How it works

This is a real, public dividend portfolio we document in the open — a separate, dedicated brokerage account that holds only the weekly buys you see here. Real money, real dividends, every move shown.

The weekly habit

Every week we invest $100 into one dividend stock that passes the five-box test (below), and we record exactly what we bought, the price, and the shares. Dividends are set to automatically reinvest into the same holding (DRIP), so the income compounds on its own — and we show the difference between our deposits and the money the portfolio reinvests by itself.

The five-box test

Every stock is run through five questions:

1. Pays a dividend? — the entry ticket.
2. Raises it consistently? — a history of increases through good times and bad.
3. Is the dividend safe? — a sensible payout ratio, with room to keep raising.
4. Is it undervalued? — don't overpay, even for greatness.
5. Is the yield high enough to matter? — the box people forget.

The DividendAbundance Score

We turn the five boxes into a single number. Each box scores 1 to 20, for a total from 5 to 100 — the higher, the better. A stock might show "78 / Strong." The full scoring method is published, so you can see exactly why anything scores what it does.

How we decide

Buys are rule-based — every purchase passes the five-box test and carries its DividendAbundance Score, calculated in the open. Sells are rare and discretionary — we almost never sell, and when we do (a company genuinely falling apart), it's a judgment call we explain after the fact, not a mechanical signal. We document what we did and why; we never tell you what to do.

A note on the numbers

Income and yield figures are estimates based on the most recently declared dividend rates, and companies can change their dividends. Projections are illustrative, not promises. None of this is financial advice — it's one family doing the work in public.