My name’s Mike. I’m 30 years old and I’m a dividend growth investor! I worked in health insurance for 4 years, earned by BA in 2013, and an MBA in 2015. I currently work for a large industrial supplier in Northwest Indiana. Throughout the years I saved and invested while my peers accumulated massive amounts of debt. Today, I continue to build a lucrative stock portfolio that will one day yield financial independence. Regardless of one’s career, I believe anyone can find “success” if they are frugal and make wise investment decisions.
There is a wide variety of investment strategies one can follow. This blog focuses on dividend growth investing. Such a strategy is pragmatic and long-term. Dividend investors buy stable, mature companies. A dividend growth investor seeks to be a long-term partner in the development of an organization. When a company pays out profits, in the form of a dividend, a savvy investor typically rolls the income directly back into the stock. Assuming the company continues to grow and pay out; the investor benefits greatly through the power of compound interest.
I started investing when I was 16 years old. Having a job I decided to open up a custodial account and start “making my money work”. In doing so, I made a lot of mistakes buying and selling on a day-to-day basis. I remember placing a trade early before I went to school and selling later that afternoon in computer class. Sometimes I did well, sometimes not. I’d keep my eyes glued to the news with the hopes I’d find the next Apple. This mentality wasn’t healthy.
Between dozens of meaningless trades and the 2008 financial crisis, I decided to rethink my strategy. It wasn’t until 2012 that my grandpa sent me a book about dividend growth investing. After reading the book I spent hours researching the subject. Finally, everything made perfect sense! I began buying securities with the mentality of being a long-term silent partner, not a day trader. I would buy, benefit from compound interest, and presumably, never sell. As I continue to dollar cost average my savings into the market I’m always trying to accumulate more knowledge.
To be a truly great dividend investor and achieve financial independence one has to purchase great securities. I feel reading books, analyst reports, and articles is not enough. Even licensed financial professionals don’t have all the answers. However, we can learn from each other. With that in mind, this blog is dedicated first and foremost to the accumulation of knowledge. We, as a community, will continually pursue knowledge in an effort to help make wise, intelligent investment decisions. Join me on the journey to financial independence!