As many of you have noticed, I’ve been out of action for a while. There have been a lot of personal and financial changes. 2015 was a big transition year. I’m not technically “starting over” completely. I did lose a lot of my net worth though.
How did this happen you might ask? One word: DIVORCE. It’s a nasty word but that’s the main reason for the hiatus for the better part of last year. To be honest, it hit me more than I ever thought it would. Over the years, I have seen the majority of my friends hiring someone like this denver divorce lawyer because they had seen their marriage break down, and I for one never thought it would happen to me. I didn’t know how to react, my thoughts weren’t my own. It must be hard and given that it is an understandably sad situation, it would be better if they went through a divorce attorney consultation. I guess I was just blessed that I had people to talk to who knew exactly what I was going through and feeling, so that made me feel a bit better, but it didn’t fill the big hole that had now been left in my heart.
I’m sorry for rambling on like this. But I will feel a lot better if I tell you what has been going on in my life because there are thousands more people like me who are going through, or have gone through a similar thing. So, for some of you that may have hit close to home, especially if you’re thinking about getting a divorce. That is why you’ll want to look into law firms, like peters and may and many more family law practices are there to help you in a time of crisis. Trust me, you will feel better for it.
What’s more important is what I’m focusing on right now; that’s growing my passive income stream.
This passive income stream is currently a little over $1000/month and has three components:
1.) Individual Dividend Paying Stocks
My portfolio has taken a bit of a hit but I plan to be as diligent as every and to consistently invest into dividend growth stocks as I’ve always done. I’ll also be posting my new trades again as usual on a weekly basis at least. I’m currently contributing $900/week to my Sharebuilder account to build it back up to where it was. My portfolio basically got set back for about two years. After the 75% dividend cut from KMI, I’m currently at a 12-month forward dividend income of $8468 or $705/month. That’s not too bad to be starting over with.
2.) Real Estate
I’ve sold off a property and lost one in the divorce so I just have one rental currently that’s earning $274/month in profits. However, I recently purchased a historical building that has a bar on the first floor and a living area upstairs. It was built in the 1800’s and is already fully renovated. This is the building I’ll be opening up a bar out of. So a lot of my extra cash has gone here. I’m hoping to have it fully running sometime in March and I’ll be posting updates. This will be a new source of income that I’m looking forward to. Luckily this was not part of the divorce, otherwise, that would have been another thing to contend with. If one of us breaks the divorce decree that can cause further legal issues, and I certainly do not want that. If you are going through something similar, you may want to check out a Sisemore Law Firm like thetxattorneys.com so you can understand what I’m saying in a clearer legal way.
3.) P2P Lending (I recently started a Lending Club account)
I love the concept; I have a small account but am adding $250/week currently and I’m seeing over 16% returns so far. I’m sure this number will come down as there are some defaults on the account. I’m mainly focusing on higher interest loans for now. Any tips would be helpful. I also want to check out Prosper but not sure if they are in Texas yet. The reason I hadn’t invested already in Lending Club is because they weren’t in Texas yet and I didn’t like buying notes on the second-hand market.
So What’s next you may ask?
What I’ve been working on is getting back on track financially. It’s been a tough year for me but I’m finally anxious to start writing on my blog and letting you guys know what is going on again on a regular basis. My portfolio weights are all out of whack but I’m working on that now. I’m also anticipating a large tax bill and will keep purchases a little light the first half of the year but hope to increase them the second half. I still have a lot of time to buy and diversify.
Lowering expenses, earning more income and building more passive income streams are what I’m working towards. I will be eating out less and cooking at home more. I’ve also stopped going to Starbucks every single day. Every few dollars count!
I’m excited for a brand new start and will be sharing my journey with you guys. I appreciate anyone that’s been following along. I’ve not lost commitment; only a little money. This can be replaced with a little bit of time, savings and consistent investing.
I’m fully dedicated to an early financial independence and hope to see you all there some day!
I hope everyone has a Happy New Year!
Thank you for sharing this very personal aspect of your life. I just dislike reading about divorce and how it ravages a person financially and emotionally. You aren’t the only member of our DGI community that has gone or is going through a divorce. All things being equal, you seem to have your head screwed on straight and by your writing I can tell that you are very focused on getting your financial house back in order. A setback, a bump in the long road of life. Sorry to hear about this but glad that it’s in your rear view mirror.
DivHut recently posted…End Of Year 2015 DivHut Blog Stats
DivHut,
Sure, I like to be open and honest with my readers. I’m going full steam ahead and still have my original goals in mind, it may just take me a little longer now. I’m ok with that and look forward to the future.
Thanks for following along on my journey!
Sorry to hear about your divorce.
It seems however that your passive monthly income is looking really good and that you are on track to your FI goal! I look forward to your posts in the coming year.
