Fastenal

Dividends in the morning dispel sorrow and worries

Today I'm going on a shopping tour. My position is now full and I am eagerly awaiting the dividends of the next few years.

I set up a custody account with Scalable Capital last week.

In addition to my cash flow depotwhich currently pays me a dividend of €709.45 next year (see picture), I will set up a savings plan custody account there.

This savings plan custody account will have a term of 20 years+.

I will pay in €495 per month and divide it between 15 companies as follows:

$GOOGL (+0,94 %) - 33€

$AMZN (+0,26 %) - 33€

$AAPL (+1,34 %) -33€

$ASML (-1,59 %) - 33€

$FAST (+0,41 %) - 33€

$JNJ (+0,03 %) - 33€

$MC (-0,25 %) - 33€

$MCD (-0,31 %) - 33€

$MSFT (-1,05 %) - 33€

$NOVO B (-17,74 %) - 33€

$PEP (+0,05 %) - 33€

$PG (-1,24 %) - 33€

$UNP (+0,81 %) - 33€

$UNH (+1,64 %) - 33€

$V (-0,14 %) - 33€

The savings plans will be executed for the first time on Monday and then continue on a monthly basis.

I will post a monthly update here

What we can expect from tomorrow:

Month

• Consumer credit data (May)

Tuesday

• NFIB Small Business Optimism Index (June)
• Fed Chairman Jerome Powell addresses the Senate
• Fed Vice Chairman Michael S. Barr and Fed Governor Michelle Bowman give speeches
• Helen of Troy ($HELE (+0 %)) reports quarterly figures

Wednesday

• Wholesale stocks (May)
• Fed Chairman Jerome Powell speaks to the House of Representatives
• WD-40 ($WDFC (-4,02 %)) reports quarterly figures

Thursday

• Initial jobless claims (week ending June 29)
• Consumer Price Index (CPI) (June)
• US Treasury Statement (June)
• Atlanta Fed President Raphael Bostic delivers a speech
• PepsiCo ($PEP (+0,05 %) ), Conagra ($CAG ) and Delta
  Air Lines ($DAL (+0 %) ) report Quarterly figures

Friday

• Producer Price Index (PPI) (June)
• Consumer Confidence - preliminary (July)
• JPMorgan Chase ($JPM (+1,21 %)), Wells Fargo ($WFC (+1,26 %)), Citigroup ($C (+0,59 %)), Bank of New York Mellon ($n/a), Fastenal Co. ($FAST (+0,41 %)) and Ericsson ($ERIC (-0,64 %)) report Quarterly figures

Do you find $FAST (+0,41 %) absolutely worth buying like me?

The trees are already green in all their glory, it's getting significantly warmer again and the Easter bunny has long since done his job. More people are taking advantage of the good weather to go hiking and the first home-grown tomato plants have been sold. Time for a look back at April.

➡️ Shares

As an analogy to shares, Beate Sander once said that she doesn't let her best horses out of the stable, and I see it the same way when it comes to shares. The tax consequences would be too disadvantageous for me just to take profits. In terms of volume $WMT (-2,1 %) has returned to third place in terms of volume, and the following places in the top league don't show any major change either. These boring shares, such as $FDX (-8,08 %) , $NOVO B (-17,74 %) , $FAST (+0,41 %) , $NFLX (+0,09 %) and so many others appeal to me. They grow steadily and generate sales, pass on the cost increases to the end consumer and just keep digging their moat. Even the back seats, the $HTGC (+0,38 %) or $CP continue to fit into the concept for me.

Looking at the performance makes me proud of my rockets $AVGO (+0,31 %) and $NOVO B (-17,74 %) which can boast more than +100% performance. Also $NFLX (+0,09 %) is up almost 75%, a share that many people wrote off not so long ago.

And my flops? $DHR (+0,77 %) , $SBUX (-1,55 %) and $NKE (-6,85 %) are my 3 stocks with -20% to -30% price performance. That still leaves me cold. Starbucks stores are still well stocked, Nikes are still selling and Danaher will continue to find sales for its biotechnology and diagnostics products.

