Along the lines that Solar was mentioning -- since it's the first of the month -- I wake up to some TAX FREE MUNI payments... So let me explain a little bit about this --- Tax free bonds pay all 'over the place' -- so when you have a bunch of them you're always getting "something" generally around the 1st or the 15th of the month. There are TWO periods in the year when I get really really nice payments --- June and December... the rest of the time it amounts to a few thousand per month.. but June and December is a happy place.
Dividends will pay like this as well.... you go along and nothing - more nothing and then BAM! In they come. The more stocks you own - the more spread out they become. Different "quarters" - different pay dates - different "EX" dates. But once the STREAM starts (takes at least 6 months) then it seems you're getting something all the time.
I've got a sizable amount of shares (25,000) in Annaly Capital Management (NLY) and January 26th I got a dividend of $14,250. I mention this because this is what you're after.... Think about that -- I get that 4 times a year. I don't care who you are - that's like free money!
Here's the INTEREST (TAX FREE) I got just today (being the 1st).
02/01/12
Cash
DIVIDEND RECEIVED
AMEREN ILL CO PFD 4.92% AILLM
$738.00 USD
02/01/12
Cash
MUNI EXEMPT INT
WALLA WALLA WASH WTR & WASTEWTR REV REF 03.87500% 08/01/2017 BDS SER. 2005 932238BY3
$968.75 USD
02/01/12
Cash
DIVIDEND RECEIVED
WASHINGTON GAS LT CO PFD $4.80 WGLCO
$690.00 USD
02/01/12
Cash
DIVIDEND RECEIVED
WISCONSIN PUB SVC CP PFD 5% WIPSO
$693.75 USD