Goal Setting and Dividend Investment
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I have been reading a really good “self-help” book the last few weeks titled the, The Magic of Thinking Big
I have a particular goal when it comes to my dividend investing. Anytime I am looking for a dividend paying stock this goal guides me in my decision. Here is my goal:
By 2017, I will own $300,000 in dividend paying stocks that have grown to this value because of each stock’s inclination to grow its dividend rate year after year. The income generated from this portfolio will be more than $15,000 per year, and growing consistently.
My focus is obviously on finding stocks that consistently increase their dividend year after year so that I can generate more and more income on these funds each and every year. Notice how I wrote it in the present tense, as if I had already attained it. I find this valuable as it makes the goal seem very real and focuses my thinking on it. I read this goald every day as a reminder. This way my decisions are always focused on achieving this goal and does not waiver on unimportant tasks that will not get me here.
A good goal setting methodology to use is the ‘SMART’ system.
I like it because it is simple. I just make sure that my goals meet these criteria when I am done and the goals become real and give me the focus I need to succeed as a dividend investor.
6 Comments on this post
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hans said:
15k in income every year, from a 300k portfolio? that’s 5%. Is that attainable without moving everything into utility/bank stocks? P&G, Coke, or Walmart don’t usually sell at a 5% yield.
August 5th, 2007 at 1:58 pm -
The Dividend Guy said:
That is a good point hans – however, as years go by and dividends are reinvested into more and more shares, then achieving a 5% yield on your original investment is more than possible. The key is dividend reinvestment into more shares that provide you with more dividend income on the next payout date, and then again, and again, and again….
August 5th, 2007 at 6:30 pm -
Sean said:
Hi,
I run a goal setting organisation and so would like to help you a little…
“By 2017, I will own $300,000 in dividend paying stocks that have grown to this value because of each stock’s inclination to grow its dividend rate year after year. The income generated from this portfolio will be more than $15,000 per year, and growing consistently.”
I dub this the goal title, you are almost there in terms of present tense an improved version would be:
“I own $300,000 in dividend paying stocks. The income generated from this portfolio is more than $15,000 per year, and growing consistently.”
My question to you would be, “is your goal to own $300k in stock or to generate $15k in income?” If it is the latter then your title should be:
“I own dividend paying stock that generates more than $15k per year in dividend income.”
The “how” is then developed through answering the following sort of questions:
Who specifically do I need to speak to in order to achieve this goal?
What specific resources do I need in order to achieve this goal?
What are the potential obstacles that will prevent me from achieving this goal?
How can I overcome or avoid the potential obstacles I have identified?
What specific skills do I need in order to achieve this goal?
How can I acquire these skills?You are right in that the SMART model is a very useful tool to create lower end goals, however this tool can by its own definition be limiting. I am talking about the “A” and the “R” – larger life long goals may not be immediately Attainable or Realistic in your present situation, but you should not stop yourself from having them as goals. Instead, break them down until you get to the lower end goals that are Attainable and Realistic for your present situation. When you tick these lower goals off your list you are part way there in achieving your larger goals. Through persistence, discipline and determination you will eventually achieve those larger goals that you may not have started because they were initially unAttainable and un Realistic for you.
Well done for settign your goals, continue and hopefully you found the above information useful in setting more goals for the future.
Sean
August 6th, 2007 at 3:20 am -
The Dividend Guy said:
Hi Sean – thanks for the very good comment. I think that is good advice – now that I look at it it does seem confusing – almost like going after two goals which may or may not be discrete. My goal is truley to receive the $15,000 in dividend income as opposed to the pure dollar value of the portfolio. This is what will give me the freedom to do certain things in the future.
Making the goal specific like this makes it much more simple, and clearer for me. Now, as you stated, it is determining what the next steps are to achive this goal – small step by small step.
Thanks for posting. I have added your link to by Blogroll.
Jeremy
August 7th, 2007 at 11:54 am -
investor99 said:
Hans has a valid point.
Yield on orignial investment does not matter. You stated your portfolio would be worth $300K. Therefore your yield on current (2017) value (the only yield that really matters) would be 5% if you were getting 15K per year.
Your current holdings don’t look like they would yield 5%. I would guess your yield on current value is more like 3.5%, but it’s hard to say without seeing your allocation.
August 7th, 2007 at 5:17 pm -
Adventures In Money Making said:
my goal is to generate $18,000/year from dividends too. unfortunately I don’t want to wait until 2017, so i’m putting my money in canroys instead.
September 16th, 2007 at 11:11 am
