Stocks Added to Collection of Stock Analyses - April 2016 (Week 15 & 16)

For those who are not yet familiar with our extensive collection of individual dividend stocks. The entire collection is currently comprised of 1,154 stock analyses (and still growing). The collection essentially provides links to various stock analyses that we found throughout the dividend blog community since 2013. Last year we added a total of 445 stock analyses to the collection. If you would like to view archives from previous years, please follow the respective links provided at the end of this post. 

2016
Our currently readers already know that we recently began providing weekly updates. We started providing weekly updates back in November of 2015 and we are committed to continuing with the weekly updates throughout 2016. We hope the weekly updates not only provides more value to our readers but also helps ensure that we continue to keep our collection up to date.  Our 2016 Collection is now comprised of 158 stock analyses to date.
     

April 2016 - Week 15 & 16 of 52:

I apologize in advance, but these updates have unfortunately taken a back seat to life lately. Once again, I did not have the opportunity to post our weekly update to our Collection of Stock Analyses.  

Below is a list of newly added stocks analyses for the 3rd and 4th week of April: 

1. Abott Laboratories (ABT)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
2. Cardinal Health Inc (CAH)
• by Dividend Value Builder
3. Costco Wholesale Corp (COST)
• by Dividend Value Builder
4. Disney Company, The Walt (DIS)
• by The Dividends Guy
5. Exxon Mobil Corp (XOM)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
6. General Mills Inc (GIS)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
7. Intel Corp (INTC)
• by Simply Safe Dividends 
8. JP Morgan Chase & Co (JPM)
• by Sure Dividend 
9. Kohls Corp (KSS)
• by Sure Dividend
10. Next Era Energy Inc (NEE)
• by Roadmap 2 Retire 
11. Pfizer Inc (PFE)
• by Dividend Value Builder
12. Realty Income Corp (O)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
13. Wells Fargo Corp (WFC)
• by Dividend Diplomats

Links provided directly in this post!

Please feel free to leave me a message if you prepared a stock analysis that I did not include in my post.  I would be more than happy to add your stock analysis to both this post and our collection of stock analyses.  Please make sure to confirm that it is a dividend paying stock and that it is a individual stock analysis.

  

My goal is to make this collection become the centralized source where one begins their research on a particular dividend stock company or at the very least, a source to confirm if a company stock is worth buying. Whether your a beginner or a veteran, I want this list to become an invaluable reference tool for you all. Best part, unlike other subscription based sites, I plan to keep this completely free for everyone to enjoy and benefit from.

Feel free to share with all of your friends and family! 

Click on Link Below

2016 - Collection of Stock Analyses

(Archived 2015, 2014, 2013)

Also don't forget to check out our:

Collection of Recent Buys

Mortgage Balance (UPDATE) - APR 2015

If you have viewed our family's Net Worth Page, you probably already know that it does not include the equity in our home.  Although, we do realize that it is technically part of our overall net worth, we decided that since our home equity is not an asset that we can count on for income (unless we sell and buy something cheaper) we would exclude it from our net worth calculation.

For the purpose of this blog, we are more interested in documenting our loan balance rather than our home equity.  With that said, we will use the current Zillow value as our estimated home value and use it to figure out the percentage we owe on our home. For those interested, we will include the amount of our home equity, but know that we are less concerned with the equity since we have no plans to cash out or otherwise sell our home. Our main goal is to pay off our home on or before my retirement date. 

HOME VALUE:

According to Zillow, our home is currently worth: $772,000 (up $2,959 in the last 30-days). If you follow us, the reality is that whether our home prices rise or fall, it really doesn't mean much to our family as we have no intentions to sell or otherwise move.  We are very lucky to be able to say that we love were we are and couldn't see ourselves living and/or raising our family any other place. :)

Mortgage Balance (As of April 1st):
$308,064 (down $1,857 from our last post)

Percentage Owed:
39.9% (down from .3% from our last post)

Home Equity:
$463,936 (up $2,934 from our last post)
   

Mortgage Background:
For those that have not read the Preface on our home equity, we currently hold a 15-year fixed rate mortgage at the incredibly low rate of 2.875%.  My goal is to retire within 11 years and 2 months (134 months) so we are setting out to pay off our mortgage on or before my retirement date. Right now we are a few months behind the target retirement date. Currently, we have approximately 12  years  - 0 months (144 months) left on our mortgage.  Nevertheless, I would like to have it paid off in another 10 years (or less). If we accomplish that, I plan to use the last few years to aggressively build our passive income to help supplement our retirement and defer tapping into the 457K as long as we can so it can continue to grow. 

