Dividend income March 2021: Chronicling monthly dividend income to document the journey to financial independence. New record for one month and narrow year-over-year (YoY) Growth. This article is not investment advice. It is for entertainment purposes only.
Another month has passed, so it’s time to report how much dividend income was received in March 2021.
Last March was a record-setting month and the second-highest month for dividend income ever.
In truth, I was nervous that my YoY (year-over-year) growth streak would end.
Fortunately, though, I narrowly beat last year’s results and saw YoY growth for the 3rd straight month in a row.
I also received the most dividend income I’ve ever received in a single month!
In this post, I will detail how much dividend income I received in March 2021 and look at which stocks paid dividends.
Let’s jump right to the highlights of the month.
Dividend Income March 2021 Highlights
- Total dividend income in March 2021 was $87.47
- 1.5% year-over-year increase compared to March 2020
- Year-to-date income from dividends is $172.00 (January 1, 2021 to March 31, 2021)
- 10 stocks paid dividends
- All-time dividend income received is $1,803.18 (June 2017 to March 2021)
- Monthly average dividend income in 2021: $57.33
- Overall investment returns are significantly outpacing the S&P 500
Dividend Income March 2021 Earnings: $87.47
The portfolio generated $87.47 in dividend income in March 2021.
This represents a 1.5% year-over-year increase compared to March 2020.
Compared to the previous quarter in December 2020, dividend income is up by 0.59%.
Although it was a small year-over-year increase, I am happy to report that it was my highest month for dividend income ever.
Total year-to-date income is now up to $172.00 in 2021. This represents an 8.71% increase over the same point last year. By March 2020, dividend income was $158.22 or $13.78 less.
In addition, year-to-date investment returns for my entire portfolio are significantly outpacing the S&P 500. They are somewhere in the double digit range, while the S&P 500 is at 6.2% YTD.
This can be attributed to holding stocks for at least 4 years, capital gains, dividends, and averaging down at the bottom of last year.
Based on the stocks in my portfolio, I still believe my portfolio is well positioned to outperform for the rest of the year.
Stocks That Paid Dividends
Ten stocks paid dividends in March 2021:
- Enbridge (Ticker: ENB)
- Fortis (Ticker: FTS)
- Suncor Energy (Ticker: SU)
- Riocan REIT (Ticker: REI.UN)
- Choice Properties Investment Trust (Ticker: CHP.UN)
- Starbucks (Ticker: SBUX)
- Park Lawn (Ticker: PLC)
- SmartCentres REIT (Ticker: SRU.UN)
- NorthWest Health Property REIT (Ticker: NWH.UN)
- Savaria Corporation (Ticker: SIS)
The bulk of March’s dividend income was from Enbridge (ENB). In total, Enbridge accounted for 70% of the total income for the month. This is up by 3% over last quarter despite my goal to lower my reliance on Enbridge.
Since I automatically reinvest dividends from ENB through a DRIP, my position is larger each quarter. As such, the dividend payment increases each quarter as well. Consequently, I added $3.34 to my annual dividend income by purchasing one more share in March.
The second highest dividend payer of the month was Fortis (FTS), which accounted for 17% of dividend income. I recently picked up a few more shares of Fortis when it was under $50 per share, so next quarter’s payout will increase.
Otherwise, Suncor added in 6%, RioCan added 4%, Starbucks chipped in just over 1%, and 5 other stocks made up the rest of the month.
Outlook: $578 More To Hit My Dividend Income Target For 2021
In order to hit my modest dividend target of $750 in 2021, I must earn at least $578 in dividends this year.
With 9 months to go, I need to earn an average of $64.22 per month.
Considering that I have a raise coming, my student loan will be completely eliminated by April 15, 2021, blog income is growing by the month, and I’m about to enter my busy season for work, I expect to meet and possibly exceed this target.
On the other hand, I will prioritize my overall investment returns for the long term over shorter-term goals. So, if I don’t meet it, it’s likely because I’ve added to growth stocks and Bitcoin instead.
Investment Activity During The Month
I recently began sharing my weekly activity on Twitter.
Each Friday, I plan to tweet my weekly investment activity.
Since it seems to be drawing interest on Twitter, I figured I would include it in my monthly dividend income updates as well.
Below is my investment activity for the month of March 2021:
Investment Activity
- Reinvested into Enbridge (ENB) via DRIP
- Added to Altria Group (MO)
- Added To Palantir (PLTR) – now my largest growth stock position and my 3rd largest USD position.
- Added significantly to Telus (T.TO)
- Added to Fortis (FTS)
- Added to SmartCentres REIT (SRU.UN)
- Added to NorthWest Health Care Properties REIT (NWH.UN)
- Added to Bitcoin (BTC)
- Started position in Johnson & Johnson (JNJ)
- Started position in a Bitcoin ETF (BTTC.B)
- Started speculative position in Ethereum (ETH)
- Traded Xebec Adsorption Inc (XBC) for a quick profit
- Sold my entire AT&T (T) position
- Sold my entire Coca Cola (KO) position
Overall, it was a surprisingly active month.
I am used to adding to positions on a monthly basis because I dollar cost average into positions. But the trades are unusual and I don’t expect them to continue as much going forward.
Of course, I always expected I would become a more active investor as my portfolio grows. Plus, I am not paying a commission on most of the trades.
One of the reasons I am a dividend investor is because it allows me to build my own cash flow machine. In turn, I get to invest more frequently and I can allocate more money to growth positions.
I manage risks in percents and I would never speculate with more than 10% of my portfolio’s value. The majority of my portfolio will always be in dividend stocks. But as my portfolio grows, so do the percents I can allocate to growth stocks and for speculation.
Dividend Income March 2021 – Final Thoughts
In summary, I earned $87.47 from dividend growth stocks in March 2021.
This represents a 1.5% year-over-year increase compared to March 2020.
Year to date, the portfolio generated $172 in dividend income and is significantly outpacing the S&P 500.
Related Articles On Dividend Investing
All Dividend Income Updates Since 2017
Dividend Income March 2020 – New Record + 52% YoY
Dividend Income December 2020 – A Record Final Month
I am not a licensed investment or tax adviser. All opinions are my own. This post may contain advertisements by Monumetric. This post may also contain internal links, affiliate links to BizBudding, Amazon, Bluehost, and Questrade, links to trusted external sites, and links to RTC social media accounts.
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