September is over and we’re right in the middle of my favorite season. I absolutely love fall in the northeast. The weather is perfect, we can wear hoodies and the colors around are just amazing. There’s not much better than those crisp cool fall mornings. It’s unfortunate that it comes before my least favorite season but such is life.

September was a great month for me culminating in my wedding which was just awesome. We had perfect weather which made the day extra great.

The end of September also means it’s time to review one of my biggest dividend months. This one had some surprises as I had some late dividends that impacted September results. A few of my ETFs didn’t actually pay out until early October. Way to be late guys!

That means October numbers will get juiced and September’s are slightly lower due to those late dividends.

2018 has been a good year for dividends. I enter September with a 28.4% increase over last year and am hoping for good results here too. It would be the cherry on top of an awesome month.

The late dividends might impact September a bit but at least my October results will look amazing.

Last year’s September clocked in at $1708.01 so let’s see where I am in 2018.

September Dividends

September’s total is a smoking $2136.45. That’s a 25.1% bump over last year!

I’m pretty damn happy with those results especially when you consider the late dividends that probably shaved off another $200 that would normally be paid in September. 25% growth when your starting point is already that high is great.

It’s also nice to see the total jump above $2k for the first time in a non December month. In fact, it’s possible that all of my quarter ending months going forward will hit that mark and that’s pretty cool.

It’s just another way to show the power of compounding and additional dollars flowing into the market each month.

Related : The First $100,000 is the Hardest – the Miracle of Compound Interest

The $2136.45 reinvested at my average portfolio yield will mean an extra $49.14 annually or a boost of $4.09 per month. That’s not too shabby.

Steve, my dividend employee found a lot of work this month. His hourly wage shot up all the way to $12.82. That brings his yearly wage up to $4.35/hr as the strong quarter ending month really raises overall results.

Related : My dividend employee Steve

Overall, this is another awesome month with strong growth yet again. The best part is that I’ve still got the biggest month in December ahead. The late dividends that weren’t paid in September will mean October should see a huge boost over last year as well.

September brings my total for the year to $6518.59. That’s 27.3% higher than last year at this time and it puts me in a good spot to maybe even break $10,000 this year.

These big months are awesome but the small months help as well. That’s especially true now that they’re growing due to higher interest rates and bond yields.

You can see the progression since I started and the trend is certainly up across the board. Even the small months are becoming more visible and October will be no different.

I’m eager to see where December lands this year as I didn’t see much growth there last year. Right now, I’m on pace to break the 10k barrier for the first time this year as long as I see some growth in December and that’d be great to see. I’m on pace to grow 2018 more than I grew 2017 and that’s impressive given that the starting point is higher.

One of the best things about dividends is that you’re continually getting more shares. Even if I have an expensive month like September, I still know that I’m getting more shares via re-investments. More shares mean more future dividends and that happens naturally without any additional dollars. The best part is that I’m still currently investing so I’m getting the best of both worlds.

There’s more money flowing in each month and dividends are being used to get more shares!

Steve, my dividend employee, is definitely happy about that. He’s still far from being independent but each year brings a higher annual wage. I’m eager to get to the point where Steve is earning $10+ and while I’m still a ways away from that, I’m much closer now than I was when I started.

If I can keep this income stream growing at a 20-25% clip each year then I’m doing pretty damn well.

You can see the progress in the graph above and I’m excited to see what the last quarter and 2019 bring. It’s crazy to talk about 2019 already but it’s almost here. I’ll be doing a quick Q3 goal review in a bit to see where I am and what I need to change in Q4 to make sure I hit my annual goals.

That’s it for this month. Hopefully your September was as good as mine, although most of you probably didn’t get married to an awesome woman so maybe I have that up on you this month even if my dividends are lower!

Thanks for reading and let me know how your September went.

September Total : $2136.45
2018 Total : $6518.59
Portfolio monthly hourly wage : $12.82/hr
Portfolio annual hourly wage : $4.35/hr