Hello friends and welcome to my blog focusing on dividend investing. Dividend Driven is really about one thing - how to independently generate a recurring revenue stream of dividends from my investments that will support me comfortably in my retirement years. Having my money work for me so I don't have to work is my ultimate end goal. I'm a 47-year-old citizen of the United States and work in research and development for a private software company. I'm interested in sharing my financial journey to inspire individuals and provide a real life example to compare against. It's always good to know how you're doing compared to your peers or others at different stages in their lives.
I was not born into a wealthy family and don't plan on inheriting much of anything in the future. You could say this was a wake up call knowing what was in my future. I view this as an opportunity to prove to myself that I control my financial destiny and with proper planning and commitment I can become a self-made millionaire by the age of 60. This is a realistic goal for me as I control expenses carefully, don't count on living off of social security and attempt to revise my investing strategy based on market conditions if needed. I'm not afraid to change direction or try new strategies if it will benefit me in reaching my financial goals.
While I don't have a second income, I feel confident that I will be able to invest my current salary effectively for the long term by creating a DRIVE (Dividends Reinvested Increase Value Exponentially) Fund. Understanding how money works for you and how to invest it is at the heart of my blog. I'm a self-taught investor who is curious about how other investors have chosen to save and invest for their future. Outside of saving and investing, I also enjoy architecture, travel, gardening, food, music, movies and photography.
I'm a visual person and prefer to look at charts and graphs to see the big picture quickly. Following other investment blogs, I gain insight, ideas and knowledge everyday. Some people invest just for the dividends while others invest for dividend growth. I like to mix things up and invest in different types of investments for different reasons. Every year I max out my Roth IRA and my Roth 401k. I invest in Stocks, Mutual Funds and ETF's that are focused on US companies with international exposure. I also reinvest all of my dividends automatically and on occasion may add more to my current positions. I like shopping for bargains during market dips and increasing my exposure in different sectors for diversification.
I attempt to keep investing simple. My own approach helps me stay on track and outlines what I should prepare for next. This would have been really nice to have when I was 25 years old. Time is the key to successful investing - the more time you have the better - think compounding power. Recently having a few unexpected expenses, I know how plans can be delayed due to life's surprises. That's okay as long as you have a plan to begin with so you don't lose focus or give up.
Like many of you, I'm glad there is a dividend-focused community online sharing information through blogs and personal websites. Reading about popular investment tools and strategies makes us all better investors and gives us the ability to learn and try something new to potentially maximize our passive income.
Thanks for stopping by and please visit often for my monthly updates to see how I'm progressing. I hope you enjoy following my journey and I wish all of you success in your financial endeavors.
- Dividend Driven
