Well, we have entered the busy season and now it’s time for another vacation rental report for Calypso Memories. April is what we would call a shoulder month. Afterall, the real busy months are June and July. That being said, finances have been tight recently. Moreover, I posted about how I’ve been impacted by Murphy’s Law (twice). We really had a tough month in April in terms of my personal finance. So, I’m hoping that the condo was able to pay for itself. There’s only one way to find out. So, without further adieu, let’s see how Calypso Memories did in April 2024. Vacation Rental Profit/Los ..read more

It is that time of the month that I post my dividend income report. Although a lot of my posts have been about my personal struggles with finance, this monthly dividend income report is a staple of this blog. Every month, I track the dividends that my dividend portfolio makes. The portfolio is small right now, but over time, I hope to experience a snowball effect. That’s what I love about dividend growth investing. I am contemplating leaving this portfolio to one of my lucky nieces or nephews when I’m gone. We will see. Until then, let’s see how much dividends I earned in April 2024. Dividend ..read more

It’s important to have multiple income sources. That way, if one dries up, you have others to rely on. This is one way to achieve FI (financial independence). Dividend income is certainly one income source. But, as mentioned numerous times on this blog, it’s a very long strategy. It will take years, if not decades, for my dividends alone to support my lifestyle. But, with multiple income sources, I may not have to wait that long. So, to that extent, let’s examine my current income sources and the prospect of adding another income source in just a few months. Income Sources Let’s take a look a ..read more

According to Webster’s Dictionary, Murphy’s Law is defined as an observation that says, “anything that can go will go wrong.” Well, I freaking hate Murphy’s Law. Unfortunately, that saying seems to be coming true for me this year. For starters, I wrote about the fact that my negligence nearly cost me my beach condo. Additionally, I had to pay my $6000 federal taxes on my credit card. I also recently found out that I haven’t been paying my property taxes on one of my beach condos. So, that was another $5000 expense. And now, I recently got a call about much needed maintenance on one of my rent ..read more

Much like my vacation rental report for Calypso Memories, I am excited to write this report. We have entered the busy season and with that comes the exciting prospect of the condos paying for themselves. Emerald’s Corner is a very expensive condo to own. The mortgage and HOA fees alone are approximately $6000. There are other routine expenses that I incur on a monthly basis as well. So, every little bit helps. Additionally, I’ve reported massive losses since the year started. So, I am eager to report a profit to start chipping away at that massive loss. Although I don’t expect to end the year ..read more

I am excited to write this report! For a while, it seemed as if the slow season would never end. During the slow season, I was forced to contribute money from my personal funds to help keep Calypso Memories afloat. Well, now that we are at the start of the busy season, the hope is that the condo can make enough money to support itself. If so, that would free up my personal funds to do other things, such as pay down on my high credit card debt. Additionally, during the slow months, I typically report a loss. That’s because I have relatively low income compared to high expenses. I am hoping for ..read more

I hate paying the IRS taxes. I’m not sure who loves them. But, they are a necessary evil. I also hate paying property taxes. Property taxes are used to fund the police, fire fights, build roads, etc. They are mandatory. And, when you own property, you are supposed to pay property taxes – duh! Also, I am a creature of habit. I get in a routine and I pretty much stick to it. For me, I am finding that there’s a lot to owning your own property and running it by yourself. It’s easy to mix things. No matter how smart you are, no one is perfect and that includes me. So, let’s discuss how my negligen ..read more

Recently, I wrote about the fact that I owe $6000 in taxes. In that post, I contemplated paying about $4000 from my personal income and $2000 from the sale of stocks from my dividend portfolio. Since making that post, I was able to come up with the full $6000 from my personal funds. So, I no longer needed to sell stocks from my dividend portfolio. In fact, I was able to get my taxes down to about $4500. So, that’s a good thing. But, believe it or not, I chose to pay my taxes with my credit card. Since making that post, Murphy’s Law took effect. I realize that I had another $5000 bill I had to ..read more

Well, recently I posted about the fact that I owe $6000 in taxes. That is still the case. I wish I could say that the amount of taxes I paid was less, but alas it was not. I had to come up with the full $6000. The issue of course becomes how would I able be able to secure the funds to do so. The increase tax amount was not unexpected. I incurred early withdrawal penalties from retirement accounts – which I was expecting. There are other reasons for the taxes being high but that was the main one. My main plan is to come up with the money included using about $4000 from my income, and then with ..read more

Another month has gone by and now it’s time for my dividend income report. Dividend investing is a slow and long-term strategy. The benefits of compounding growth really shines towards the latter end of the strategy. Until then, it’s a grind. A lot can happen during the long-term. For example, recently, I posted on the fact that I owe $6000 in taxes. In order to come out with the full amount, I decided to withdraw about $2000 from my dividend portfolio. Now, the jury is still out on whether I can scrape together the $6000 without having to withdraw anything from my dividend portfolio. Regardl ..read more