This month I have again bought individual shares of $HTGC (+0,38 %) to further increase the income stream.

I am focusing on the dividend growth strategy, but also have stocks that pay out nothing or a lot, as there is not only black and white, but also many shades of gray in between.

➡️ ETFs

This month, €133 from refunds, expenses and cashback from Payback went into the $ISPA (+0,06 %) and the $IWDP (+0,92 %) . I see better times ahead for both dividends and real estate. We still need to be patient until this sticky inflation is over. That will take some time yet. But that suits me. Favorable entry prices are perfect for building up assets.

➡️ Dividends

I received 22 distributions on 7 payout days. This is a good result for a month that is poor in dividends for me.

➡️ Cashback

REWE had another great Payback campaign. They gave 20% back for redeemed points. I like to call Payback a money-printing machine because of promotions like this. Every cent counts when building up your wealth. So I redeemed the equivalent of 26 euros in Payback points at REWE and immediately moved them from my grocery account to a clearing account in line with my cashback pension strategy. Again, more money to invest instead of spending it. I also received a voucher from Penny for €5, which I will redeem in May. Payback is currently running another campaign with multiple points vouchers.

Mother Nature provided me with beer bottles as cashback while I was hiking and on my way home from work. The full deposit bottle bag will be taken away in May. It's not a lot of money, but at least a little more for the depot than planned.

➡️ P2P loans

In April, only interest and repayments were paid out at EstateGuru. I deducted all cash balances from all platforms. It was 20€. Better to have than not, they were included in the ETFs I bought.

➡️ Crypto

I sold my first home-grown tomato plants at the end of April. I used the proceeds to buy $SOL (+2,97 %) bought tokens. Why? Solana will be the only coin that I will not sell tax-free and I also see greater potential for price appreciation here. In contrast to $ETH (+1,18 %) it is performing. But this is not investment advice, I could be wrong. Otherwise I'm in a "beware" position with regard to my strategy and will wait and see.

➡️ Mail from the landlord and compensation

My landlord, a municipal housing association in a large city in eastern Germany, has recommended that I voluntarily increase the advance payment for hot water and heating due to increased producer prices, expiring state subsidies and the expiring reduction in VAT. According to my calculations, I can expect a cost increase of €9 and €17 per month. As my reimbursements from the utility bill are decreasing over the years, I have decided to increase the advance payment for hot water and heating by €15 from June 1.

This way, I can secure the refunds for the next few years, which I always use to make additional purchases. This means that in future my warm rent will be 19.5% of my net salary with a travel allowance from my employer. Living at €409.96 warm in my 49 m² prefabricated apartment is still very cheap, without a doubt. I think many others can only dream of that.

At the same time, my municipal utilities have reduced the price of electricity considerably. According to Check24, there are two cheaper providers, but I've never heard of them. My working price is now even cheaper than that of other well-known providers such as Vattenfall. The annual electricity bill I received in April included a €147 refund, so it was now time to reduce my advance payment. The increase in the above-mentioned ancillary costs was offset by further reductions in my flat-rate provisions. I can still maintain my investment rate from my net salary of €1,000 and I'm very happy with that.

➡️ Outlook

There will be more dividends again in May thanks to my German payers $SAP (-0,03 %) and $DHL (+0,13 %) . I also hope to receive my income tax refund. Have a great month of May. Don't forget your mothers.

The market overview for 🇺🇸 & 🇪🇺:

US MARKET🇺🇸

Monday

• PACS Group ($PACS) and UL Solutions ($ULS) have potential IPOs.
• Neel KashkariPresident of the Minneapolis Fed, delivers remarks.

Tuesday

• Release of the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index (March).
• Quarterly reports from WD-40 ($WDFC (-4,02 %) ) and Tilray Brands ($TLRY (+6,31 %) ).