Right now we are not putting any extra money towards the principal given our low 2.875% interest rate. We feel that we could make our money grow faster by investing it and while keeping the money more liquid. At a certain point, maybe in 8-10 years, we may consider using money from our investment accounts to wipe out the remaining mortgage balance.  Until then, we will continue to grow that money outside, rather than have it locked into our home.

  

Click on the link below to view our mortgage balance history:

Mortgage Balance History

Collection of RECENT BUYS (March 2016 Summary)

Since I began investing in dividend stocks approximately two years ago I've been keeping a personal log of what other dividend bloggers and dividend investors are buying.  Until now, I've just done it for my own personal knowledge and it has proven to be a great resource I use when I have no idea what I should buy. 

The collection essentially highlights the Recent Buys I have discovered throughout the dividend blog community. I always like to see what others are buying.  And with this collection, one can easily see all the buys in one centralized source. I Hope everyone has found it to be a great resource!

In case you just want a quick summary of what everyone has been buying this past month, below is a chart that depicts just that! :)

(The chart and table above only includes companies with more than 3 buys)

During the month of March a total of 83 (33 less than February & 45 less than January) buys were found throughout the DGI community. With the Dow Jones hovering near 18,000, it looks like DGI investors were significantly less active this past month.  Those that made purchases looked far and wide for deals. It was certainly evident with some of the names that we saw this past month. I must admit, there were more than a handful of names that I had never come across before. Nevertheless, I think its great seeing the diversity in buys among the DGI investors as it helps opens our eyes to some companies that may not otherwise be on our radar. At the very least, I'm pretty sure it has expanded everyone's watch list as it certainly has expanded our family's stock watch list.

To summarize the past month, out of a total of 83 buys found around the DGI community, a total of 64 companies were purchased, and only 12 companies were bought more than once.  From the buys collected, it appears that 77.1% of the time DGI investors picked up a stock that was not purchased by others. In February, it happened 56.89%.  

The most popular company this past month was Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), which was purchased by 4 different investors throughout the DGI community. Last month, BNS was in a 3-way tie for third with a total of 5 buys in January.   

There was a 5-way tie for second place between Wells Fargo & Company (WFC), HCP, Inc (HCP), Royal Bank of Canada (RY), Pfizer Inc. (PFE), and Starwood Property Trust Inc. (STWD), which were each purchased by 3 different investors throughout the DGI community. 

There was a 6-way tie for third place between Main Street capital Corp (MAIN), The Walt Disney Company (DIS), Amgen Inc. (AMGN), Apple Inc. (APPL), Agrium Inc. (AGU), and W.P.Carey Inc. (WPC) with a total of 2 buys. 

All other stock buys found throughout the DGI were only bought once!!

Data used for this SUMMARY is from our 

 COLLECTION OF RECENT BUYS

Purchases made by A Frugal Family's Journey:

Unfortunately, our family was not very active in the buying category this past month. In fact, as mentioned in our recent monthly portfolio update we ended the month once again without a single buy!  

The estimated annual income for our family's dividend stocks portfolio  stands at $3,839 (including our Edward Jones Account) or an average of approximately $320/month.

What have you been buying?  Please feel free to share in the comments or send me a link to your Recent Buy post in case I happened to have missed it.

If you have a chance, make sure you also take a look at my COLLECTION OF STOCK ANALYSES!! As with my collection of recent buys, my goal is to make this collection also become a centralized source for everyone. It could become a place where one can get ideas on what to invest in next, to establish a desired stock purchase price, or simply to see what your favorite bloggers are buying.  Whatever your reason, my hope is that this collection proves to be a great reference tool and helps provide you that little extra advantage that you are looking for in order to succeed with your investing.

Also, if you have a chance, make sure you also follow or visit Adam over at I Want to Retire Soon (IWTRS) as he provides a weekly summary of recent buys! A link to past summaries is maintained on his blog. Another great resource for ideas if you are not sure where to invest next! 

Stocks Added to Collection of Stock Analyses - April 2016 (Week 13 & 14)

For those who are not yet familiar with our extensive collection of individual dividend stocks. The entire collection is currently comprised of 1,141 stock analyses (and still growing). The collection essentially provides links to various stock analyses that we found throughout the dividend blog community since 2013. Last year we added a total of 445 stock analyses to the collection. If you would like to view archives from previous years, please follow the respective links provided at the end of this post. 

