account is one of my favorite investment vehicles of 2022, so I want to explore it more in-depth. Discover did me a solid by sending me an email summary of my HYSA. This also…
Pay Your Bills with Dividends
Dividend investing will undoubtedly change your life, but it won’t happen overnight. In fact, it will probably take a substantial amount of time before you see tangible results. So how do you stay motivated as you work your way up from a “dividend drip” to a “dividend stream?” You simply work on increasing your dividends,…
Compound Interest: You Can Pay It or You Can Earn It
If you ever seek motivation in life, look no further than the power of compounding—everything we do in life compounds, either positively or negatively. “The Compound Effect” by Darren Hardy explores how we can exploit compounding to improve anything we want in our lives. The more things we put into motion, the more chances we…
30-Year Bonds vs. Blue-Chip Dividend Stocks
Today is a great moment in time to be an investor. It’s been over 13 years since stocks and bonds had to compete for your investment dollars. If you are searching for a 4% yield, you can now choose between a 30-Year Bond or a blue-chip dividend-paying stock. However, the answer doesn’t lay in numbers;…
Social Security vs. Income Investing
We should not depend on the government. That’s not to say that the government is terrible or plans to ruin our lives. However, the government is not our best source of reliable income; we are. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to create our own happy cash flow retirement system. I wrote an article titled…
Bonds for Mom: A Low-Risk Retirement Plan for Mom
As our mothers increase in age, chances are they will receive some kind of windfall. This can be from an inheritance, a life insurance policy, downsizing a home, or cashing in a 401K. As the son or daughter, you will want to ensure this money lasts until the end. Most people will turn over the…
Feel Special with Special Dividends
Every day as an income investor, makes my life more enjoyable. It’s incredible to receive money from thin air. I didn’t grow up with a lot of money and worked hard to provide for my family. I have worked for the US Government (as a Marine) for over 23 years. I fully appreciate the hard…
Preferred Shares vs. Common Stocks
There are tons of securities you can buy on a given day. So knowing what you are buying and why you are buying it is vital to long-term success. Most investors will purchase common stocks inside their various portfolios. However, many other options exist, including treasury bonds, Series “I” Bonds, closed-end funds, and mortgage REITs.…
Are You a Dividend Growth Investor or an Income Investor?
How do you like to see your money? This is at the heart of the question, “Are you a Dividend Growth Investor or an Income Investor?” If you like to see your investments always (most of the time) in the green, then you’ll probably lean towards Dividend Growth Investing (DGI). If you want to see…
Income to the Moon: Income Investing Your Way To Retirement
Saving for retirement is boring. Somehow, at age 25, you are supposed to prioritize your retirement planning over buying a flashy car. This rarely works in reality because it’s a tough pill to swallow. However, there is a different way, but it will take a complete shift in mindset. What if I told you that…
Santa’s Bringing Dividend Growth Stocks
As we wrap up the Year of 2022, it’s time to reflect on our lives. We thank the heavens for having a loving family and friends that support us in our endeavors. We can also thank the “powers that be” for giving us the gift of income. Our dividends have grown tremendously throughout the year…
