Hi readers, 👋
Welcome to this little April wrap-up.
As usual, I will give you a brief update on the last few weeks, especially regarding my retirement depot.
So let’s get right into it.
General sentiment
The stock markets have, in recent weeks, been able to shake off many of their fears. This is especially true for European equities, continuing a trend I already highlighted last month:
Europe is back. In particular, the German benchmark index DAX has been outperforming and currently puts many other markets in the shade.
My portfolio has had no chance of keeping up with the DAX YTD, even though I personally hold several major German stocks like SAP, Deutsche Telekom, Allianz, and Munich Re.
As a German, I’m not entirely convinced these gains are fully justified. Germany has just installed a new government, a coalition between the CDU/CSU (Christian Democratic Union of Germany) and SPD (Social Democratic Party), but it’s still unclear whether this government will be able to deliver the kind of structural impulses needed to reignite economic momentum.
Germany is facing significant competitive disadvantages as a business location:
- Energy costs are high
- Skilled labor is expensive
- Taxes and social contributions are burdensome
- On top of that, there’s an ongoing migration crisis and a demographic shift that worries many citizens, especially younger people concerned about the future of their pensions.
Looking at Europe more broadly, I remain more skeptical than optimistic.
As a lawyer, I see firsthand how excessive regulation is holding back small businesses and consuming vast amounts of resources. What we need now is a fundamental simplification of the regulatory and economic environment, giving companies some breathing room to grow and innovate.
But should we go about it the way Donald Trump and DOGE have done?
I have serious doubts.
At first, I was curious, maybe even hopeful, that the U.S., like Argentina, might prove that bloated bureaucracy can either be dismantled or at least made more manageable. However, DOGE has, in my view, become a textbook example of how not to do it. The approach has often involved young, inexperienced individuals who’ve recently outgrown adolescence, charging into institutions, creating chaos, and then vanishing again. They leave behind confused and demoralized staff, some with access to highly sensitive information. What follows is a wave of lawsuits, reversals of previous DOGE-driven decisions, and a general mess.
It’s like a pigeon flying into an office, defecating everywhere, and flying off again, thinking it’s accomplished something great. As a liberal-minded person, I find this nothing short of a disaster.
Meanwhile, federal spending under the Trump administration has increased by $154 billion compared to the same period in 2024, despite DOGE publicly claiming it had saved $150 billion (!). That contradiction says a lot.
Closely connected to the comeback of European stocks is the strength of the euro. I can well imagine that I’ll start increasing my investments in U.S. stocks again this summer. In April, I already increased my monthly savings plans for the following US stocks:
- Automatic Data Processing (ADP)
- Snap-on
- Williams-Sonoma.
My monthly income with dividends in March:
My investment approach is simple and consists of three pillars:
- Active income.
- Passive income.
- Conversion.
Dividends fall into the last two categories. They are passive because they provide a cash flow without me going to work. Additionally, they are an essential pillar for conversion since they can be reinvested to generate even more income in the future. That is the Theory. Now, let’s get down to practice.
This month, my cash-flow approach generated the following income through dividends (including YoY growth):
So overall:
- the total monthly income with dividends in March (after taxes) was: € 859.61 / appr. $ 970
- compared to last year, the dividend growth was great (+ 15 percent YoY),
- ⌀ monthly dividend income (ttm): € 605.02 / appr. $ 682 € 597.13 / appr. $ 645,
- ⌀ monthly dividend income (ttm) compared to the previous month: + 1.3 percent.
TEV Blog Dividend Monthly Income Report: dividends per month are coming in with a sunny yellow in April
The rest of the article is accessible on my Substack. It contains an overview of the stocks I purchased in March, the stocks I will buy in April, and a deep dive into my portfolio performance.
As this report contains valuable insights, I want to restrict access to paying subscribers only. I invest a lot of time and effort into writing these pieces – not to get rich, but to provide meaningful content.
So if my work is worth the price of a coffee to you, it would go a long way in keeping me motivated and providing even more insights! ☕️
Since I’m just starting, I’ve set the lowest fee and am offering a discount for the first 10 paid subscribers. So now is the perfect time to join! 💡✨
Be one of the first supporters and grab the discount by clicking this link:
Best,