2016
Our currently readers already know that we recently began providing weekly updates. We started providing weekly updates back in November of 2015 and we are committed to continuing with the weekly updates throughout 2016. We hope the weekly updates not only provides more value to our readers but also helps ensure that we continue to keep our collection up to date.  Our 2016 Collection is now comprised of 145 stock analyses to date.
     

April 2016 - Week 13 & 14 of 52:

I was on a work trip most of last week so unfortunately I did not have the opportunity to post our weekly update to our Collection of Stock Analyses. With that said, Below is a list of newly added stocks analyses for the 1st and 2nd week of April: 

1. AbbVie Inc (ABBV)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
2. AT&T Inc (T)
• by Passive Income Pursuit
3. Cardinal Health Inc (CAH)
• by Dividend Value Builder
4. Cisco Systems Inc (CSCO)
• by Simply Safe Dividends
5. Costco Wholesale Corp (COST)
• by The Conservative Income Investor 
6. Flower Foods Inc (FLO)
• by Simply Safe Dividends
7. Gilead Sciences Inc (GILD)
• by The Conservative Income Investor 
8. Intact Financial Corp (IFC.TO)
• by Dividend Earner
9. Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
• by Passive Income Pursuit
10. Kellogg Co (K)
• by The Conservative Income Investor 
11. Omega Healthcare Investors Inc (OHI)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
12. Pepsico Inc (PEP)
• by Passive Income Pursuit
13. Sysco Corp (SYY)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks
14. United Technologies Corp (UTX)
• by Dividends Growth Stocks

Links provided directly in this post!

Please feel free to leave me a message if you prepared a stock analysis that I did not include in my post.  I would be more than happy to add your stock analysis to both this post and our collection of stock analyses.  Please make sure to confirm that it is a dividend paying stock and that it is a individual stock analysis.

  

My goal is to make this collection become the centralized source where one begins their research on a particular dividend stock company or at the very least, a source to confirm if a company stock is worth buying. Whether your a beginner or a veteran, I want this list to become an invaluable reference tool for you all. Best part, unlike other subscription based sites, I plan to keep this completely free for everyone to enjoy and benefit from.

Feel free to share with all of your friends and family! 

Click on Link Below

2016 - Collection of Stock Analyses

(Archived 2015, 2014, 2013)

Also don't forget to check out our:

Collection of Recent Buys

Dividend Stocks Portfolio (UPDATE) - March 2016

Here is the recent update to our dividend stocks portfolio – March 2016.

SALES 

It has been a while since we have sold any shares from our dividend stocks portfolio. But this past month, with the recovery we've seen since late February, we decided to sell a few shares of a company from our family's dividend stocks portfolio. Unfortunately, the recent sell does impact our annual dividends. 

03/16/16 - FTR (Frontier Communications) - 100 shares/$5.2999

• Original Cost Basis:
• 29.80 shares/$2.28 on 5/7/2012
• 70.20 shares/$2.15 on 6/7/2012
• Original cost: $219.11
• Total value of sale: $529.99
• Net Profit: $310.88
• Overall Decrease to annual dividends: $42.00

PURCHASES

After logging in a total of 12 buys for a total of $4,500.64 in January, we didn't make any buys for our family's dividend stocks portfolio for the second straight month. We started the year off on a strong note. But with the recover we've seen for approximately 5-7 weeks now, we've decided to stock pile cash and wait for the next pull back. We will be more than ready, if or, when the next pull back occurs. I'm reading a few articles that the upcoming earnings could be that opportunity I've been waiting for.  Let's hope so because it not easy to see your money remain idle for months. :)

TOTAL SPENT ON NEW ACQUISITION: $0

OVERALL INCREASE TO ANNUAL DIVIDENDS: $0

Our estimated annual income currently stands at $3,839 (including our Edward Jones account) or and average of approximately $320/month.

DIVIDENDS

During the past month, our family received dividends from a total of 25 companies/ETFs/Partnerships!! The total dividends received from those 25 companies/ETFs/Partnerships was: $300.95. 