Wednesday

• Publication of the consumer price index (March).
• Publication of the wholesale stocks (March).
• Publication of the minutes of the March meeting of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC).
• Publication of the monthly federal budget of the USA (March).
• Speeches by Austan GoolsbeePresident of the Chicago Fed.
• Quarterly reports from Delta Air Lines ($DAL (+0 %) ) and Applied Digital ($APLD ).

Thursday

• Publication of the initial applications for unemployment benefits (April 5).
• Publication of the producer price index (March).
• Speeches by John C. Williams, President of the New York Fed, and Raphael BosticPresident of the Atlanta Fed.
• Quarterly reports from Constellation Brands ($STZ (-0,34 %) ), Fastenal ($FAST (+0,41 %) ) and CarMax ($KMX (-2 %) ).

Friday

• Publication of the preliminary Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index (April).
• Speeches by Raphael Bostic, President of the Atlanta Fed, and Mary C. DalyPresident of the San Francisco Fed.
• Quarterly reports from JPMorgan Chase ($JPM (+1,21 %) ), Wells Fargo ($WFC (+1,26 %) ), BlackRock ($BLK ), Citigroup ($C (+0,59 %) ), State Street ($STT (+1,98 %) ) and Progressive ($PGR (-0,36 %) ).

EUROPEAN MARKET🇪🇺

Monday

• Publication of Industrial Production Index🇪🇺

Tuesday

• ZEW Economic Sentiment🇩🇪 will be published
• Quarterly reports from Ericsson ($ERIC A (-0,83 %) )🇸🇪, Beiersdorf AG ($BEI (-0,06 %) )🇩🇪, Sika ($SIKA (-2,18 %) )🇨🇭, Rio Tinto PLC ($RIO (-0,87 %) )🇬🇧

Wednesday

• Release of CPI data🇪🇺
• Quarterly reports from Hays ($HAS (+1,08 %) )🇬🇧, Petershill Partners ($PHLL )🇬🇧, Just Eat Takeaway ($TKWY (+0,68 %) )🇬🇧, Entain ($ENT (-1,13 %) )🇬🇧, La Francaise ($FDJ (-0,62 %) )🇫🇷, Legal & General ($LGEN (-0,11 %) ), Tryg ($TRYG (-0,4 %) )🇩🇰, BHP Group Ltd ($BHP (-0,6 %) )🇬🇧, ASML Holding ($ASML (-1,59 %) )🇳🇱Volvo B ($VOLV B (-0,76 %) )🇸🇪, Severstal ($CHMF )🇷🇺

thursday

• Publication of Construction Output🇪🇺
• Quarterly reports from Danone ($BN (-0,7 %) )🇫🇷, Nokia Oyj ($NOKIA (-0,2 %) )🇫🇮, Tele2 AB ($TEL2 B (-0,64 %) )🇸🇪

A good tailwind is also blowing in February, not only on the traditional stock market, but this time also on the crypto markets. Time for a monthly review, starting with my portfolios.

➡️ Shares

There was a small reallocation among the largest positions in terms of volume.$AVGO (+0,31 %) ,$FAST (+0,41 %) and $NVO (-18,32 %) form the top, $MSFT (-1,05 %) slips to 4th place, perhaps a first consolidation for Copilot? I am particularly pleased with Broadcom, which is up +140% and has exceeded my position volume of €1000.

In the performance sorting $NFLX (+0,09 %) rises to 3rd place with a good +82%. I am pleased with this development, while I can influence the volume by making additional purchases, this is not the case with performance. I remember about 1.5 years ago when the Netflix share was in the basement of my portfolio and was supported by reinvesting dividends. That's how it has to go!

The positions with the red lantern are $MMM (+1,06 %) ,$DHR (+0,77 %) r and $CPB (-1,32 %) . For the last two, the business models are right for me and I am sticking with them. As far as 3M is concerned, my mindset is now changing. I can still bear the loss, but I no longer completely rule out a sale. Even if it goes against my own rules, I think a sale is possible, for example to offset capital gains at the end of the year. A sale is the last resort for me and the 3M sticky notes on my office desk no longer lift my spirits with regard to this stock.

