Finance is dull. Money is alluring. There is a recurring theme in philosophy that without pain, there can be no pleasure. When it comes to building wealth – in the absence of an extraordinary amount of luck – it seems that the required ingredients include organization, planning, and discipline. Without them how can anyone truly enjoy the pleasure of using that hard-earned money? I would argue that even with these elements, it takes an incredible amount of luck. I am extremely fortunate to have learned how to make and stick with a plan. It has not been easy, but I have also had a bit of luck.
The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.
Tolstoy, War and Peace
By all accounts this was a great year. Through online money-making opportunities I was able to pull in nearly $5,000 dollars. I averaged over $400 dollars a month, doubling my initial goal. That puts my daily average at over $13 dollars a day. I was able to invest in over 240 shares of various stocks and funds. Here is a break down of my income since I began in November of 2022.
I should clarify that “Other” includes both Honeygain, which I don’t recommend, and random odd jobs. It has proved useful to track everything. My plan is to focus on improving what works while attempting to find new sources of income in 2024. I have learned an immense amount about investing and myself.
The motivation for this project was to create a steady, passive income stream. It requires patience, time, and discipline, but now that I can see the light at the end of the tunnel it is truly illuminating. While the chart below does not show the entirety of my dividend payments as the year is not over, it does show an incredible progression as well as a massive pay off in the end as several of my investments have surprised me with special dividend payments.
| Month | Dividends |
| January | $5.10 |
| February | $6.86 |
| March | $8.99 |
| April | $10.50 |
| May | $11.73 |
| June | $15.81 |
| July | $16.18 |
| August | $15.76 |
| September | $21.80 |
| October | $23.68 |
| November | $27.69 |
| December* | $40.20 |
That’s over $200 dollars in dividend payments. Using a simple forecasting tool, I am looking at over $60 a month by the end of next year.