The Dividend Family Guy

My Motif account is working again for me so I am able to put my watchlist into a Motif and watch how it does over time.  This month I had it put together weeks ago but havn't had time to write about it until now (almost October). The list hasn't changed much and all of these are great buys for the market we are currently in.  The biggest surprise was that Flowers Foods (FLO) finally creaped into the DFG watchlist.  The chart below is all data from the beginning of the month so I am sure some things have changed.  What hasn't changed is all these companies paying dividends for over 10 years and still going. Many of these companies are on other DGI watchlists out there so I am starting to have a little faith in the ol' DFG Stock Screen .  SPAN seems to be one that no one talks about because of it's size I am guessing.  However at 17 years it is doing far better as a dividend growth stock than some big guys like Cisco. Company Name Symbol Ind

Exercising my muscles with the FrugalMaster is hard work especially when you go on vacation.  We headed to the beach in August and only ate out every other day.  This kept us within the budget I had set (and saved for).  There are some changes this month so let's see if I came out ahead. Income was below normal This is the change I was talking about above.  My company makes you wait six months before you can put money into their 401k.  Even after that they won't even do a company match until you have been there a year.  Initially I was not going to put anything in until next year but then I would miss out on any tax savings by reducing my income.  With that said half way through August it kicked in and sure enough my income is greatly reduced.  Greatly because I am trying to max it out (20%) with the remaining paychecks this year.  I put on hold my emergency fund savings and all vacations are done so I am not saving for vacation until next year. I am also doin

Murphy Oil (MUR) is the first cut of the year for me and last one since KMI.  It was purchased when I was a Motif customer group together with 9 other dividend growth stocks in a November purchase (see Motif below).  There is always a risk when you play in the energy area.  Almost all have either frozen or cut dividends.  Who would have guessed that oil prices would stay this low for an extended period of time.  My fuel costs for this year are at an all time low allowing me to save more.  Unfortunately my portfolio only has room for dividend growth stocks.  I used one of my free trades from Merrill so overall I broke even on my short run with them.  Bye bye Murphy Oil I won't miss you. Did any of you drop them with the dividend cut?   I am curious if the yield was enough to keep you with the company. Happy investing, Dividend Family Guy  

I had big plans for tonight's dinner.  Homemade sweet and sour chicken with veggies, rice and noodles.  The chicken was a steal at $1.49 per pound for boneless breasts.  Things did not go as planned but maybe it was a sign. Growing up with 1 sister and 5 brothers food was a scarce thing.  I remember my brothers and I eating as fast as we could so we could be the first to get whatever remained on the stove.  Rarely were there any leftovers.  I had my limits as a kid though and would slide some Brussel sprouts or liver under the table for the dog to devour.  Growing up my plate had to be clean to leave the table.  So food is a precious commodity to me.  I try never to waste it and often take leftovers to work for lunch. This chicken though was pushing my limits of frugality.  The sell by date was the second and today is the seventh.  In retrospect I should have frozen it when I brought it home.  But today I pulled it out and decided we must eat it (and hopefully survive). 

The snowball is rolling once again.  After a few months of little dividends I (not really but companies I own part of) pulled in a decent month of $268.33.  Most of it coming from my redesigned dividend portfolio from a few months back.  With four months left in 2016 we will see if I am able to come out ahead of last year.  This year is about $700 behind were I was last year.  I have been holding on to my cash so far this year as I might be making a real estate purchase.  If that doesn't happen I will at least get it invested in my wife's and my IRA's.  Whatever cash is left over will go into the old taxable account. If my AGI is too high this year I may not be able to take any deductions from IRA contributions .  If that is the case I would almost be better off putting it into my ROTH IRA.  We will see closer to tax time.  What are your thoughts on it?  If I go above $118k in AGI where is the best tax advantage? Company Held In  Dividend (Qtr)