There will be a bonus from the employer, but it will be much smaller than I thought. So I will probably have to choose between$UPS (+0,66 %) and $JPM (+1,21 %) and . The decision is difficult, but I'm leaning towards the logistics giant. The losing company will be bought later, at the latest with the next bonus.

On the other hand, I have invested extra money from health insurance refunds and dental supplements in$HTGC (+0,38 %) in order to supplement my$ARCC (+0,78 %) position with another BDC. Stocks with very high dividends are rather rare for me, as I usually pay more attention to dividend growth, but I really liked Hercules Capital, and another tranche will be added when I receive a credit from the upcoming electricity bill.

➡️ ETFs

They do their job. Growing slowly and steadily and paying out a few more thalers along the way. A small sum from a sale fed a one-off savings plan on a legacy portfolio.

➡️ Distributions

I was able to collect 17 distributions on 7 payout days. What a great thing! On 15.2. in particular, it paid out decent dividends.

➡️ Cashback

I am in love with cashback. Money flowed back into an old deposit in line with my "cashback pension" strategy in order to top up further. The money comes from the equivalent value of redeemed payback points and real cashback, which I always deduct from my normal (food) budget to make this "benefit" work for me in the best possible way.

I also went hiking and Mother Nature was kind enough to provide me with cashback in the form of beer bottles. I will soon be taking these away with others and investing the equivalent value of the deposit. Incidentally, I haven't drunk alcohol for years. :D

In February, I published two Instagram posts on the topic, also looking at it from the perspective of habits.

➡️ P2P loans

I don't think I'll live to see the day when I withdraw all my funds from P2P. There have been a few repayments from EstateGuru, interest is extremely delayed there too, with the exception of Bondora Go&Grow.

➡️ Crypto

Things took off at the end of February and I'm no longer completely unimpressed by the prices. However, it is still too early to cash out. The BTC rainbow chart is already at a level where you should start paying attention, and the ETH rainbow chart is even clearer. The crypto cycle, on which I base my entry and exit, was visible at a smaller time level in the last week of February. I am still completing my sell targets. I have already written something about this and the strategy in general here: https://getqu.in/CsQaHU/

I think this makes it understandable why I am not yet betting on HODL at the moment.

I will definitely publish an article as soon as my levels are finalized, which you can read here.

➡️ Interim New Year's goals

Here is the interim status of "non-monetary goals" or habits that I want to continue, consolidate or expand:

- Exercise every morning: ☑️

- Walk every evening to switch off: 28 out of 29 days ☑️

- Normalize sleep rhythm + get up at 7:30 a.m. at the latest during the week: ❌

- Fast 3x for at least 7 days: 1 out of 3x so far, but not done satisfactorily => ⭕️

- Mindset and good contacts: Finding new contacts who tick like me and want to get on in life instead of nagging I'm still looking for. => ❌

- Daily reading: 28 out of 29 days ☑️

- Educate and further my education (without a real end goal): Continuing to work with Wordpress and attending a business seminar ☑️☑️

There is still a lot to do. Have a great March. Attached are my own shots of nature beginning to awaken.

This report is already a bit shorter than in January, I'm trying to make it even shorter, but just bullet points are not enough for me, that's just not my style. 😄

What a January. Once again, it's impressive what the new year had to offer us all. Time for a monthly review. This year, I plan to adapt my summary in several steps. First of all, it will be shorter. I'm also going to take my New Year's resolutions and see how well I've fulfilled them. But let's start with the latest developments in my portfolio.

➡️ Shares

My largest positions in terms of volume are still the usual suspects $AVGO (+0,31 %) , $MSFT (-1,05 %) and $FAST (+0,41 %) . They set the tone in the share portfolio. I am particularly pleased with $AVGO (+0,31 %) which is now shining with +125% (end of Dec. approx. +100%). There has not yet been a strong correction. In absolute terms, this will soon make up the €1,000 mark in invested capital.

