Overview for January 2012

The first month of 2012 is over.  January has been pretty uneventful for me except for quite a few large ticket items that I have spent on.  Passive income and dividends were $0 but I am expecting a bumper crop in the month of February since that will be when all the dividends from my REITs will most probably come in.

Expenditure wise, I have probably burnt some holes in my pocket from some large ticket items:

• Car Servicing.  Sent my car for servicing and maintenance during the weekend.  It was long overdue and so, since I was free, decided that it will be a good time to spruce the car up a bit.  The costs added up quite a fair bit - over $560++. That was for a 36 point check (normal servicing, don't ask me what the checks were), changing a new  battery, change of transmission oil and new wipers to go along with it.

• Term Insurance.  Just made annual payment of S$347.50 for my wife's coverage. Necessary expenditure but expensive nonetheless.

Investments wise:

• Invested in First REIT mainly for dividend income.  First REIT is listed on the Singapore stock exchange and holds hospitals and nursing homes in various countries.  It gives a quarterly distribution of around 1.9 cents per unit.
• Invested in Gamco Global Gold &Natural Resource Trust (GGN) - provides US$14 monthly dividends. Yet to receive the first batch of dividends for January since it usually takes some time before the cheque is posted.  Expecting this to come in for the month of Feb 2012.

Blogging wise:

• Started an ad campaign and have spent close to US$100 on advertisements and promotional costs for this site.  
• Also exploring new ways to generate content (either by hiring a freelance writer or through other means).