By: Matt @ Home & Pocket

September 2, 2025

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August 2025 Dividend Portfolio Review – From Cruise Control to Full Throttle

If July was quiet, August was anything but.

This month brought higher dividends, fresh buys, and a stock market that seemed determined to test new heights.

I added to five existing positions and even opened a brand-new one—details I’ll dig into later.

All told, my portfolio delivered $133.29 in dividend income, making it one of my top five months so far.

That brings my 2025 total to $1,268.57, though I’ll admit my original $2,300 goal for the year is starting to look overly ambitious.

But hey, that’s what goals are for, right?

Still, that’s a solid jump from August 2024’s $112.68, and not far off my all-time August record of $149.07 back in 2023. (Of course, that was before I raided the portfolio to help buy a house—one of those financial decisions that makes sense at the time but leaves you shaking your head later.)

The good news? I’m confident next August will set a new personal best.

With reinvestment’s, new shares, and growing payouts, the trend is undeniable: steady progress, even if the path isn’t perfectly straight.

So, let’s get into the details—who paid, how much, and where this dividend engine is headed next.

For the Month of August, We received a total of 19 individual dividend payments, amounting to $133.29. That’s right, over $100 in pure income that we didn’t have to lift a finger to earn.

August was the opposite of dull—it had everything.

New stock purchases, a market that kept cruising higher, and even the Fed dangling what looks like an “almost guaranteed” rate cut in September.

That’s the thrill of dividend investing: the base income keeps rolling in, but when you add growth, reinvestments, and new buys, the whole engine picks up speed.

This time around, the portfolio pushed out over $133 in passive income, and I didn’t have to chase a single hot tip to make it happen.

No stress, no guesswork—just disciplined investing paired with a few well-timed additions.

It’s fun when the strategy pays off in real time, but the foundation is still the same: steady, reliable income that builds long-term wealth.

Now, let’s break down who paid, how much, and what August added to the bigger picture.

February, May, August, and November are my Min-Size months in terms of number of Companies I have that pay dividends in those months.

The portfolio currently has twelve (19) Stocks that pay dividends in August

Seventeen (17) are quarterly dividend companies

And..

And now TWO (2) are monthly payout (Realty Capital – O) & (Main Street Capital Corp – MAIN).

August Dividends:

TOTAL DIVIDENDS RECEIVED $133.29

Average Dividend Payment: $7.02

That’s a total of $133.29 of completely passive income I received from just owning a piece of a company.

In perspective, that is UP $21 or 18% from this same month last year. (See Below).

I can probably say my recovery from that withdrawal from last year is about over.

But we’ll see what the end of year total brings.

To give you a sense of just how exciting this is each month, let’s zoom out and look at the bigger picture.

In August alone, I received $133.29 across 19 different dividend-paying stocks.

That’s real, passive income—money deposited straight into my account simply for owning solid companies and not selling them.

You can quickly see how this (Dividend Investing) becomes addictive.

Some of these companies will likely increase their dividends (as many of them have a strong history of doing so annually), and I’ll probably add to a few positions along the way.

Even without lifting a finger, a typical 1.5% to 2% annual raise in dividend payouts would bump next year’s income from this same portfolio up to about $12.

Again, that’s if I do nothing, invest nothing – just let the dividend increase to occur.

That’s the beauty of dividend investing—each month is a small harvest, and each year the tree gets a little bigger.

Stock Sale & Purchases for August:

August finally brought some movement.

After July’s standstill, I put cash to work by adding to five of my existing positions and opening one brand-new stock.

No big sales to report—just steady accumulation.

The market still feels pricey in spots, but I’d rather average into solid dividend payers than sit on the sidelines forever.

This wasn’t a shopping spree, more like topping off a pantry—adding to what I already trust, with one new addition I’ve had my eye on.

The watchlist is still full, but for now, I’m glad to see my idle cash start pulling its weight again.

Here’s what those purchases look like in terms of fresh dividend income:

Ticker	Shares	Dividend per Share	Annual Dividend
HRL	9	$1.16	$10.44
SWK	2	$3.32	$6.64
TGT	3	$4.56	$13.68
CNI	3	$2.59	$7.77
LEG	20	$0.20	$4.00
UNH	1	$8.84	$8.84
Total	–	–	$50.37

Altogether, these six purchases add about $50 in annual dividends to my portfolio!

That may not sound like much, but it’s real money—income that will keep rolling in, quarter after quarter, whether I’m working, sleeping, or out with the family.

Every new position is another brick in the wall, and the compounding effect only grows stronger from here.

As always, all my new positions are “Usually” started with a single share.

I call this building out of my skeleton portfolio technique.

STRATEGY & EDUCATION

Looking ahead and my Yearly Progress:

My Goal for 2025 is to recover from my sales in 2024 and get back on track.

I am aiming for $2,300 in Dividend Income. – No change! Although might be far-fetched at this point.

Currently, If I add no additional funds I will earn $2,345 over the next year.

2025 was supposed to be the year I hit $3,000 in dividends. However, due to moving and purchasing another house – #militarylife.

Things changed.

At this point, I’m looking at earning a total of $2,186.02 by the end of the year.

That’s about $113 short of my goal.

I still may add more shares over the next few months, so we’ll see what happens.

Consistency and discipline will be the key to getting back on track and regaining my lost dividends.

Thanks for reading – be sure to subscribe to stay up to date on my progress:

Look back at the January Report for a Refresher on how the year started!