• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Mr. Free At 33

Dividends • Stocks • Investing

  • My Story
  • Coaching
  • Portfolio
  • Getting Started
  • Media Mentions
  • Contact

Dividend Income Update For January 2020

February 11, 2020 by Jason Fieber 17 Comments

Ahh, dividends.

Even just hearing that word conjures up all kinds of warm and fuzzy feelings for me.

I remember playing the board game Monopoly as a kid. My favorite Chance card was the one where Mr. Monopoly (or Rich Uncle Pennybags) collected his bank dividend of $50.

I thought that was so neat. Collecting money for nothing. Growing up as poor as I did, it seemed like a pipe dream as a child.

Well, it’s no pipe dream.

But it is a dream; it’s a dream of a lifestyle that almost anyone can live, as I’ve proven out over the years.

Mr. Monopoly sits on my shelf at home, reminding me every day of just how far I’ve come…

How far?

I went from below broke in early 2010 to financially independent in early 2016.

And I did so with no particular advantage(s) over anyone else. I grew up in a crack house in Detroit. My parents abandoned me. I have no college degree. I worked at a car dealership making ~$50,000 per year – until I didn’t.

Those six years of my life I set aside to aggressively save and intelligently invest my capital resulted in financial freedom at 33 years old – which is how I became Mr. Free At 33.

That financial freedom is underpinned by the five-figure passive dividend income my FIRE Fund generates on my behalf.

I aptly named my portfolio the FIRE Fund because it allowed me to become financially independent and retire early (FIRE).

I built this portfolio on the tenets of dividend growth investing, whereby I allocate my capital almost exclusively toward high-quality stocks that have lengthy track records of paying rising dividends year after year.

These are world-class businesses. Because of that, they tend to rake in more profit year in and year out.

Well, shareholders are ultimately the collective owners of any publicly-traded company. Growing dividends are our rightful share of that growing profit.

The growing dividends that are sent my way by the businesses I own a slice of are enough to cover my essential expenses in life. Better yet, these dividends are growing faster than inflation.

That means I don’t need a job. Haven’t had one since turning 32 years old. And I have no plans to get one.

If you’re interested in using dividend growth investing to achieve FIRE for yourself, check out my two best-selling books on this: The Dividend Mantra Way and 5 Steps To Retire In 5 Years (also available in paperback).

What you’ll soon see is the tangible manifestation of all of these concepts I write about.

The table below lists every dividend I received (as well as each respective company that paid it) from the preceding month.

This is cash money. Every time a dividend comes in, that’s real-life money I can use to do whatever I want with. Now we all know why Mr. Monopoly loved to kick back with a cigar, like a boss.

When you’re collecting a dividend a day, you are a boss!

Without further ado…

Albemarle Corporation (ALB)$12.86
Genuine Parts Company (GPC)$3.81
Iron Mountain Inc. (IRM)$12.37
Nike Inc. (NKE)$1.23
PPL Corp. (PPL)$16.50
Eastman Chemical Company (EMN)$9.90
Kimberly-Clark Corp. (KMB)$20.60
PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP)$73.54
Omnicom Group Inc. (OMC)$9.75
Chubb Ltd. (CB)$11.25
Altria Group Inc. (MO)$84.00
Philip Morris International Inc. (PM)$117.00
Ventas, Inc. (VTR)$47.55
Cardinal Health Inc. (CAH)$16.84
Digital Realty Trust, Inc. (DLR)$48.60
EPR Properties (EPR)$15.01
Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW)$37.45
Leggett & Platt, Inc. (LEG)$6.00
Main Street Capital Corporation (MAIN)$24.60
National Grid PLC (NGG)$32.02
Pebblebrook Hotel Trust (PEB)$24.70
Realty Income Corp. (O)$21.61
Stag Industrial Inc. (STAG)$13.11
STORE Capital Corp. (STOR)$15.75
W.P. Carey Inc. (WPC)$83.04
Walt Disney Co. (DIS)$35.20
Medtronic PLC (MDT)$19.98
Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO)$19.60
Armanino Foods of Dinstinction Inc. (AMNF)$33.75
Bank OZK (OZK)$7.80
Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)$54.51
Raytheon Company (RTN)$23.56
Chatham Lodging Trust (CLDT)$15.95
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (JPM)$6.30
Toronto-Dominion Bank (TD)$33.54
Total:$1,009.28

Just for reference, a great resource for tracking your portfolio and everything related to it is Personal Capital.