In addition $NOVO B (-17,74 %) in 4th place by volume has now exceeded the +100% performance. Really solid, I thought after a few splashes it would have eaten itself up again and the stock would have corrected. Still in the top 10, I also noticed a stock that is now more visible at +50%. It was sold off by some in October 2020 after the share price fell: $SAP (-0,03 %) . I tend to stay away from German stocks, but this one is one of three exceptions.

Of course, there are still stocks with a red sign, but these are improving bit by bit thanks to DCA. $DHR (+0,77 %) and $MMM (+1,06 %) both between -25% and -30%. For me, however, the investment case still fits for both. The souvenir $VLTO WI (+2,25 %) I will sell as soon as the price suits me. Otherwise I generally don't sell. For me, the (valuable) invested capital is working time formerly stored in (worthless) money in the form of net salary; for me, selling is like cutting a piece of meat out of my body.

Soon my employer will also be reporting figures for the past FY, and my bonus depends on that. There are also two planned reimbursements from the health insurance company and one from the dental supplement and I'm sure there will be another credit on my electricity bill. Everything by April at the latest. The money will be invested at Easter or sooner in my candidates for new positions. These are: $UPS (+0,66 %) , $JPM (+1,21 %) and $GLAD . I am still deciding whether it will be all three or just two.

➡️ ETFs

I don't need to repeat myself here. My statement that they are the least everyone needs to do to escape the monster of old-age poverty still stands. Anyone who doesn't invest is a fool. Privately, I am pleased that I can use my experience with this investment vehicle to give people in Facebook groups and on Reddit an example of how simple retirement provision can be. Fight the savings book!

And in line with the battle message, I put a few extra coins into the $ISPA (+0,06 %) put some extra money into the There were a few comments about alternatives: https://getqu.in/XAvjzL/

➡️ Distributions and taxes

My strategy of switching to distributing ETFs has paid off. I want it to be tax-simple. In other words, the money that flows to me should be taxed as much as possible and I don't want to hold money anywhere or calculate how much tax-free allowance I will lose for an advance payment. So last March and November, I reallocated some of the ETFs that were still accumulating. The result: only two advance lump sums were due on distributors ($VUSA (+0,32 %) and $EXXT (+0,04 %) ), which means that the notional lump sum was higher than the basis for calculating the distribution for only two of my ETFs.

Among the ETFs, the $ISPA (+0,06 %) only one payout date. For my shares, I was able to book 21 payments on 11 paydays. January had 22 working days in Saxony, of which there were dividends on 11 days, great, right?

➡️ Cashback

I have set aside €10 from payback points for cashback annuities in a settlement account. Cashback proportionally feeds a $ZPRG (+0,23 %) savings plan. I will explain exactly how this construct works in a separate article later.

➡️ P2P loans

I continue to long for the day when I am out of this asset class, with the exception of Bondora Go&Grow. I will keep these for the time being.

Repayments are only coming in chunks.

A sad negative record: this was the first month in which only two out of four platforms were still earning interest, i.e. the capital to be collected is virtually no longer working.

➡️ Crypto

No news compared to previous months. I'm waiting with my holdings for the crypto summer. After all, it's crypto spring What I'm currently waiting for: the start of staking at BISON. I want to watch it from the sidelines and then decide whether I want to get involved. If I do, then the corresponding coin will not be cashed out at the turn of the year.

