May 2017 Dividends

Forgot to post my May stats, better late than never. Not a bad month. Working on June right now, it should be A LOT better…

457K Account: $0
Robinhood Account: $51.88
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $5.94
ARTNA (Artesian Resources Corp.) – $2.32
CNSL – (Consolidated Communications) – $1.54
HCP – (HCP Inc.) – $7.40
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $4.22
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $21.28
PER – (Permian Trust) – $3.90
EPR – (EPR Properties) – $.68
YUM – (Yum Inc.) – $3.60
Interest – $1.00

Charles Schwab: $3.84
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – 3.80
Interest – $.04

Total May 2017 Dividends: $55.72

Shares Sold/Bought
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – Buy
FTR – (Frontier Communications Corp.) – Sell

April 2017 Dividends

So the stock transfer from Capital One to Charles Schwab is complete. This should be the last month that I get dividends from my Capital One account. All my previous investments have been transfered to either Robinhood or Charles Schwab.

This month I continued to gain in dividends by 5% over this month as compared to last year. So that is great.

On the bad news I bought a lot of shares in FTR but the market is not liking Frontier right now so I am in the red. Compounded to that is that the company just announced a reverse split (that is where you end up with less shares) and a 60% decrease of dividend. I can only hope at this point management knows what they are doing. For now I am OK to ride it out a few years but if things don’t turn around soon I could just as easily leave. Still trying to make up my mind if I still believe in the expansion into California.

457K Account: $0
Robinhood Account: $72.13
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $5.94
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.38
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $21.28
LOAN – (Manhattan Bridge Capital Inc.) – $11.20
WMC – (Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corp.) – $9.30
WIN – (Windstream Holdings Inc.) – $5.50
CIM – (Chimera Investment Corp.) – $2.50
EPR – (EPR Properties) – $.68
AI – (Arlington Asset Investment Corp.) – $6.88
SPY – (S&P 500 ETF) -$1.03
KO – (Coca Cola Inc.) -$4.44

Sharebuilder Account: $1.82
GE – (General Electric Co.) – $1.82

Charles Schwab: $3.84
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – 3.80
Interest – $.04

Total April 2017 Dividends: $77.79

Shares Sold/Bought
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – Buy
FTR – (Frontier Communications Corp.) – Buy
LUV – (Southwest Airlines) – Buy

March 2017 Dividends

March was kind of different for me because I decided to change some of my brokerage firms. When I first started investing I picked Sharebuilder because the interface was simple, fees were low, and they didn’t require a minimum investment. Now there are a lot more options for investing and I needed to start innovating my investment portfolio. The first part of that was to open a Robinhood account. I did that part a couple of years ago. The next part was to open a Charles Schwab account. Of course the question is why Charles Schwab? There are several reasons. First of all Sharebuilder a few years ago got bought out by Capital One. When they did that they got rid of a lot of the investor tools that used to be on the website. I preferred the old investor tools and find that the new tools with Capital One do not give me the information I need to make an investment decision. The second reason is due to the trading fee. With Capital One I paid $7.95 per trade and with Charles Schwab I pay $4.95 per trade. The last reason is the biggest reason I got a Charles Schwab account and it has to do with my new Charles Schwab debit card. The card is awesome. No fees ever. With my investment account I get a no fee interest bearing checking account. No fees for a checking account and they pay me for it! Go figure. Then it gets better because I get a Visa debit card with that account. Not just any Visa debit card, a completely no fee debit card. No fees for taking out money at any time! When I went to Japan and used my Wells Fargo card I got hit with so many fees. $2.50 by the atm, $3.00 for using a non-Wells Fargo atm, and a 3% money conversion fee. With Charles Schwab that is a thing of the past. So convenient.
To make that change I had to sell all my Sharebuilder stocks and then start to rebuy them on Charles Schwab. I probably didn’t make as much money as I could have but I still came out ahead so it was all good.

457K Account: $105.82
Robinhood Account: $84.01
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $5.94
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.37
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $14.14
WMC – (Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corp.) – $7.13
WTR – (Aqua America Inc.) – $2.30
WFC – (Wells Fargo Co.) – $1.90
HCP – (HCP Inc.) – $7.40
FUN – (Cedar Park LP) – $1.71
EPR – (EPR Properties) – $.68
HSY – (Hershey Co.) $.62
DF – (Dean Foods Co.) – $2.70
FTR – (Frontier Communications Corp.) – $36.12

Sharebuilder Account: $2.55
UL – (Unilever) – $2.55

Charles Schwab: $0

Total March 2017 Dividends: $192.38

Shares Sold/Bought
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – Buy
GE – (General Electric Co.) – Buy
SPY – (SPDR S&P 500) – Buy

February 2017 Dividends

With the Trump boost in full affect and the stock market in record territory I decided it was a prime time to look at my stocks and readjust them. When I first started investing I went with Sharebuilder because they required no minimal starting amount, the trades were relatively cheap ($7.95), they had an easy online interface, and it was a reliable company. A few years ago CapitalOne bought them out along with ING (which was my online checking account) and I haven’t been very happy with them. Money transfers take three days both going in and going out, the website got complicated and has less analytical tools, and the kicker is that they never give me my tax forms until March 1st.