Let’s talk about progress and the inevitable nature of compounding.

My first public dividend income report was for January 2011. That was nine years ago.

I collected… $33.35 in dividend income that month.

Humble beginnings. No doubt about it. But we all have to start somewhere.

Well, here we are. Nine years later.

I’m now in the four figures for dividend income this January.

And that’s after I stopped aggressively investing almost four years ago.

Keep in mind, too, that I did all of this without a college degree, a high-paying job, or any type of mentor.

However, what I did have was plenty of patience, persistence, and perseverance. I stayed consistent and stuck with it through thick and thin, until I achieved my goal of financial independence.

If that’s not evidence of the fact that so much is possible with so little, I’m not sure what is.

Anyone can do it.

But not everyone will.

It’s up to you to put in the work upfront and later reap the rewards.

Let me tell you something, though. The hard work is well worth the rewards.

Financial freedom is worth whatever it takes. 

And before you know it, that work becomes easier and easier. All while the rewards get bigger and bigger.

That’s because compounding starts to take over.

Money is fantastic in the sense that it can work harder than you ever could.

The compounding dividend income snowball I started rolling years ago is now rolling down the hill all by itself – at an ever-larger size and ever-faster speed.

Let’s see this snowball in action.

This month’s dividend income is 8.1% higher than the $933.95 I collected in January 2019. The total amount of dividend income I’ve collected in 2020 is now up to $1,009.28. I’ve realized 8.1% YOY growth compared to the $933.95 in dividend income I collected through January 2019.

I couldn’t be more proud of or pleased with the Fund and the life situation I find myself in.

Indeed, they’re inextricably linked.

I’m only able to live my dream early retirement life abroad because of the Fund and the growing passive dividend income it generates for me. I’m incredibly grateful for this.

The crazy thing is, I stopped aggressively investing more than three years ago. I achieved FIRE in March 2016 at the age of 33, which meant I achieved my primary financial goal in life.

Since then, I’ve decided to allocate the majority of my resources toward other areas of my life. This dividend income growth is mostly the result of the snowball rolling all by itself. If that’s not proof of the power of dividend growth investing, I don’t know what is.

Living off of dividends is the dream. And it’s a dream that can easily be a reality.

But getting started is critical. Life is too short to let these early retirement dreams pass you by.

I can certainly say I feel like I’m living inside of a dream. I wake up every day, overwhelmed with excitement to live exactly as I wish to. For a college dropout who grew up in a crack house in Detroit, it almost seems to good to be true at times.

This year is off to a phenomenal start for me. I hope all of you are having a great year thus far, too!

Full disclosure: I’m long all aforementioned stocks.

How was your month? How much dividend income did you collect? Is your dividend income (and the growth of it) living up to expectations?

Thanks for reading.

Image courtesy of: imgflip and WarnerMedia.

P.S. If you’d also like to collect five-figure dividend income and reach FIRE, check out some phenomenal tools and services that personally helped me become financially independent in my early 30s!

Share this:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)

Filed Under: Finances

About Jason Fieber

Jason Fieber became financially free at 33 years old by using dividend growth investing to his advantage. Jason has authored two best-selling books: The Dividend Mantra Way and 5 Steps To Retire In 5 Years (also available in paperback).

 

Jason recommends Personal Capital for portfolio management, Mint for budgeting, Schwab for the brokerage account, and Morningstar, Daily Trade Alert, and Motley Fool for stock ideas. This blog is hosted by Bluehost. If you'd like to start your own blog, Jason offers free coaching when you use our Bluehost affiliate link.

 

Jason's writing and/or story has been featured across international media like USA Today, Business Insider, and CNBC.

« Undervalued Dividend Growth Stock Of The Week
Wishing For Time To “Fly By”? »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mike H says

    February 11, 2020 at 9:56 am

    That’s a great, month Jason. And you are still very young. By the time you reach 60, even if you never put another contribution to your portfolio, you should be drawing down at least $5K a month. And that is with no reinvesting and spending all the dividends along the way and staying retired. Getting richer while you are living off your portfolio.

