Welcome to My Dividend Dynasty!
A bit about me. I am just a dude in my 30’s, born and raised in New York City (where I currently reside).
I am a dividend growth investor working to achieve financial freedom!
By living a more minimalist life, I am achieving a high savings rate each month (upwards of 50% of my income).
Often, you’ll find that living with less mean less burdens and expenses.
I don’t mind going against the flow.
Living here in the Big Apple, I am a freedom-loving capitalist swimming in a sea of misguided socialists.
How did it get so bad here? Nonetheless, I still have plenty of fun in this city. 🙂
To obtain financial freedom, you need to build sources of passive income.
Thus far, I have built a six-figure portfolio that currently generates over $1,200 in passive income each month.
My Dividend Income has been growing well over the years as I work toward my goals.
You can Subscribe for more great content and updates on my financial journey!
Basic Strategy to Build Great Wealth
The strategy to building great wealth is pretty straight forward:
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- First, spend far less then you earn. Maximize the amount of money you save each month. You could make over $200K per year, but if you spend as much as you make or more so, you are not building any wealth.
- Second, wisely invest the money you saved. For myself, it is primarily dividend growth stocks (others might suggest real estate, starting a business, etc., or an all of the above option). Owning an appreciating asset that also generates a cashflow is ideal.
- Third, since we are talking about dividend growth investing in the stock market, harness the power of compound interest over the years and decades. Save, invest, and repeat. Watch the snowball grow!
If you are interested in learning more about dividends and personal finance, especially a beginner, I created a page called “Getting Started”.
My hope here is to inspire others to take the necessary steps to financial freedom.
Minimize your expenses, maximize your income, invest your money, accumulate wealth, build streams of passive income, and you are free.
You would be going against what is normal such as being in debt, living paycheck to paycheck, buying expensive goods you don’t need or can’t afford, working a job you hate until you die, etc. That is how most people get by.
However, you have to go against the norm to be financially free. This may not be easy and others may certainly mock you.
Like the famous experiment with crabs in a bucket. Whenever a crab was about to crawl out of the bucket into freedom, the other crabs pulled that crab back down.
Don’t let others drag you down. It is worth going against the norm.
I am on course to living a financially free life while most of them will be stuck in the rat race working until they die. Don’t be that person!
More About Me
I was 6 years old when I had my first experience with investing in the stock market.
My grandfather opened an investment account for me and purchased shares of IBM and MCD.
Those were my first two stocks. Two decades later, I still own them. But as a child I didn’t understand those kinds of things.
My parents got divorced when I was young and my father moved out of the State.
After that, I lived with my mother and younger brother in our apartment. My aunt and grandparents lived close by. I was always close with my family.
We were not wealthy by any means. My mother was a school teacher but she made sure we always had food, clothing, and a roof over our heads.
Overall, I remember my childhood years as a mainly happy and carefree time.
I did pretty well in school, but was unsure of what to do in life. I had ambition, but did not know how to direct or properly utilize it.
Looking back, I was clearly ignorant of a great many things as a teen and young adult. I was lost without ever knowing I was lost. Like a ship at sea without a rudder.
I would eventually graduate college earning my BA in History/Government in 2010 and my Master’s degree in History in 2013.
If I could do it all over again, I would have chosen differently.
If you go to college do not major in worthless (liberal arts) degrees! You are just wasting lots of your money and time.
My journey into financial literacy happened abruptly, unexpectedly, and in the worst way possible.
On New Year’s Eve 2013, my mother was killed by a reckless driver at the age of 56. (Six years prior to that, my grandmother was also killed by a reckless driver, which was my first devastating blow).
No words could ever describe how I felt… My heart was broken and my world was shattered completely.
I could not believe it happened twice (I still can’t). In a single instant my life would never be the same again. Over the next 3 years, I would lose everything.
It was in what would be the darkest 3 years of my life, I began to learn about finances (and more slowly about the harsh realities of life).
I was still stuck in that dark place for nearly 3 years. Despair, hopelessness, depression, anger… Words can’t explain how horrible I felt. It was long past time for a change. But what to do and how to do it?
It is hard to explain, but looking back, I realize it was if I was stuck somewhere between a child and an adult during those years (and much of my life). Like a half-formed being that was missing something vital. That was the source of so much pain.
I took a good hard look at myself and my position in life:
Late twenties, out of shape, employed part-time making only $300-$500 per month, living in a crammed rotting house, disasters all around each day, no real autonomy, sporadic fruitless job hunts, and nothing seemed to be working.
That was it. I hit zero. Something snapped and I was wide awake. I hustled like never before and the die was cast.
In January 2017, after a frustrating job hunt, I landed new full-time job that paid me a decent salary.
In June 2017, after an equally frustrating home search, I got my own apartment.
So now I had my own apartment, a decent paying job, and a life that was finally coming together.
I was now fully independent and I realized a confidence and determination inside of me that I don’t think I ever had before. On top of that, I started to get myself in better shape; exercising and working out each day.
The dark clouds dissipated, however, much damage had been done.
Hard to believe, but before I reached the age of 30, I lost nearly all of my worldly possessions, every home I ever knew, and most of my family.
Nearly all those ever I loved were gone forever. I never imagined my life would take so many tragic turns. Who would have imagined? But I am more determined then ever to succeed in life!
Where am I right now in 2024?
- I have zero debt, own my own mortgage-free apartment, have a decent job, and I am in the best physical shape of my life.
- I live a primarily minimalistic lifestyle and manage my own budget; saving over 50% of my monthly income.
- I have an ever growing investment portfolio worth over $300,000 and generating over $14,750 in dividend income yearly.
- I have a current net worth of over $450,000 in wealth (stocks, bank accounts, home value, precious metals, etc.).
- Best of all, I am having fun and living a life with bright ambitions for the future.
People often underestimate what they are capable of.
Take control of your finances, invest in your freedom, and when life strikes you down, get right back up and keep fighting!
Life is a struggle and there will always be hardship and challenges along the way. Use those hardships to learn and make yourself better and stronger.
And above all, find your happiness. I am building my dividend dynasty. You can too!
Thank you for reading!
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