➡️ Interim New Year's goals

Here is the interim status of "non-monetary goals" or habits that I want to continue, consolidate or expand:

• Exercise every morning, at least 30 min on weekdays, at least 75 min on weekends: 30 out of 31 days ☑️
• Resume the evening walk from COVID times: 30 out of 31 days ☑️
• Normalize sleep rhythm + get up at 7:30 a.m. at the latest on weekends: The body actually wakes up before 7:30, but the rhythm is still stuck, I have to go to bed earlier => ❌
• 3x total fasting for at least 7 days: with 12 months, I have to start the first one in April at the latest: ergo no rating (p.s. I start the first one tomorrow). => ⭕️
• In addition: adjust your diet: I have already been able to start the protein portion by paying more conscious attention in the supermarket. The big task is still: How to reduce wheat flour (except by replacing it with spelt & co). At the end of the fast, I want to change my diet again. More greens, more protein, even less sugar.
• Mindset and good contacts: There's still a big construction site here too: Avoiding negative sources is going well, but I still need to find positive drivers. => ❌
• Daily reading: 30 out of 31 days ☑️
• Education and training: I'm working on Wordpress, MS Copilot, reviving my IG account and how to build up another side income in general. Since education and training is a process and has no end goal, I give myself the point: ☑️

As you can see, it's easy to make plans, but it's also important to consolidate the habits and fit them into everyday life.

And now I wish you all a wonderful upcoming carnival.

Picture: Impression while hiking (St. Mary's Church, in front of the Paul Gerhardt monument, Gräfenhainichen [Saxony-Anhalt])

The old year is over, the new one has long since begun. It's quiet outside again, no more flash-bangs to be heard. The only thing missing is snow and something that used to be called "winter". Time for a depot review of the past December 2023. As always, I will proceed in the usual order.

➡️ Shares

What a month it was! Even after a strong November, December went really well! The stock market tailwind that started in November continued in my portfolio. Great!

With the refund from the credit balance from the utility bill and some Christmas money from the family, I had $LTC (+0,27 %) and $VNA (+2,37 %) made additional purchases. I am firmly convinced that both stocks, which have certainly taken a battering, have upside potential again. This is not investment advice, a recommendation or anything similar, but merely my opinion. Both stocks have suffered from the interest rate environment. Personally, I expect a gradual reduction in interest rates in the future. As a result, I expect REITs and real estate stocks to recover. These will not be price rockets, but stocks that recover slowly and steadily. Vonovia has already been given the fight upwards. The portfolio has been slimmed down and the debt burden is falling. I think my speculation will work out. With $LTC (+0,27 %) the same way, this stock is still interesting for dividend strategists as a monthly payer, even if $O (+1,22 %) is certainly the better known stock. I'm sure some have also bought in.

At the top of my list of the largest positions in terms of volume are still $AVGO (+0,31 %) , $MSFT (-1,05 %) and $FAST (+0,41 %) . $FDX (-8,08 %) has fallen compared to the previous month. But that was to be expected for me, in times of inflation people are a little more cautious when shopping online and business customers are also trying to save money. Perhaps one less package? Perhaps a USB dongle with contents can be omitted and the contents can be sent digitally from A to B? Otherwise there are no major changes for me here, the usual suspects of the last few months are leading the portfolio in terms of volume and there is now some calm in the varied competitions of the previous months.

In the cellar, sorted by volume, I still have the $DHL (+0,13 %) and $CVX (+0,4 %) . They are definitely both hot buy candidates for me. I won't go into any more detail now, as I have made my opinion on oil known in recent weeks. 🛢️🤑

Incidentally, DHL is back on the plus side for me with a directed entry price; my very first tranche was also very high here before the fall. That makes me happy, step on the gas dear "yellow giant".

Now has also slipped $NKE (-6,85 %) to third last place. It's a shame that I don't have any spare cash right now to buy into the dip. I firmly believe in the company, even if the competition here is fierce, there is a certain amount of pressure from the counterfeiting industry and consumers are perhaps more likely to opt for a cheaper brand or generally consume less due to inflation and cost of living pressures.

By the way, there is still $CP as a real corpse in the depository cellar, simply because #TR no prices are displayed. I only see a price for #getquin
$VLTO WI (+2,25 %) but I don't include it in my analysis; the position will be sold in any case as soon as the minus suits me. Proceeds are currently going into the $DHR (+0,77 %) position.