    That is pretty amazing. It is popular politically for people to blame others for their woes in life and for politicians to use this as a campaign platform. This goes to show you what the power of intentional effort can do for oneself in a relatively short time. You own your results. No need to berate others because they have more or whatever.

    It’s just a much better way to go through life, in my opinion.

    -Mike

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 11, 2020 at 10:38 am

      Mike,

      Thanks a lot, man. Appreciate the support very much. 🙂

      I hear you on the political thing big time. It’s a real shame. Something has definitely changed in America. And not for the better. It used to be about hard work, getting ahead, and being inspired to succeed. Now it seems to be more about blaming others for your shortcomings.

      I recently shared this quote by Bono (from 2002) on Facebook, which I think exemplifies what America used to be like (but isn’t anymore):

      “Ireland has a very different attitude to success than a lot of places, certainly than over here in the United States. In the United States, you look at the guy that lives in the mansion on the hill, and you think, you know, one day, if I work really hard, I could live in that mansion. In Ireland, people look up at the guy in the mansion on the hill and go, one day, I’m going to get that bastard. It’s a different mindset.”

      I’m doing what I can to inspire and empower people. 🙂

      Best regards.

      Reply
  2. Dividend Latitude says

    February 11, 2020 at 12:31 pm

    “This month’s dividend income is 8.1% higher than the $933.95 I collected in January 2019.”

    To me, this is the crazy-beautiful thing about DGI. You got an 8.1% raise in 1 year, and it’s probably about the same in most years. To get that big of a raise most years at a job? You have to be a superstar and slave your life away.

    Great thing about “world class” companies – they can hire world class talent and deliver world class growth. And every investor, even a humble working man, can get a share of that growth by being an investor.

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 12, 2020 at 1:47 am

      DL,

      I’m right there with you. It’s a beautiful thing!

      World-class enterprises hiring world-class workers to sell more products and/or more services to more people, all at higher prices. That tends to produce world-class, growing profit and dividends. It’s wonderful.

      Once I had that epiphany in my late 20s, that anyone can get in on this – my life changed forever. Doing all I can to help others have that same epiphany. 🙂

      Cheers.

      Reply
  3. Lee A. says

    February 11, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    Congrats Jason! I started my journey a year ago with 25K. Between you and Ian have been a source of inspiration.

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 12, 2020 at 1:48 am

      Lee,

      That’s awesome. This is going to be a life-changing journey for you. Much to look forward to! 🙂

      Glad to hear that I’ve been able to inspire you. That means the world to me.

      Keep it up!!

      Best wishes.

      Reply
  4. My Dividend Dynasty says

    February 11, 2020 at 4:51 pm

    Fantastic month to start off the new decade! Can’t go wrong with 4-digit monthly dividend income. Congrats and keep up the amazing work! 🙂

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 12, 2020 at 1:49 am

      MDD,

      New month. New year. New decade. But the same ol’ reliable, growing dividends. I’m very fortunate. 🙂

      Hope your year/decade is off to a great start, too!

      Best regards.

      Reply
  5. DividendBrothers says

    February 11, 2020 at 11:13 pm

    This post is inspiring to me. There is a sea of dividend related articles and posts out there, but yours feels accessible. You’re talking about dollar amounts that are closer to what a lot of people are working with. Thanks for sharing your story. I started dividend investing a year ago, and it is exciting to see the results. In March, I’ll have my first year over year comparison. January 2020 was my best single month so far with $75.05 in dividend income. I’m in my late 30’s and wish I would have started earlier, but I’m really glad I’ve started now.

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 12, 2020 at 1:53 am

      DB,

      Glad to hear that. Appreciate it!

      I always wanted my content, message, and journey to be accessible. I didn’t have a college degree or high-paying tech job. Never made much money. I grew up poor and was more of a blue-collar guy my whole life. That’s why I believe this stuff is possible for anyone. It’s not easy, sure. But nothing worth having ever is. You have to put in some work, make some short-term sacrifices, and kind of open your mind up to new ideas and possibilities. But there’s light at the end of that tunnel, which is awesome.

      Late 30s isn’t too bad, by the way. I receive correspondence from people who are just getting started in their 50s. Time flies by. But it’s never too late to start. Even just five years of hardcore saving and investing can change your whole life. 🙂

      Keep at it!

