With January over, 2015 is no longer the fresh and pristine new year that it was 31 days ago. Like a new pair of shoes, it’s starting to break in, feels less stiff, has gotten a minor scuff or two, and becomes a little more comfortable with each step in one’s stride.

So let’s get to the point: How was my dividend income for January? Let’s do the numbers:
BGY $ 49.00*
CFP $ 71.45*
CIK $ 22.00*
DHY $ 42.00*
DMF $ 10.50
DSM $ 26.13
EXG $121.95*
HTR $ 28.50*
NCV $ 63.00
OIA $ 4.10
PFN $ 30.00
PFN $ 69.66
RSO $ 60.00
VFL $ 19.50
TOTAL $617.79

* Includes Return of Capital.
January had a couple notable dividend payouts. Dividend cuts usually occur around the start of the year, so it was no shock that CFP cut its dividend from $0.3092 to $0.2858 (a reduction of $5.85 to CFP’s monthly payout). Compared to previous dividend cuts I’ve experienced, this is a rather moderate one (a 7.56% reduction), so I’m not going to complain about it too much.

Wow! PFN paid out twice this month! First at its normal 8 cents per share and again at 15.48 cents per share. This extra payout makes up for the loss caused by CFP’s dividend cut (at least for the rest of 2015) Extra payouts are a rarity, but when they happen they’re always a *very* pleasant surprise.

Other than the above notables, the other dividend payouts this month came in at the expected time and amount. I love the predictability (more or less) of dividend income. January’s total is $617.79, the highest monthly dividend income to date (but not by much, as last October’s haul was $617.48). The frequency of monthly dividend income that exceeds $600 should start increasing in frequency, especially as the projected average monthly dividend income grows closer to $600/month.

It’s nice having money come in on regular basis without trading time. 🙂

Image Credit: jarmoluk (pixabay.com)