[GregWeld]

Lance --- I like your strategy.

We all have to hang our hats on "something".... And as long as you seem to understand the best of breed --- and INCLUDED in your calculations TOTAL RETURN (not Just the dividend)...

20 stocks is all ANYONE needs -- 20 gets you 5% regardless of 100K or 1MM... I actually own fewer than that! But I've owned some of them for a very long time... and I own many other non stock investments.

Averaging in every MONTH is good enough - if you're a long term investor.

I would add one other critical criteria to get a handle on ----- EX Dividend dates (subtracting at least 3 BUSINESS days) ==== Might was well time your purchases to either pick up the dividend ----- or buy they EX dividend when they typically drop the equivalent of the dividend payout. It just feels better to do this --- it's all mental --- but investing is more mental than anything. Getting a dividend payment just after purchasing is like an endorphin! Although sometimes it can be an enema in a market like we're in right now... Which is why we have to have a longer term horizon. Try to "time" it and you'll never be in.


Less than 100K ---- 10 stocks are okay ---- 15 would be better.


5% dividend rate is what I kind of plan for. The dividend is just one criteria -- coupled with the more magic Total Return -- coupled with "sleep at night" and some higher paying "risk on".

Also -- have diversity between "retail" vs "Industrial" vs "sin stocks" etc....

None of this kind/style of investing will get you bragging rights around the office cooler.... But while the braggers are still having to hang around the cooler because they're working.... you'll be at the track pounding your car... collecting money every quarter come hell or high water. Once you start to see that -- that is what has us sleep well. We can count on that income.

By the way --- good for you.... I think you've come a long ways from when you first posted. I also hope this works like you want it too. Because that mental doubt can creep in and kill a guys best laid plans.