If I look at the performance, the picture is similar to that of the previous months. $AVGO (+0,31 %) with +90% and $NVO with +80% and more. The tide lifts all boats, so the worst performance in my portfolio has now finally slipped over the -20% mark with $GIS (-1,28 %) . Very close by $CPB (-1,32 %) . Again, these are both great stocks for me, readers of my posts know that I also have a soft spot for the food industry and retail. In general, I'm finding that the Red Lanterns of mine are less and less dark red. I'm wondering whether this is just an effect of the end of the year, whether I've already reduced the price of my entries by purchasing savings plans, or whether my long-term savings are already bringing my performance closer to a long-term average. I'll be keeping an eye on this over the coming months.

Now for a first. For the very first time, I am also giving you information about the number of dividend payments. I was able to record 25 dividend payments in my share portfolio. That's a great thing, something I could never have dreamed of 3 years ago (and more).

As usual in December 2023, the dividends (including ETF distributions) were again somewhat more generous and showed an increase of 152% compared to December 2022. I am very satisfied with this. For me, December 2023 was the third-strongest month for passive distributions in the past calendar year. That fits! Of course, everything will be reinvested to accelerate dividend and portfolio growth.

➡️ ETFs

The clockwork is running! ETFs naturally also felt the tailwind of the stock market. They do exactly what they are supposed to do. "The easy way" for independent retirement provision.

Saving a portion of your net salary regularly in broadly diversified ETFs is the least everyone should do. This is no longer an option, but a lack of alternatives. Anyone who relies on the state pension is a fool, there is no other way to put it in view of the serious situation and demographic change! Even if you only start with $25 a month, that's a crucial start.

I started small myself, like everyone else. My first savings installment, back in May 2020 in ETFs, was €125. And I increased this quite quickly so that I reached the €500 region. With further salary increases and cost savings, I kept increasing the savings rate because I quickly realized how important it is to get compound interest going. And I didn't start building up assets in my early 20s, as in the "investor picture book example", no, I wasn't far away from my 33rd birthday and asked myself at the time how I could still manage to build up at least a million-euro portfolio by the time I reached the statutory retirement age, taking into account the sample calculations. And instead of failing perfectly, I simply started imperfectly and I can already see that it's worth it. It was the best decision of my life.

Back to my ETF portfolios: Three ETFs paid out in December and these are my largest securities by volume ($VWRL (+0,18 %) , $VHYL (+0,11 %) , $VUSA (+0,32 %) ). Two clearing accounts were pleased to receive payments. Looking ahead to the new year, we will continue with the $ISPA (+0,06 %) in January.

➡️ ETFs and shares once again

I originally started the 70/30 strategy at the very beginning with the usual suspects as accumulators. I abandoned this last year and switched to distributors. I want a good combination of growth and cash flow! In old age, when the distributions should at best cover my living expenses but at least plug the pension gap, I don't want to worry about selling the shares. That is only planned if there really isn't enough.

In my opinion, the proponents of accumulators are also forgetting that selling the units in retirement will incur order fees again, whereas dividend distributions (should) be free of charge.

Of course I already pay capital gains tax, but in my opinion it is simply very important for the psyche to book incoming payments on all securities accounts in order to simply stay on the ball. Many of us have not yet experienced a real crash that lasts very long. And the next one will flush many players out of the market again because they only see falling prices and no current income.

In addition, there is the nice effect that the burden of the advance lump sum is reduced at the same time and, in the best case, I have to worry less about how much money I have to keep in the clearing account or by how much the tax-free amount will fall at the beginning of the year.

In the end, every investor has to do what they think is right. Everyone must be able to sleep peacefully with their investment. And I sleep well in the dreamland of the dividend strategy, whereby a moderate dividend yield that will continue to grow is important to me, in line with the dividend growth strategy. Of course, I also have shares that don't pay a dividend; these are selected companies that convince me.