For a long time I have been looking for a new online broker. I discovered Robinhood awhile back which has been a game changer (no trade fees), but I need some more options that Robinhood does not provide. I travel a lot and need more access to my money worldwide. After a bit of research I think I have found that Charles Schwab will meet my needs. They offer a full array of investment services, the online trading fee is $4.95 per trade, and they offer a interest paying (.10%) worldwide (no transaction fees) checking account.

Over the next few months I will be re-balancing my accounts. After selling out on my CapitalOne investment account I netted a real profit. I will set aside for the tax payment and then use the rest of the proceeds to buy other stocks. I think Disney is and Staples is a sell, so I am happy to be out of them right now. Also, I want to limit some of my exposure to oil (I think I was too heavy there). The rest I will be buying back in different amounts.

457K Account: $0
Robinhood Account: $31.72
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $5.00
ARTNA (Artesian Resources) – $2.28
EPR – (Entertainment Properties Trust) – $.68
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.16
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $14.00
PER – (SandRidge Permian Trust) – $3.60
YUM – (Yum Inc.) – $3.00

Sharebuilder Account: $33.77

CNSL – (Consolidated Cable) – $13.47
HAS – (Hasbro Inc.) – $3.72
KMI – (Kinder Morgan Inc.) – $1.66
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $1.59
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $13.33

Total From All Sources: $65.49
Added shares of the following companies:
WTR, ORC, FTR, AI, AGNC, O, EPR, and FUN
Sold shares of the following company:
CSAL, CIM, CNSL, FTR, LUV, CMCSA, GE, O, DIS, WM, WIN, UL, FUN, KMI, ORC, HAS, SPLS, SNV, FPI, BRKB

January 2017 Dividends

The stock accounts are definitely experiencing the Trump Boost. I can’t say I agree with his policies but there is no denying that the stock market likes the idea of Trump. Breaking through a 20K DOW Jones is pretty significant even though all the pundits say it isn’t, it is ironically what they all report on. I propose that the DOW Jones Index is significant in that it gives a significant indicator of the enthusiasm of the market. Finding value in this market is going to be difficult but I still think that there is value to be found. Especially in the tech. field.

457K Account: $0
Robinhood Account: $42.41
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $5.4
CIM – (Chimera Corp.) – $2.50
EPR – (Entertainment Properties Trust) – $.64
LOAN – (Manhattan Bridge Capital Inc.) – $9.70
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.04
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $14.00
WMC – (Western Asset Mortgage Capital Corp.) – $7.13

Sharebuilder Account: $44.89
CIM – (Chimera Corp. ) – $9.47
CSAL – (Communications Sales & Leasing Inc.) – $2.07
CMCSA – (Comcast Corp. A) – $.56
DIS – (Disney Comp.) – $3.17
FPI – (Farmland Common) – $5.90
GE – (General Electric) – $1.81
LUV – (Southwest Airlines) – $.81
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $1.52+.43
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $13.17
SNV – (Synovus Corp.) – $.74
SPLS – (Staples Inc.) – $1.71
SPY – (S&P 500 Index) – $1.40
WIN- (Windstream Holdings Inc.) – $2.13

Total From All Sources: $87.30
Added shares of the following companies:
KO, WMC, FTR, O, YUM, and LOAN
Sold shares of the following company:
None

December 2016 Dividends

My personal accounts did fine (they went up) but my 457K account did horrible. Last year it gave me over $2K. The worst part is because it is all mutual accounts I can’t really track why I got less dividends. At least it was a gain and was tax free. My total dividends for 2016 was 1902.57 which is 32% less than last year. Hopefully I can improve that because I don’t know anywhere where $158 is going to provide a good living.

457K Account: $792.65
Robinhood Account: $44.81
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $3.60
DF (Dean Foods Inc.) – $2.70
ENZN (Enzon Pharmaceuticals)- $5.40
EPR – (Entertainment Properties Trust) – $.64
FTR – (Frontier Comm.) – $10.40
HSY – (Hersheys Inc.) – $.62
KO – (Coca Cola Inc.) – $1.75
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.03
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $14.00
WFC – (Wells Fargo & Co.) – $1.90
WTR – (Aqua America Inc.) – $.77

Sharebuilder Account: $40.67
FTR – (Frontier Comm.) – $5.76
FUN – (Cedar Fair) – $11.23
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $1.51
ORC – (Orchid Capital Inc.) – $13.00
UL – (Unilever) – $7.88
WM – (Waste Management) – 1.29

Total From All Sources: $878.13
Added shares of the following companies:
FTR, KO, LOAN, WTR, and HCP
Sold shares of the following company:
None

November Dividends

It wasn’t that great of a month. Not sure why ORC, which is usually one of my best monthly REITs delayed payment. That said this was money I didn’t have last month so I can complain.

