It’s July and it’s raining hundred dollar bills. July was the last bastion of hold outs against the deluge of $100 months. That means if I hit it this month, I may be getting at least one hundred dollar bill worth of dividends every month going forward.

Naturally, I don’t actually get any hundred dollar bills. They’re all deposited into my account and re-invested each month. However, the more money that goes in there, the better of I am in the long run.

Last year, I had 5 sub $100 months. This year, I had one, January. If July breaks that mark then I think I may be in the clear from now on. Hundred dollar bills for everyone y’all!

July has always been one of my slower months. In 2016, I banked $52 in dividends and 2017 was $64. However, the recent surge in interest rates for both bonds and money market accounts and my extra purchases of bonds have sent my monthly income soaring even in the off months.

They’re still a far cry from the quarter ending months but they’re getting bigger each passing year. In the end, that’s what this is about; it’s the power of compounding working for me to get my portfolio up and my income stream up too.

Last year’s July came in at $64.34 so let’s see where I landed this July.

July Dividends

Boom, that’s a big increase.

July’s dividend total comes in at $160.65.

That’s an impressive 149% growth rate y/y.

I won’t complain about that.

What drove that increase? The biggest culprit is my increased purchases of bonds which fell behind in my asset allocation as stocks kept soaring in the recent year. The second silent assassin is the rising money market rates. I still hold some cash in my portfolio and those holds now pay close to 2% which gets added to this total.

Compounding is a huge part of this growth. The $160.65 gets re-invested and will boost my annual income by $3.69 going forward. It’s not a ton but every little bit counts.

My dividend employee Steve took it easy this month after an awesome June. He earned himself $0.96/hr and his annual rate is now at $3.60/hr. Still far from a living wage but it seems like Steve’s getting close to $1/hr each month and that might be the next milestone now that $100 each month is hit.

Related : My dividend employee Steve

Overall, I’m really happy about this month. It’s nice to see these small months get bigger and bigger with each passing year. August is coming up next and that was just north of $100 last year so I’m eager to see how much it grows this year.

This month brings my total for the year to $4197.46 so I’m on good pace to reach my goal of at least $9250 in dividends given that September and my biggest month December are still to come.

You can see the progression in dividends since I started below to appreciate the boost that those two months will bring to my total.

It’s nice to see the growth continue every month. The purple bars may still be small in these off months but they’re getting bigger every year! Next year’s bars will be even bigger as I continue to buy stocks and bonds according to my asset allocation.

July Total : $160.65
2018 Total : $4197.46
Portfolio monthly hourly wage : $0.96/hr
Portfolio annual hourly wage : $3.60/hr