➡️ P2P loans

This is the first asset class that I wish I had never entered. I've told you enough about my last default experience and the associated exit from the class, so I'll spare you that now. I was only able to withdraw a few euros from repayments. Interest? Hahaha... you can forget it. Months ago, I would never have thought that I would see interest on overnight money and that P2P interest would fail, but the tide is turning.

Only Bondora Go&Grow is still running and this vehicle was allowed to receive another deposit in December, which consists of the funds withdrawn from the other platforms. I'm particularly annoyed that I haven't finished with the deduction from Mintos and Peerberry yet. I actually wanted to declare these sources of untaxed investment income for the last time on my upcoming tax return. So this clog on my leg will be with me for a while yet.

➡️ Crypto

DefiChain is the second clog on the leg that I'll spare you.

At the beginning of December, the $BTC (-0,26 %) reached a new level at the beginning of December and, with minor exceptions, moved sideways for the rest of the month. The others are similar, I'm not going crazy here, the last crypto savings plans were last executed at the beginning of December and then discontinued. I am sticking to my strategy of selling all holdings tax-free in stages from December 2024 to around March 2025. Accumulation will take place in the next bear market. I only refer to previous posts.

➡️ General information and a goal achieved

I am already announcing one success. I had set myself the target of raising €12,000 for 2023. I then raised the target to €13,500 in the summer. With paid-in capital from my net salary and reinvestment of the distributions of €13,898.44, I exceeded the target. I am very happy with this figure, but I can also see from my records that the success was achieved by investing the semi-annual bonuses from my job.

This year I want to put even more money into the stock market. The new threshold is €15,000. In the summer, I'll take a look at the interim result and if I'm well on track, I'll raise it to €16,000 - €16,500. I like to set myself high goals that I can also fail at. Because in my eyes, ambitious goals that are difficult but still achievable allow us to get out of our comfort zone and grow sustainably. And I would rather just fail at a high goal than achieve a goal that is too low too easily.

For the first time last year, I didn't set myself any other goals. That will change this year. I've already formulated some of them, but I'm still sorting them out. The number of projects should remain at a sensible level and largely meet the requirements of the SMART method. I'll write something about this in the next few days. I'm not rushing into it, but I'm giving myself time to complete the current year with great success on all levels.

Readers of my last review will also have read about the salary increase. For those of you who are also employed, this is now also on the agenda. I now know that there will be something, but still no specific amount. There should be some certainty in mid-January. Then, of course, I will make sure that a large part of the increased net salary goes towards increasing my savings plans.

Lastly: Threads went live in Europe in December. The platform differs from X, but is a good alternative. I remain active with both. I particularly like the link with Instagram on Threads. I've been thinking about starting a blog and reviving Instagram for a few days now, so YouTube will remain the only platform where I don't actively publish content, but just add my two cents in the comments (for now). Because apparently, although I've always enjoyed math more than writing and copywriting, I'm getting more and more into it. I'm keen to share my experiences, encourage people to take responsibility for their own retirement planning and wealth accumulation and disclose some of my figures to encourage people to make more of their current situation. And this despite the fact that not that many people will read it at the moment and there would be a lot of non-remunerated work to do at the expense of free time, or did you think that I would otherwise write such a long text on a Friday evening out of boredom 😉?

I want to make my contribution to financial education in our country, because let's be honest, as a society we are on average simply uneducated when it comes to this important discipline. Maybe a blog project has a purpose for me after all.

➡️ An addendum

I also see a positive development on getquin. The quality of users, posts and comments is steadily increasing. While there used to be too many pointless comments from immature users, they are now getting better and better and helping us to do what we are here for - to exchange ideas in our bubble, in our little financial world. 🥰#getquin simply has an influx of users who are really not just here to troll, but to learn, share and motivate each other in the long journey of building wealth. And I'm glad to be a part of it 😊

With this in mind, I would like to wish everyone a happy, healthy and successful New Year 2024! 🍀