Below is a breakdown of the dividends received this past month:

WELLS FARGO INVESTMENT ACCOUNT:
03/01/16 - WFC (Wells Fargo Co): $3.75
03/01/16 - TIS (Orchids Paper Product Co): $14.00
03/01/15 - ENB (Enbridge Inc): $11.51
03/01/16 - AFL (Aflac Inc): $14.35
03/03/16 - BSBR (Banco Santander Brazil): $16.49
03/08/15 - JNJ (Johnson & Johnson): $9.00
03/10/16 - TGT (Target Corp): $8.44
03/10/16 - IBM (International Business Machine): $7.80
03/10/16 - XOM (Exxon Mobil Corp): $8.03
03/10/16 - EXC (Exelon Corp): $18.58
03/10/16 - EMR (Emerson Electric Co): $16.63
03/10/16 - CVX (Chevron Corp): $19.26
03/15/16 - ORI (Old Republic Intl Corp): $6.56
03/15/16 - MCD (McDonalds Corp): $5.34
03/15/16 - IP (International Paper Co): $4.40
03/18/16 - ESV (Ensco Plc): $1.56
03/24/16 - CRC (California Resource Corp): $1.06 (cash in lieu)
03/28/16 - NOV (National Oilwell Varco): $20.70
03/29/16 - RDS.B (Royal Dutch Shell Plc): $21.62
03/31/16 - BPY (Brookfield Property Partners): $.84
03/31/16 - VTR (Ventas Inc): $4.38
03/31/16 - UNP (Union Pacific Corp): $11.55
03/31/16 - EDIV (SPDR Emerging Markets ETF): $5.58
03/31/16 - FTR (Frontier Communications Corp): $39.44
03/31/16 - BBL (BHP Billiton Plc): $30.08

EDWARD JONES INVESTMENT ACCOUNT:
*No dividend were received in March from EJ Account 

OVERALL DIVIDENDS TOTAL THIS MONTH: $300.95

In case you interested, our family's dividend stocks portfolio 
may be found by clicking on the link below:

Dividend Stocks Portfolio

Fun Goals (Update) - Easter Weekend Adventures

I know I'm a little late with this post but I truly hope that everyone had a great Easter weekend.  I can tell you that our family sure did!  First, since I work a 9-80 schedule and have every other Friday off, started off my holiday weekend with a solo hike up Mt. Rubidoux in Riverside, CA. Saturday was a continuation of the fun with a trail run with a few buddies around the Claremont Loop in Claremont, CA.  On Easter Sunday, we all went to a sunrise service and then decided to do a family hike at El Dorado Nature Center in Long Beach, CA. In all, I logged in a total of 11 miles this past weekend and I'm now up to hike no. 15! 

MT. RUBIDOUX

Since last Friday was Good Friday, I decided to hike up Mt. Rubidoux becuase of the iconic cross at the top (approximately 805 feet from the base)! It was such a scenic hike that, unlike most hikes that I have come across, was entirely paved from start to finished.  It was very family, pet, and stroller friendly. It would consider Mt. Rubidoux a beginners hike as it was just under 3 miles. Enjoy the photos!

Sign at the Entrance to the hike

Freedom bridge and tower

View of the cross from a distance

Cross with rock stairs leading up to the base

Close up of cross and gorgeous backdrop

View of the city and mountainside from the top

CLAREMONT LOOP

On Saturday, I ran a 5.5 mile loop in Claremont. Because of the distance and incline (approximately 1,300 foot climb from the base).  I'm actually training for a 10K trail run later this month so this was a nice test to gauge where I am at with my training thus far.  I did not run the entire way up but ran 99% of the way down. I finished the 5.5 mile loop in 1 hour and 10 minutes.  I'm hoping to be close to an hour for my upcoming 10K so have a bit more training to do. Enjoy the photos!

Probably the only tree canopy on the entire trail

Approximately 1/3 of the way up

Approximately 2/3 of the way up

At the top

EL DORADO NATURE CENTER

Then on Sunday, after going to sunrise service at our church, the entire family went on a really nice trail we found in Long Beach. It is safe to say that my son can now consistently handle 2+ mile hikes. On Sunday, we did a paved 1/4 mile hike as well as a 2 mile unpaved loop. Slowly but surely, we plan to increase the miles and elevation so that we can one day join me on the bigger hikes.  Took lots of pictures so enjoy the photos! 

Nice bridge near the entrance to the Nature Center

Just in case you weren't sure

Nice tree canopy that hung over part of the trail

One of several bridges throughout the trail

The wife and kids

Nice bridge/water/shadow photo

Our state flower in bloom

More flowers on the trail

After completing 3 hikes this past weekend, I just completed my 13th, 14th, and 15th hike.  With 3/4 of the year left, I am just 11 hikes away from completing my 2016 fun goal of 26 hikes!! 

Thanks for following along on your journey. Once again, I hope everyone is enjoying the added personal touch to our blog. :)

Best wishes, AFFJ