May 2016 Dividends and Quick Account Update

This month was the start of some major changes in my banking systems.  I have decided to move all of my checking, savings and investment accounts to Bank Of America/Merrill Edge.  This was initiated after I realized I am not taking advantage of companies that provide you with free trades.  My balance with them will allow me to do 30 free trades a month.  The rewards program will allow me to purchase more often and take advantage of dollar cost averaging for companies I like.

With that said I am moving some assets and selling others, moving the cash, and then repurchasing in my new accounts.  Yes there were some fees but the gains from the sales far outweighed them.  So for the next couple of months I expect less dividends as I rebuild my portfolio.

Company
Held In
Dividend
Amount Received
Shares of life purchased
May Notes
T
IRA
1.92
53.42
1.3761

WGL
IRA
1.95
52.3
0.7704

NWN
IRA
1.87
50.65


OHI
IRA
1.26
24.08


N/A
IRA

4.43

Interest
N/A
IRA

-75

Transfer Fee
HRZN
Taxable
1.38
7.06


N/A
Taxable

0.45

Interest
F
Taxable
0.6
12


VZ
Taxable
2.26
1.33


PG
Taxable
2.678
0.91


CAT
Taxable
3.08
1.08


AHGP
Taxable
2.2
1.07



As you can see there wasn't much activity this month.  Some of my dividends like T and WGL were reinvested before my transfer began.  More shares purchased and more dividends are always a good sign.  The rest was just cash into the accounts which include my IRA and a taxable investment account.



Even with the fee of $75 dollars I still managed to come out with $133.78 of dividends for the month.  This is only slightly lower than the amount received same time last year.

Well I am off for my birthday weekend camping (which is a very affordable way to vacation when you have a large family.)  It was only $200 dollars for a cabin in one of our lovely state parks.  The kids are super pumped to go swimming and hiking and I am looking forward to being with them.  ALSO the kids will have no electronics the whole weekend.  Their brains are getting a needed rest from the digital world.

Happy investing and hope you have a good weekend,

Dividend Family Guy.

I am not affiliated in any way with Bank of America or Merrill Edge.

Comments

  1. Dividend LifeJune 17, 2016 at 8:19 PM

    Hi DFG,

    Congrats, that's a great move and getting free trades like that is awesome! Hopefully you're able to take advantage of some of the other benefits that the program offers as well.

    I'm looking forward to watching your dividend income start rising again :)

    Best wishes,
    -DL

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dividend Family GuyJune 20, 2016 at 1:37 PM

      Thanks DL. Yeah I am taking advantage of it all. Will write about it some in my monthly summary. Now I just have to wait for the market to cool down to jump back in. Dollar cost averaging works but I like good bargains too.
      Cheers,
      DFG

      Delete
  2. DivHutJune 21, 2016 at 3:55 PM

    It's always great if you can take advantage of free trades when you are building up a dividend growth portfolio. Over time, those little fees can add up to a lot. For now, I'm sticking with my Sharebuilder at a grandfathered rate of $2 a trade. These days, with BAC trading platforms or Loyal3 or Robinhood that are fee free there is no reason to not start investing even small amounts. Enjoy your disconnected weekend trip. Happy birthday!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dividend Family GuyJune 22, 2016 at 1:03 PM

      Thanks Hut. It was a great weekend with the family. Yeah I wish I could have gotten into Sharebuilder with that plan. I opened with them only to discover it was gone. I probably would have stayed with them if they still had it. However short term pain of moving assets long term gain.
      Cheers,
      DFG

      Delete

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This webpage is provided for general information only and nothing contained in the material constitutes a recommendation for the purchase or sale of any security. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me at dividendfamilyguy at gmail dot com.