457K Account: $0.00
Robinhood Account: $21.21
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $3.60
ARTNA (Artesian Resources Corp.) – $2.28
EPR (EPR Properties) – $.64
HCP (HCP Inc.) – $4.07
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.03
PER (Sand Ridge Permian Trust) – $4.02
YUM (Yum Brands) – $3.57

Sharebuilder Account: $20.12
CNSL (Consolidated Communications) – $13.26
KMI (Kinder Morgan) – $1.65
HAS – (Hasbro Inc.) – 3.70
O – (Realty Income Corp.) – $1.51

Total From All Sources: $41.33
Added shares of the following companies:
FTR, AGNC, WMC
Sold shares of the following company:
None

October 2016 Dividends

Well I totally forgot to add up my dividends at the beginning of the month but the good news about dividends is even if you forget they still come in, so here they are:
457K Account: $0.00
Robinhood Account: $39.93
-AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $3.60
-CIM (Chimera Investment Corp.) – $2.40
-EPR (EPR Properties) – $.64
-KO (Coca Cola Inc.) – $1.75
-LOAN (Manhattan Bridge Capital Inc.) – $8.00
-O (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.03
-ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.) – $14.00
-WMC (Western Asset Mortgage Corp.) – $6.51

Sharebuilder Account: $37.82
-CIM (Chimera Investment Corp.) – $8.83
-CMCSA – (Comcast Corp.) – $.56
-CSAL – (Communications Sales & Lease Inc.) -$2.03
-FPI – (Farmland Common Stock) – $5.83
-GE (General Electric) – $1.72
-O (Realty Income Corp.) – $1.50
-ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.) – $12.83
-SNV (Synovus Financial Corp.) – $.74
-SPLS (Staples Inc.) – $1.69
-WIN (Windstream Holdings Inc.) – $2.09

Total From All Sources: $77.75
Added shares of the following companies:
FTR, YUM, YUMC, WFC, ORC, QCP
Sold shares of the following company:
None

Despite all the hype about how Wells Fargo did everyone wrong, the fact remains that the revenue charts still show them making money and I am still well under the current price per share on my investment so I still consider them a win. Even more so when you get a quarterly dividend from them. YUMC and QCP are two new interesting additions. They came as a result of spinoffs. I am very happy for the new YUMC shares as they represent YUM moving more into China. I am not so sure about the QCP shares, but we will have to see how that goes.

September 2016 Dividends

457K Account: $117.81

Robinhood Account: $23.06
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $3.60
EPR (EPR Properties) – $.64
FTR (Frontier Communications) -$2.63
HSY (Hershey Co.) – $.62
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $3.02
ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.) – $10.64
WFC (Wells Fargo & Co.) – $1.14
WTR (Aqua America Inc.) – $.77

Sharebuilder Account: $35.10
FTR (Frontier Communications Corp.) – $5.62
FUN (Cedar Fair LP) – $10.68
LUV (Southwest Airlines) – $.80
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $1.49
ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.) – $12.66
UL (Unilever Plc.) – $2.57
WM (Waste Management Inc.) – $1.28

Total From All Sources: $175.97
Added shares of the following companies:
None
Sold shares of the following company:
None

Didn’t do anything investing wise except let my money sit a investment account and I still made money, kind of a crazy thought.

August Dividends

457K Account: $0

Robinhood Account: $34.23
AGNC (American Capital Agency Corp.) – $4.00
ARTNA (Artesian Resources Corp.) – $1.80
DF (Dean Foods Comp.) – $2.07
EPR (EPR Properties) – $.64
HCP (HCP Inc.) – $6.33
O (Realty Income Corp.) – $2.39
ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.) – $10.64
PER (Sand Ridge Permian Trust) – $3.60
YUM (YUM Brands) – $2.76

Sharebuilder Account: $31.13
CNSL (Consolidated Communications) – $13.08
HAS (Hasbro Inc.) – $3.68
KMI (Kinder Morgan Inc.) – $.40
O (Realty Income Corp) – $1.48
ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.) – $12.49

Total From All Sources: $65.36
Added shares of the following companies:
ARTNA (Artesian Resources Corp.)
FTR (Frontier Communications)
DF (Dean Foods Comp.)
O (Realty Income Corp.)
ORC (Orchid Island Capital Inc.)
Sold shares of the following company:
None

OK so it was bound to happen eventually that I would have a month where compared to last year I didn’t make as much in dividends. It isn’t a great feeling but I am not too worried. Last year I made $70.16 and this year it was $65.35, -6.84% . This was mostly due to some special declared dividends that came my way. I made a lot of what I think are good buys this month. In particular I am excited about FTR. A lot of people are mad about their implementation plan, and I agree with that, but at the end of the day they are taking on more market share and that means a lot in the communication business. Another thing I am excited about is I just looked at the worth of my investment accounts compared with this year and last year and I am up 20%. That is a great rate of return and a lot of that is in retirement accounts so it is growing tax free right now, which is awesome.