There are several sites I read daily, as part of my routine to check what other investors are doing with their money. Many of those include dividend investing sites, but I also look at sites covering general investment and investor psychology. One sites I have been following religiously since 2011 is Dividend Mantra, written by Jason Fieber. There are several reasons why I personally start my day with his site.
1) His stock analyses
He thoroughly analyses companies he buys, including qualitative and quantitative factors. I enjoy the fact that he tells readers about the story behind each company, and reasons why he purchased it. It is very interesting how different dividend investors with somewhat different approaches to analyzing companies end up with a very high overlap of quality dividend paying companies in their portfolios.
2) He earns a middle class salary,
This makes his efforts relevant to a large base of investors. This is a very powerful lesson, which shows that everyone can make it in investing, as long as they find the right strategy, save high portions of income consistently, and keep being persistent for long periods of time. Even if you start with a few hundred dollars a month using a no-cost broker like Loyal3, you can still amass a sizeable collection of dividend paying stocks over time.
3) He is frugal with money.
Jason writes about his monthly income and expenses, which include things as mundane as delivery pizza he ordered to buying and selling a scooter. I think that one of the largest contributors behind his accumulation of a six figure portfolio is due to his high savings rate. I am lucky to also have a very high savings rate as well, which is a definite plus, because it allows be to find enough capital to deploy every month, and kick start my dividend growth compounding. It is a site where frugality meets dividend growth investing.
4) He plans to retire early.
Jason tries to retire at the age of 40, which is a pretty lofty goal. He started his journey at the age of 28 – 29, which means that he expects to be financially free within a decade of saving and investing. Given the fact that he has shown the stamina to keep putting money in dividend paying companies on a consistent monthly schedule, I am more than confident that he will achieve his goal. As I had mentioned earlier, in order to determine whether you can retire early, you need to determine how much you are spending. The next step is determining how much you will spend in retirement, and work backwards to achieve this goal. The key inputs in your financial independence calculation include money you are putting every month to work, investment returns and time you allow your capital to compound.
5) We have very similar personalities and strategies
The one thing that I like about Jason is that we have a lot of things in common. I am fairly frugal, and I put money in dividend paying stocks, because I think this is the best strategy for someone like me who wants to live off an investment portfolio. I also plan on achieving financial independence early in life, in order to achieve something else with my life, other than enduring a 50 – 60 hour weekly grind at my job.
6) He is able to motivate himself and readers to keep the good fight
One of the reasons I like reading his site is the dose of motivation that puts things in perspective. I think that few people really stop to think about the true cost of buying a new car or a new TV every few years. Jason discusses why those might not be important for your true happiness, and how you only live life once. Therefore, you need to spend it in the way that is best for you, not how others are telling you to spend it. He is able to visualize his ideal retirement, and how it would free up his time from having to exchange his time for money.
7) He had all odds stacked against him, yet he still persevered through hard work to get where he is today
Actually, he has had it much more difficult than I have ever had it. Some of his stories are really scary for me to read, although it does make it even more telling how far ahead he has come. It is great how he had his awakening moment in his late 20s, that has truly provided the spark that will lead him to greatness. I guess it is at the moments of despair that the seeds of future success are planted.
8) His dream is built in real time
He is a dividend growth investor who is building his dream in real time. Unlike most other stories of persons who retired early a long time ago where you hear about them only after they have retired, you get to see Jason save and invest his money in quality dividend stocks every single month in almost real-time.
9) He is a celebrity
Jason has been interviewed by the USA Today, CNBC etc. He is a role model for many people who want to be able to live life on their own terms. I see him as a positive role model, whose story should be more widely followed than the other celebrity gossip people usually waste their time on. I would much rather read about his monthly income and expenses on the cover of People magazine or on E!, than anything about the Kardashians. I don’t read those magazines, but I know a lot of people do, and their views are shaped by these publications.
When I started my own site in 2008, I planned on posting my monthly income and expense, as well as how much I earn in dividend income, but I decided against it. I didn’t feel safe revealing everything about myself to the world, and still don’t. Kudos to him for doing what he is doing, and motivating people to take ownership of their financial lives.
This article was written by Dividend Growth Investor. If you enjoyed this article, please subscribe to have future articles emailed to you [Email] or follow me on Twitter [Twitter].
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