Here is the dividend income report for December, 2020.
The monthly dividend income came out to $3490.60. The yearly income total for 2020 through the end of the month was $10541.51.
The income for December, 2019 was $3611.13, and the yearly income for 2019 through the end of December was $10515.13.
The total for 2020 was my highest ever. I still worry that my dividend ETFs will not cover my expenses in retirement. I have about a decade left in the workforce, possibly more.
I had RWR for most of 2019, and I sold all my shares in early 2020. I sold at a price higher than the low in 2020, but lower than the price now. I thought real estate would get hosed more than it has. Perhaps RWR has a lot of wholesale real estate and not much consumer and office space. I plan on going through the RWR annual report to see what is in it. I also plan on going over the conference calls for LAND. I should have some cash to install.
Anyway, I made $1982.49 from RWR in 2019, and 179.94 from RWR in 2020. So that means that I beat my 2019 total without the 1802.55 difference in RWR. I did buy some BND for my Roth IRA. I that seemed to help. I also got income every month in my Roth IRA.
I bought some shares of Global X S&P 500 Covered Call ETF (XYLD). This will give me monthly income. Perhaps I won’t need to get Ron DeLegge’s newsletter for the monthly ETF trade.
In addition to tracking my finances in GnuCash, I also have a spreadsheet for my stocks and ETFs. I have a sheet for the monthly totals for the accounts. I added a few columns with the 3- and 12-month moving averages for my taxable accounts which take out about 33% for taxes. I don’t know if my tax rate will be that high when I retire, but I think this will give me a better idea how well my investments would do if that is all I had to rely on. Right now, my 12-month moving average after removing assumed taxes from income from taxable accounts is $680. That is not enough to cover my rent. But a few years ago it was around $450, so I guess I am doing okay.
I have some money in another account that I will probably “put to work” (as they say in the industry). What I really need is to start making more money.
Here is a table with the year-to-date amounts, the monthly amounts, and the three- and twelve-month moving averages for each December from 2011 through 2020:
| Month | YTD | Amount | 3MMA | 12MMA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020-12 | $10541.51 | $3490.60 | $1294.16 | $878.46 |
| 2019-12 | $10515.13 | $3611.13 | $1343.15 | $876.26 |
| 2018-12 | $6971.76 | $2313.99 | $1165.08 | $580.98 |
| 2017-12 | $7536.98 | $1837.78 | $913.40 | $628.08 |
| 2016-12 | $6076.53 | $1027.76 | $605.28 | $506.38 |
| 2015-12 | $5472.07 | $954.52 | $575.86 | $456.01 |
| 2014-12 | $4438.02 | $909.86 | $481.67 | $369.80 |
| 2013-12 | $3406.20 | $594.59 | $344.05 | $283.85 |
| 2012-12 | $3585.01 | $686.10 | $386.41 | $298.75 |
| 2011-12 | $3091.99 | $514.94 | $323.40 | $253.92 |
Here are the securities and the income amounts for December, 2020:
- Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF: $141.02
- Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF: $36.12
- Vanguard Total International Bond ETF: $9.83
- RLI Corp: $103.60
- RLI Corp: $24.86
- Vanguard Utilities ETF: $290.74
- SPDR S&P Dividend ETF: $1031.43
- SPDR S&P Global Dividend ETF: $1463.25
- Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF: $286.78
- Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF: $73.46
- Vanguard Total International Bond ETF: $29.51
Note: Some securities have more than one payout in December. I have BND in two accounts. BND, BNDX and RLI have multiple payouts in December.
In spite of all that happened, Big Jim had an okay year. Hopefully 2021 will be better for us all.
Image from somewhere on the web, assumed allowed under Fair Use. Painting of angel by Guariento di Arpo (1310-1370).
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