Year End Review 2021

Year end review 2021 — Highlighting financial accomplishments in 2021. Recapping dividend income, blog income, and total passive income numbers. This article may contain affiliate links.

2021 was one of the best financial years of my life.

But I leave it feeling poorer due to inflation and because I want more now.

Nevertheless, 2021 turned out to be quite the year for financial accomplishments.

I earned more than ever in my professional career, I earned the most ever with blogging, and I was very fortuitous in the stock market as well.

In this article, I will highlight my financial accomplishments for 2021.

Let’s dive in.

For the year end review 2021, I will break the financial accomplishments down into three segments: dividend investing, blogging, and personal finance.

Year End Review — Dividend Investing

Made $816.82 From Dividend Investing

In total, I earned $816.82 in dividend income in 2021.

This was a new record for one year, and it represents 31% year-over-year growth compared to the $621.28 that was earned in 2020.

On average, I earned $68.07 per month in dividends.

I am hoping to push these numbers higher in 2022. I am aiming for $1,200 in dividends which would be $100 per month.

Highest Month Ever $115.72

I set a new record in December 2021 when I earned $115.72 in dividends.

I usually set a new record every March, June, September, and December.

It will be interesting to see how high I can push December’s total in 2022.

Grew Forward Dividend Income To $1,090.49

As of December 31, 2021, the portfolio is expected to generate $1,090.49 annually in dividends.

It was a big financial accomplishment to reach $1,000 in annual dividend income earlier this year.

Now I’m looking to push forward annual dividend income to at least $1,500 by the end of the year.

It will be a slower but consistent year for saving and investing. But this is only because I am saving for a house on the side.

As soon as I own a home, I will get back to saving an irresponsibly high amount of my income.

High Investment Returns

It should come as no surprise that my portfolio performed well in 2021.

I’m pretty sure anyone who invested in the stock market did well in 2021.

The 1-year return on an S&P 500 index fund such as VSP is over 27%.

Although I don’t disclose total returns on the blog, I will say that my portfolio returned well over 20% and slightly below the S&P 500 index mentioned above.

The objective of my portfolio allocation is to build a growing income stream of dividends while simultaneously remaining competitive with the S&P 500.

Year End Review — Blogging

Made $1,131.73 Blogging

In total, I made $1,131.73 from blogging in 2021.

The income was mostly from Monumetric display ads.

Otherwise, I made a few affiliate sales during the year and published the occasional sponsored post.

460% Income Growth (YoY)

In 2020, I made enough to cover minimum blogging expenses.

In 2021, my blog income increased by over 460%, so I was able to save and reinvest more of it back into the blog.

Frankly, I owe a lot of this income growth to Monumetric. It’s the consistent income I am able to earn monthly that covers my expenses and allows me to reinvest in the blog.

I’m not sure if I will be able to achieve 460% income growth in 2022 again. I haven’t had as much time lately as I did at the beginning of 2021.

I am hopeful that I will be able to push blog income higher in 2021. But to be perfectly honest, I am more focused on investing and having this blog be an extension of that than I am on monetizing it.

It’s amazing that the blog covers my blogging expenses and allows me to reinvest in it.

I’m grateful that I earn income for something I would do for free.

Net Profit Of $445.04

I spent $686.69 on blog expenses this year.

It probably seems like a lot of money to spend on a blog.

But I’m satisfied with my purchases. The blog income is extra income that I don’t need to live on. So, it’s fun to be experimental with it to improve the blog.

Overall, I spent on a new font/design editor for my blog theme, keyword tools, hosting, and marketing tools.

Total Passive Income From Blogging and Investing: $1,948.55

In total, I made $1,948.55 from blogging and dividend investing in 2021.

I’m up to nearly $2,000 per year in passive income.

Of course, I still have a long way to go until I reach financial independence.

But I am starting to get somewhere within the vicinity.

I just need to 10x my portfolio now to be financially independent.

It might not take that much longer if my income streams continue to grow as fast as they are.

Realistically, I am still aiming to be financially independent in 10 to 15 years from now.

Year End Review — Personal Finance

Paid Off My Student Loan

Paying off my student loan was a major financial accomplishment in 2021.

After making bi-weekly payments for years, I finally paid it off in April 2021.

It was so satisfying.

Since then, I’ve appreciated how nice it is to have more free cash flow.

Saved 23% Of Income

I saved 23% of my net income in 2021.

In truth, I thought the average would be higher. I had four months over 30% and one month over 50%.

But due to my fluctuating income, there are months that I have to save a lower percentage of my income.

Ideally, I need to save between 35% to 50% of my income to reach financial independence in a reasonable time frame.

My plan is to save 15% for retirement while I save for a house. As soon as I obtain a house, I plan to save as much as possible again.