If you’ve been following my quest for dividend income for some time, then you probably know about my little matching program that I use to enhance the available capital to grow my dividend income portfolio and resulting dividend payouts. The first two years of my matching program have worked well, but there was certainly room for improvement.

So let’s see how my matching program performed in 2016:

Unlike the previous two years of the matching program, my 2016 matching money actually matched and slightly exceeded (+3.6%) my 2016 dividend income. Yay! Previous years’ dividend matching came up short and didn’t fully match the year’s dividend income, so 2016 was certainly a step in the right direction. For 2017 I want to push the matching program a bit harder when I can afford to. Why? Because I’m eager to break the $10k barrier this year.

I have often expressed a concern about the downside of the matching program. As dividend income increased, so would matching cash which would mean less money available for savings. Fortunately, in 2016 I was able to put some money into savings, growing it modestly by $3000 (this was accomplished mainly by lower summer vacation expenses). Still, my concerns about the dividend program affecting savings continue and we will see how 2017 plays out.

Now completing its third  year, my matching program has worked out very well. The program has  given my dividend investing a much needed regularity and discipline that it had previously lacked.

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