      Cheers.

      Reply
  6. DGX Capital says

    February 12, 2020 at 2:32 pm

    Great month Jason!

    That’s another month that’ll be spitting out 4 digits of dividends for you 😀

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 13, 2020 at 12:38 am

      DGX,

      Thanks a lot!

      Hope you had a fantastic January over there, too. 🙂

      Best regards.

      Reply
  7. Dividend Diplomats says

    February 12, 2020 at 10:37 pm

    Jason –

    Man, oh man. 4 digits. January. From $33 to here. Cheers to where you came from and where you are going. What a journey, one that is going to keep on going.

    -Lanny

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 13, 2020 at 12:40 am

      Lanny,

      It’s been a hell of a ride. Looking forward to more twists and turns ahead. 🙂

      I’m so grateful to be in a position to inspire, help, and share. We’ve all built a great community. Let’s keep it rolling!

      Best wishes.

      Reply
  8. Kurt says

    February 15, 2020 at 8:35 pm

    Hi Jason, do you currently use the dividends to invest back into more stocks and use your writing income for your expenses?

    At what point do you stop increasing your holdings in order to continually increase your dividends?

    Reply
    • Jason Fieber says

      February 16, 2020 at 12:24 am

      Kurt,

      Passive income pays for my expenses/lifestyle.

      Active income covers a number of outgoings, including philanthropy, business expenses, and investing.

      I cover this in every single monthly expense report.

      Cheers.

      Reply

Join the discussion. Let's have a dialogue. Just please make sure comments are respectful and relevant. Cancel reply

Primary Sidebar

About Me

About Me

Hi. I'm Jason Fieber. I achieved financial independence and retired in my early 30s by using dividend growth investing to my advantage. I cover stock analyses, market news, dividend updates, and the dividend growth investing strategy.

Recommended

My Best-Selling Books

My Best-Selling Books

Let’s Stay In Touch

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

As Seen In

As Seen In

Most Popular

  • Two Big Reasons Behind My Decision To Move Overseas And Become A Dividend Expat 119 comments
  • Financial Freedom Should Be Just One Chapter Of An Otherwise Fantastic Book 110 comments
  • My Recent Experience With Visiting A Hospital In Chiang Mai, Thailand 106 comments
  • Why I Moved Most Of My Assets From Scottrade to Charles Schwab (And Why You May Want To Do The Same) 96 comments
  • It’s Not About The Money: Rent Versus Buy 91 comments

Search

Archives

Categories

Footer

Disclaimer

I’m not a licensed professional of any kind. I’m not a financial advisor, tax professional, or doctor. This site should be viewed for entertainment purposes only. Before you invest any of your money, exercise, or undergo any financial, business, or personal changes at all, please consult an appropriate professional. Unless your investments are FDIC insured, they may decline in value. Any stock transactions and/or analyses I publish should not be considered to be investment recommendations. I am not liable for any losses or suffering experienced by any party.

Privacy Policy

This site does not attempt to collect any personal information whatsoever other than that which is freely shared publicly (through comments), or that which is collected automatically via servers and Google Analytics. I do not sell or voluntarily disclose anyone’s personal information to anyone.

Disclosure

This site is largely supported by way of advertisements. As such, third-party ads may be served up at any time, and I may be paid on your clicking of these ads or your giving of information to third-party representatives. I offer no guarantees as to the accuracy of these ads. These ads may not necessarily reflect or represent my opinions or viewpoints. In addition, I may also have affiliate partnerships with companies whereby I earn a commission if products and/or services are purchased after you click on a link from this site. I only set up affiliate relationships with companies who offer products and/or services that I personally believe in and/or personally use. If I don’t believe in a product and/or service, I don’t endorse it.

Copyright © 2016-2020 Mr. Free At 33. All rights reserved.
sponsored

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.

Mr. Free At 33
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognizing you when you return to our website and helping us to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

You can adjust all of your cookie settings by navigating the tabs on the left hand side.

Strictly Necessary Cookies

Strictly Necessary Cookie should be enabled at all times so that we can save your preferences for cookie settings.

If you disable this cookie, we will not be able to save your preferences. This means that every time you visit this website you will need to enable or disable cookies again.