Monthly Update - October

October was a decent month.  I don't have many dividend payers in October but I did receive more dividends than I did in July.  It's been fun to keep track and watch the monthly dividends increase in my DG portfolio.  I did purchase two new stocks in the month of October.  I also had four options trades.

New Purchases:

21 shares of LMT mentioned in a post here.
26 shares of LO mentioned in a post here.

Options Trades:

After going on an options frenzy in September, having sold 7 Puts, I managed to have another 4 options trades.  My total profit from options is still at $2215 for the year before commissions.  I do have an INTC put expiring this month that's "in the money" and probably will be assigned.  I've updated all of these trades on my Options tab.

Dividends:

I earned 100.48 in dividends for October.  This is 76.4% higher than the $56.97 I received in July.  It also brings my total for the year to $1279.86.  My expected future dividend income has increased to $2493.10 from $2235.30.  This is an increase of 11.5% since the October update mainly due to my two new purchases.  I've updated my dividend income on my Dividends tab.

Goals:

I've also surpassed my new goal of $2400 in forward 12-month dividends by the end of the year.  I am now shooting for $3000.  I already have a new trade in November that I will be talking about soon.

Real Estate:

No updates on my rentals but I continue to aggressively overpay on my 2nd lien for my primary residence.  My goal is to have it paid off by early next year eliminating a $380.35 monthly payment.

Looking Ahead:

I'm way ahead of where I thought I'd be with my dividend goals.  I'm also surprised at how much I've made from selling options.  My portfolio value has increased from 34k in April to 62k now.  This is mainly due to new purchases but also from capital gains. I've made a great start in investing for my retirement this year and look forward to tracking the dividend increases provided by my portfolio.