2014 Mid-Year Review
Wow! I can’t believe that 6 months have already passed. The time sure does fly.
In this post I want to look back at my 2014 Goals and gauge how I’m doing so far.
Goals for 2014:
1) Max Roth IRA ($5,500) as soon as possible
Passed. While I didn’t max it out as quickly as I had in recent years, I contributed the final amount into my Roth IRA in June with the purchase of TGT and KMI. I also wrote two articles on why I use a Roth and why early retirees should also use it.
2) Generate at least $2,400 a year in dividends
Failing. My 2013 goal was $1,000. By January 2014, the 12-month forward dividends was nearly $2,000, even without any additional contributions. I picked a number $400 higher than that for my 2014 goal because it still would mean dedicating an additional $13,000 to dividend paying stocks. I could contribute more, but I do need some capital free in order to branch out into smaller growth stocks and income generation with options.
According to my dividend calendar on my portfolio’s spreadsheet, I still have $1196 remaining in 2014. When combined with the $1011 already received, the total for the year will come out to just over $2207. Unless I invest aggressively in the remaining 6-months, it looks like I’ll come out just short of this goal. My forward 12-month dividends are, however, just under $60 short of the target goal.
3) Contribute at least $3,000 into 2-3 small cap growth stocks.
Passing (but in a roundabout way). While I have not yet directly purchased non-dividend paying but high growth small cap stocks, I did indirectly through LEAPs. In February, I purchased 1 contract of WPRT. At the time of purchase, 100 shares of WPRT would have cost me $1623. By purchasing the LEAP, I am able to take advantage of any huge price run ups, but also am exposing myself to much less risk. WPRT has a huge number of patents in alternative fuel and natural gas technology; I feel they have a huge potential ahead of them.
4) Begin experimenting with options trading as time and financial resources allow.
Passed. I have begun reading about and implementing both real and papermoney options trades. I’ve mostly employed credit spreads but also recently just sold my first cash-secured put on LULU. I’m down for the year (see my options page), but have used them as a learning experience and expect the profit/loss to swing favorably in the second half of the year.
5) Improve content and reach of Two Investing, our new investing blog.
Passing. In the first half of the year, Johnny and I have begun adding more content more regularly. We updated the design of the blog and, thankfully, have had the fortune to become more involved with the dividend investing community as a whole. We read and contribute to a number of great investing websites and are fortunate that a few of those smart people contribute to the comments here. We’re hopeful in the future that we can continue to improve the content and reach of our site. Thanks for reading!
