Building Reliable Income the Old-Fashioned Way
January 6th, 2026
- 2025 Dividend Income Total
- Top and Bottom Performers
- Portfolio Overview
- 2026 Goals and Predictions
Finally, the moment you’ve all been waiting for or at least I’ve been waiting for. My Annual Dividend Investment Review.
This is where I will put on display my hard work and investing discipline through dividend investing.
Dividend investing isn’t flashy.
It doesn’t make headlines.
And it certainly doesn’t promise overnight riches.
– Unless your Warren Buffett:
Last year, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway made approximately $816 million per year in dividends from its Coca-Cola (KO) holdings alone!
What it does offer—when done patiently and consistently—is something far more valuable: dependable income that shows up whether you feel like working or not.
2025 was another step forward in that journey.
This review isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress, discipline, and lessons learned while building an income-producing portfolio designed to last decades, not quarters.
I know most don’t agree on my investment approach and call it too risky picking and holding individual stocks.
But that’s Ok, My Portfolio, My Rules!
The 2025 Dividend Snapshot (At a Glance)
Here’s the plain truth of what the year delivered:
- Total individual stocks: 72
- Total dividends received: $2,187.34
- Total dividend payments received: 270
- Average dividend payment: $8.14
- Average portfolio dividend yield: 2.69%
That yield is lower than my long-term target—and I’ll address why—but the income trend remains solid and moving in the right direction.
Dividend investing rewards consistency, not ego. This year reinforced that lesson. Overall, this was a solid year for the market, especially for Tech Stocks.
Take a look back at my 2024 Dividend Investment Review!
Quarterly Dividend Breakdown: Steady Progress
Dividend income grew steadily throughout the year, quarter by quarter:
- 1st Quarter: $491.20
- 2nd Quarter: $555.41
- 3rd Quarter: $571.35
- 4th Quarter: $579.90
This progression matters. It shows momentum without relying on speculation or market timing. No lottery tickets. No hype trades. Just ownership in real businesses paying real cash.
That’s how durable wealth is built.
Portfolio Yield: Lower Than Desired, But Explained
The 2.69% average yield came in under my ideal range—and that wasn’t by accident or neglect.
I’ll leave this here just to make me and you feel better:
“The average dividend yield of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats is approximately 2.5%“
Several companies either ended their dividends or exited the portfolio entirely, including:
When a dividend disappears, so does the yield it once produced. That’s the cost of reality—and it’s why dividend investing requires constant oversight. Dividends are earned, not guaranteed.
Granted I should have exited those positions earlier and salvaged my investment, but I rode them to the end. My Bad.
I also exited or lost exposure to companies due to sales or corporate actions:
- Intel
- Walgreens
- Kellogg
- Kellanova
That’s four positions gone by year-end. Some were strategic exits. Others were forced. Either way, capital gets redeployed—not mourned.
2025 Portfolio with Dividends
Below is a breakdown of all my dividends earned through 2025. And yes, I still use an excel tracker I built to track, manage, and admire my dividend portfolio.
Check it out Here> DIVIDEND TRACKER
Below is a tracker I use to help visualize how I earn my dividends in terms of work hours. i.e.
How many dividends I earn in terms of Yearly, Quarterly, Monthly, daily, and Hourly. The work Hour is considered an 8-hour work day. This just help put my dividend earnings in context of how I earn money with my time.
Top 5 Dividend Earners of 2025
These companies carried the weight and did exactly what dividend stocks are supposed to do:
- Realty Income (O)
- AT&T (T)
- Target (TGT)
- PepsiCo (PEP)
- Kimberly-Clark (KMB)
Coca-Cola will probably surpass AT&T this year..
All together, these 5 Stocks will net me over $500 this year in Dividends payments!
No surprises here. These are established, cash-flow-producing businesses. Not exciting. Not trendy. Just dependable.
That’s the point.
Bottom 5 Dividend Earners (And Why That’s Okay)
On the other end of the spectrum:
- Apple (AAPL)
- Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
- American Electric Power (AEP)
- American States Water (AWR)
- Bank of America (BAC)
All together, these 5 Stocks will net me about $70 in Dividend payments this year.
Low dividend contribution doesn’t mean low quality. In fact, several of these are intentional low-yield holdings—companies that prioritize growth, stability, or capital appreciation over current income.
Some of these like, ADP, AEP, and AWR I have a few shares since I only recently started my position and they will grow in time.
A dividend portfolio doesn’t need every holding to pull the same weight. It needs balance.
New Additions and Portfolio Direction
To start the year, I added:
- Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
- Genuine Parts Company (GPC)
- Cintas (CTAS)
These are boring businesses in the best way—repeat customers, durable demand, and long operating histories.
I plan to add four more stocks, bringing the portfolio to 75 total holdings:
- 73 quarterly-paying dividend stocks
- 2 monthly-paying dividend stocks
That structure will result in approximately 316 individual dividend payments per year.
That’s not accidental. That’s engineered income.
Looking Ahead: Income Already Locked In
If I added nothing to the portfolio—no new capital, no reinvestment—I would still expect approximately:
- $2,550 in annual dividend income
Now combine that with:
- Rental property income
- Earned income
- Other cash-flow sources
And the math becomes clear. I will be producing to or close to a Paycheck a Day!
In Overall terms for my Yearly target, I almost made my 2025 Dividend Goal.
Short by about $75.
But for 2026, I will blow straight past it and may even come within striking distance if my 2027 Goal!
We’ll see!
Still On My Watchlist:
My Dividend Watchlist is a fluid but yet steady list of Dividends I still need to purchase. Here the current list: You Can Find Them Updated Here as Well – FREEDOM FUND
- MSFT
- MRK
- ABBV
- PPG
- FDX
- DPX
- TSCO
- V
- MDLZ
- DANOY
The Bigger Picture: A Paycheck a Day
“Shhh, this may or may not be a hint at something coming!
When you add everything together, I’m on pace to receive over 350 paychecks per year.
That’s more than one per day.
Not because I chased risk—but because I stacked reliable income streams the same way people used to build wealth: slowly, deliberately, and with ownership.
This is how you move toward “A Paycheck a Day.”
Not through luck. Through structure.
Final Thoughts
This 2025 Dividend Investment Review isn’t about bragging rights or chasing perfect returns—it’s a record of steady progress, honest lessons, and income built the way it’s always been built: patiently and with intention.
Dividends don’t care about headlines, elections, or trends. They reward ownership, discipline, and time.
As HomeAndPocket.com officially passes its one-year mark, I want to sincerely thank every reader and subscriber who has followed along, shared an article, or taken steps to improve their own financial footing.
My goal remains simple and unchanged: to keep learning, keep investing, and keep sharing practical ideas around money, family budgeting, and how everyday families can avoid staying poor in modern America—not through gimmicks, but through responsibility, ownership, and long-term thinking.
The work continues, the income keeps growing, and the mission stays the same.
As Always, Thanks for Reading and be Sure to Subscribe Below!
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