Jenna,
I’m starting to get back on track financially. It’s taken my a while but I’m looking forward to being consistent once again in investing for my DG portfolio. Thanks for being a loyal follower. I promise there’s much more to come!
Take care!
I am sorry to hear about your personal troubles AAI, but I’m glad to hear you have a plan …..and are moving toward a better future. I’ll be rolling through your part of Texas in mid March. Hope to catch up and check out the new business. Wishing you a happy/healthy 2016!
-Bryan
Income Surfer recently posted…2015 Wrap-up and 2016 Goals
Bryan,
It’s ok, I’m bouncing back up and will come back stronger than ever. It feels good to have a plan again and I look forward to posting more consistently. I’m actually back in northeast Texas now, about 5 hours from Austin. I’d love to have you check it out though but doubt you’ll be coming through this area. I hope you have a great 2016 as well!
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey im very interested in the p2p lending is there anyway you can shoot me info or site you use etc because i would love to diversify myself into something else as well ! Happy new year as well glad to have you back !
Hi Alex,
I’m investing with Lending Club and I got some screening ideas from lendstats. If you have any questions I can answer I’d be happy to help; just shoot me an email.
thanks for stopping by!
AAI,
Happy New Year. Sounds like you’ve been looking forward to 2016. I hope everything gets cleared up soon and you can focus on your passive income. Numbers still looking good and the bar business is exciting. Good luck!
You can check out my previous Lending Club posts by going to the Lending category. I’m actually using LendingRobot for automation and plan to write about it soon. It’s good to get started and use regular filtering so you understand how it works. Then you’ll likely find 3rd party automation is the way to go because it’s faster and you can still filter the same way or have the service filter for you.
-RBD
Retire Before Dad recently posted…Tax Loss Harvesting A Loser – CMI
Retire Before Dad,
I’m totally ready to just focus again on passive income. I’ve had so many other distractions lately but I’m fully committed to getting back on track.
I’m going to check out your previous posts. I took a quick glance at lendingrobot and it didn’t look like they had a lot of stats yet. Maybe they are newer or I need to look into it further. I’ll take a closer look. I’m currently using a customized filter with the automated investing tool. So far it’s keeping me fully invested but I’ll report the progress.
Thanks for stopping by!
Thanks for sharing your personal stories with us AAI. I’m glad you found strength to rise above and keep at it. Dont stop bud. Whatever happened happened. Things change, people change, circumstances change. All good.
I’m glad you’re blogging as you’re doing fantastic.
AAI is BACK!! 🙂
Happy 2016 bud.
DH,
I like to be open and honest on this blog even if it’s not my most favorite subject to write about. I appreciate the support and I’m certainly not stopping. I’m starting again and am focused as ever to grow my passive income stream. You are certainly killing it on your end. Keep it up!
Thanks again and Happy New Year!
Thats too bad about your divorce. Best wishes for 2016. I’ve been inspired by some of your put selling to try something similar on some high quality positions. Look forward to seeing how it plays out
integrator recently posted…2015: Portfolio Wrap Up
Integrator,
I’ve learned to move on and am now focusing on the future. I love put selling but only with companies I definitely want to own. To me it’s like getting paid to set a limit order for a stock. I’ll have to check out your trades.
Thanks for stopping by!
AAI,
Terribly sorry to hear about the divorce and the subsequent troubles (financial and otherwise). That’s something you don’t wish upon anyone. But I’m glad to read that you’re moving on and looking forward to bigger and better things. I’m sure it’s an experience you can learn from and use that to your advantage in the future. Hoping for nothing but the best with all of your ventures!!!
Cheers.
Hi Jason,
I appreciate that. I’m moving on and refocusing on investing again. It looks like you’ve made some changes also on your blog. I do wish you the best in your writing and blogging endeavors. I’ve always enjoyed reading your articles and love seeing your new purchases.
Have a happy and prosperous New Year!
Sorry to hear about the divorce, but at least I hope you got half!
I’m exploring the DM followers, and it’s been eye opening! I’m trying to learn why DM was so widely followed.
Here’s to a good 2016!
Financial Samurai recently posted…Want Fame And Fortune? Improve Perception To Mask Reality
Financial Samurai,
Thanks, well I think I got about 45%, so not good!
I hope you have a good 2016 as well!
Sorry to hear about your divorce, AAI. Best of luck with your new beginning and I’ll be following your journey with great interest. Especially getting a new business going will be interesting and exciting.
Take care and best of luck in 2016!
Cheers
FerdiS, DivGro
FerdiS recently posted…Quarterly Review, Q4-2015
FerdiS,
It’s ok, I appreciate that. I’m super excited about the business and will be sure and post updates.
Thanks for following along!