Bought: ADP, CLX, PEP

The stock market has been really interesting these past few days... There was a huge pullback where many companies saw a drop in their share prices.  But then in just a couple of days, the prices are pretty much back where they were.  During the slight market sell off, I made a few more purchases to my Roth IRA account, maxing out my Roth IRA contributions for the year.

On 9/16/2016, I invested in three companies in my Roth IRA.

Monthly Report: August 2016

I post an update every month on the taxable dividend income I receive in my brokerage accounts, the non-taxable dividends I receive from my Roth IRA accounts, the market value of my taxable brokerage accounts, the market value of my Roth IRA accounts, the market value of my 401(k) account, and my savings rate.

Below is the monthly report as of August 31, 2016:

Bought: TGT, VFC

I have been contemplating back and forth recently about whether or not to max out my Roth IRA and my spouse's Roth IRA since I am aiming to achieve financial freedom as soon as possible.  Financial freedom is the point in which my passive income can cover my living expenses.  In terms of retiring, I believe I won't be able to retire (quit working in corporate America) until I'm 56 years old.  The main reason for this is because I would like to pay for my children's undergraduate education, or help out as much as I can so they don't graduate with a ton of student debt.

For this reason, I had considered maxing out only my Roth IRA account and investing the rest to dividend growth stocks in a taxable account.  After weighing out the pros and cons further, I think I am going to max out both our Roth IRA accounts before investing in the taxable account.  Why?  Because of the tax advantages.  Lord willing, I will eventually turn 59.5 year old so I'll still need money from that age and onward.  All the dividends coming out of my Roth IRA account at that time will be tax free.  Another important factor is that my beneficiaries will be able to take out distributions tax free until the money runs out.  So from a legacy planning point of view, the Roth IRA is an excellent tool.

Bought On Loyal3: TGT, VFC

Now that my mortgage is paid off and my emergency fund is rebuilt, this month marks the beginning of my plan to invest in dividend growth stocks aggressively.  My plan is to consistently invest every month in dividend growth stocks, regardless of how the stock market is doing.  I plan to invest when the stock market is at all time highs, and when the stock market is at all time lows.

How To Get Started With Investing

I recently had a reader ask if I could write about how to get started with investing, which I gladly accepted.  I love helping others, and if there's anyone reading this that is new to investing, I hope you find this useful.

Below are some tips that I believe is important if someone wants to get started with investing: