January 2020 Dividend Income Report - $164.99

5 February, 2020 | Investments | 13 seen

Welcome to the thirty third (#33) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in January 2020. 

Just like in the previous years, the last January disappeared like a flicker, little miss Fischer baby girl turned already 18-month old. We started to go to the Georgian language kindergarten, which at the end of the month we still decided to switch to English pre-school with the Montessori teaching method. 

During January we spent all-time in Georgia, did a few road trips to Tsinandali and Gudauri ski resort (twice)

Gudauri Ski Resort in Georgia

This January also marked a small 3 years anniversary since I originally set my goal to have in a savings account 1 million dollars by 2045.

From the market perspective, January was a catastrophe - starting bombings of US bases in Iraq, downing Ukrainian airplane and ending the Coronavirus in China. what a bad place we are living in.  

From the point of dividends, last January was really bad - because of the bad options trades back in November 2019, I have sold off some good dividend stock to cover losses, at the end of December I also got called away one of my anchor payers from covered call, and extra for the first time I have negative return from Mintos.com lending this month. More on that below.

If not all that my dividend in January would be at least $250 this month.

In the end, I have collected $164.99 from dividend stocks.  Compared to the previous January in 2019, that is a decrease of -5.56% (-$9.72). I'm not happy at all, but on the other hand, taking into account all the above written I still believe the return is amazing.

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending and deribit.com options trading websites, by clicking on links on this page and by making investment mintos.com or derbit.com, I might earn affiliate income at no cost to you. Also, I'm not a financial advisor and I don't give you any advice, I'm just sharing my own experience. Investments in stocks, funds, bonds or cryptos are risk investments and you could lose some or all of your money. Do your due diligence before investing in any kind of asset. 

An additional $465.80 was made from options trading. I was trading SPX, Gold futures and of course, regular puts calls on dividend stocks/  As options trading is not a passive form of making money while you are sleeping it wouldn't be fair to include them in dividend income reports. 

Last but not least, last January I traded options on cryptocurrencies using Deribit platform, which resulted in an additional $290.95

When counted all together (dividends + options + crypto options), it seems I have made $921.74 in total last month. That's slightly less than my plan for Q1 2020 (the plan is to make at least $1,200/mo from the market), but I will take as I was pretty cautious last January and did not overtrade.

Effective income yield last January was 2.58% (about 30.96% annually) Which is great. One of my monthly goals is to generate at least 2.5% income yield from a portfolio. As longs it's over that - it's awesome. From dividends + active trading taking 30% year seems quite doable. 

Interest income in January 2020

From the stocks and peer to peer lending I got following income last month:

Ticker

Earnings

XIN

€30.36

EDF

€22.15

PNNT

€21.46

NRZ

€20.39

EDI

€19.77

USA

€12.03

RA

€9.19

CLM

€4.99

NCV

€3.84

AWP

€3.08

AWP

€3.08

Mintos

-€1.88

Total: €148.64 / $164.99

In total there were 12 great companies paying us dividends in January 2020, that's the same amount of companies a year ago in January 2019

As you can see from the table above, the Mintos has slipped to the last place with a negative return,  let me explain -   year ago in January, I made EUR 42.91 from the Mintos platform (Most of my investments there were in Georgian lari), in January 2020, Mintos stopped issuing loans in Georgian lari, all existing loans were bought back and I was left with more than 8,000 GEL. I was left with no other options - either to withdraw to my Georgian bank account or to exchange for other currencies. I did both.

I started to exchange GEL to EUR on the platform and for that, I paid a very hefty commission of about GEL 75 (EUR 23.5), as my GEL Income was just GEL 35, it pushed income to negative. At the very end of the month, I exchanged a small amount of money also to RUB and KZT currencies. Will see. But on overall I see Mintos leaving my investment portfolio in 2020 (it will take time for me to exit)

Mintos.com Review 2020 (36 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending)

It should also be noted that last year in January I got a hefty special dividend from Silvano Fashion Group with more than EUR 50 which I didn't get this year. Now a year later having a small decrease in total dividend income taking into consideration all the above said  (negative return from the Mintos, called away dividend stock and no special dividend) it doesn't feel a bad dividend month anymore.

Monthly income

I've been tracking my journey towards million dollars in a savings account since January 2017. Three years already. The result, so far, looks quite good. Dividends are growing (except when they are not, like in this month)

Monthly dividend Income chart as of January 2020

The cumulative earnings for 2020 now are $164.99  which is exactly 4.58% from my goal of 2020 ($3,600). On average, it would ask me to generate $312.27 every month for the next 11 months to reach my goal. Right, now this goal looks pretty hard, but I will try even harder to get there by the end of the year.

2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020

Goals for January 2021

This is my favorite part of the reports - trying to forecast/set goals for the next year. But before setting a goal for 2020, let's see what I forecasted/said a year ago (January 2019)

I have a $220 goal for January 2020.  From today's perspective looks very possible, sure,  will ask to add a few more monthly/quarterly dividend paying stocks.

Damned, I missed my goal. That happens sometimes (as long as it doesn't happen too often, it's OK missing your goals). When setting goals for January 2021 I have a minimum $300 goal from dividend income. It will be probably very hard, as I need to raise my current dividend income by about $140, to get there I plan to use quarterly paying stocks, like NRZ, PNNT, and others.

Odo's House in Tsinandali

1 February, 2020 | Hotel reviews | 10 seen

Odo's house is a family-run bed&breakfast style guest house, located in Tsinandali, some 100 km from Tbilisi in Georgia. 

We booked Odo's house at the start of January 2020 for a two-night stay and paid about USD 40 for that (free parking and breakfast included)

Odo's House features a garden. All rooms feature a kitchenette, a flat-screen TV with satellite channels, and a private bathroom. Every room includes a terrace with a mountain view.

The guesthouse is located in front of the famous Alexander Chavchavadze museum

Room at Odo's house

For me I got the feeling I have got back to Soviet Georgia (in a very positive way) I felt like in the 60-ies.

Odo's Guesthouse

Breakfast at Odo's house in Tsinandali

Garden

Postcards from Lugano

31 January, 2020 | Tourism objects | 10 seen

We traveled to Lugano in Switzerland at the end of 2019. 

Visit to Lugano officially adds marks 18th country on my travel map I've visited (since 2013)

We arrived here from Italy's Lecco town using our rental car (Sicily car), a quick border check (without a real inspection) and we were inside Switzerland.

Lake Lugano

Lugano is a town and a municipality in southern Switzerland in the Italian-speaking canton of Ticino bordering Italy. It has a population of 63,185, and an urban agglomeration of over 145,000. The ninth-largest Swiss town, it is the largest in Ticino and largest with an Italian speaking majority outside of Italy.The town lies on Lake Lugano, surrounded by the mountains of the Lugano Prealps.

The eastern part of the municipality shares a border with Italy.

Boats and Yachts on Lugano lake

Lugano is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Switzerland. The town is home to a number of historic buildings and museums, whilst the surrounding area has many natural sights.

Both Lake Lugano and the surrounding mountains provide a wide variety of outdoor activities. The area surrounding Lugano is home to over 300 kilometres (190 mi) of mountain biking trails, the largest net of trails in Switzerland

Aparthotel Autosole Riga

30 January, 2020 | Hotel reviews | 14 seen

Located opposite a park in the historical centre of Riga on Hospitāļu street.

Aparthotel Autosole offers to its guests 10 comfortable apartments and studios.

We have been staying at this hotel several times, with the first stay being back in 2017 while the latest stay was at the end of 2019. In total, we paid USD 86 for a 2-night stay. That's one of the cheapest stays you can find in Riga.

There is one more Autosole Economy motel located in the other side of Riga, see Autosole Economy Motel in Riga

See my complete listing with Riga hotels I have stayed

Aparthotel Autosole in Riga

1.5 km from Arena Riga, Aparthotel Autosole offers fully-equipped studios and apartments with satellite TV, free Wi-Fi and free parking. The property is housed in a renovated 19th-century building.

Apartment at Autosole

There was a kitchenette in our quite spacious room. The baby crib was provided for free on request.

Guests can use self-check in service outside of the working hours of the reception.

2019 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2020

27 January, 2020 | Blogging | 19 seen

January is almost at the end and it's time to look back on the previous year of blogging (2019), and no doubts -  take a quick glimpse of 2020

In today's article, I will reveal data behind the blog scenes - both traffic and income for the whole year of 2019. But before we dig into the numbers, here is the brief background - blog now is more than six years old, and for the last six years it has gone a very long way,

Make sure to check out my previous yearly blogging reviews:

• 2018 - 2018 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2019 / $20,517.34
• 2017 - 2017 Blog Income & Traffic Review - Goals For 2018 / $24,920.47
• 2016 - Blog Traffic and Income Report 2016 - 635,048 Users / $18,586.41
• 2015 - Blog Traffic and Income Report for 2015 - 347,035 users / $9,819.71
• 2014 - Blog Income Report 2014  / $3,334.20

About blog traffic in 2019

• In total blog have reached 989,568 (almost a million) users in 2019
• On average it is 82,464 monthly users or
• 2,711 daily visitors

Blog traffic report 2019 (monthly view). Data source: Google Analytics

If compared to 2018, there is actually an 18.39% decrease in terms of traffic. Around June 2019 traffic coming from Google search dropped by some 30%. It has never recovered ever since. I hope to get back on the track in 2020

Top 10 most popular articles

In total, I have written 347 articles in 2019, on average 0.95 articles per day. After the blog's sixth birthday I decided to stop writing an article per day, which I was doing for six years in a row, missing only two days back in 2014. After October's anniversary, I decided to limit my writing to 6 articles per week.   And I plan to limit it down to 5 articles per week in 2020 or 2021.

Top 10 articles (according to Google Analytics) generated 29.17% from total page views on the blog. It's interesting to note that 4 out of 10 top articles were actually amp page versions taking 10.34% from total page views. Quite impressive stats.

In total there were 22 articles written in 2019 which got more than 1,000 page views. 

[view:referenced_items=block_2]

Only 2 out of 10 top articles were written in 2019. On the other hand that's the power of massive archive. 

About Blog Income 2019

Combined income streams from affiliate marketing and display ads in 2019 made  $19,988.47, which is a small decrease if compared to 2018

• $19,988.47 is around $1,665 per month or
• $54.76 per day

Combined RPM from all revenue channels stands at $14.47  in 2019. Which actually is a 2.9 dollar increase for every 1000 page views if compared to the previous year. Awesome. Despite the drop in traffic I still managed to earn more dollars per visitor. I almost reached my goal of getting over RPM $15

In 2019 I should figure how to get back at the $15 RPM levels at least. 

Now, that a good goal for 2020, speaking of what:

Goals / Forecasts for 2020

As usual, I will end the report with some thoughts about future plans and forecasts. But before that, let's see what I was forecasting a year ago:

As things are slowing down for the second year in a row -, I'm looking on a humble 10% increase both for traffic and income in 2019. I'm looking to reach 1,4 million users in 2019.  My financial goal is to reach - $22, 000 income. That's about pulling $1,833 each month. From today's perspective - hard but doable!

Well, both goals were missed. Hmm.. that leads me to set goals for 2020 even humbler -  I'm looking at a humble 5% increase both for traffic and income in 2020. I'm looking to reach 1,04 million users in 2020.  My financial goal is to reach - $20, 987 income. That's about pulling $1,748 each month. From today's perspective - hard but doable!

Ilia Lake

25 January, 2020 | Lakes | 33 seen

Ilia Lake is located near the town of Kvareli in the region of Kakheti, Georgia.

First discovered back in 2014, while staying at Royal Batoni hotel next to the lake. Since then I've headed here several times. It was at the start of 2020 when I learned that this lake actually is manmade. 

Ilias lake was formed in a valley of the Duruji Rivier a few years ago, financed from the then Presidential fund (Mikheil Saakashvili) 

Ilia’s Lake was named after Ilia Chavchavadze, a nobleman who is still considered one of the mightiest thinkers in the history of the country. He was a real polymath – a person of many jobs and aspirations.

Ilias lake in Georgia

There is a small amphitheater located on the lake

Unfortunately, the recreational area has been abandoned and hasn't got any serious repairs (at least in January 2020), the lake seems is losing water, in fact, the close by Duruji river is lacking any water (I wonder why, maybe because of the Hydro Power Plants)

Hotel Royal Batoni in the background

Former president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili opened the Ilia Lake on November 18, 2011. The lake is surrounded with 4-kilometer-long cycle-path. Training equipment, football and basketball grounds are arranged in the complex.

Abandoned recreational area around Ilia lake

In the background you can see the riverbend of Duriji river

Part of infrastructure has been out of order for several years already. In summer the guests from all municipalities of Kakheti region visit the resort.

The Ilia Lake is the only resort complex owned by the municipal administration which is available for everybody. 

Tremezzina near Como Lake, Italy

24 January, 2020 | Tourism objects | 18 seen

Tremezzina is located on the western banks of Lake Como, right in front of Bellagio, and is the result of a recent merger of the comunes of Lenno, Mezzegra, Ossuccio, and Tremezzo.

We discovered this picturesque Italian town during our about a week-long trip in Italy during the mid-November 2019. 

According to Lake Como Travel website a scene from Star Wars were shot here:

Visiting Tremezzina means having the chance to enjoy a place that is rich in atmosphere, history, and attractions. For example… did you know that some Star Wars’ scenes were shot here?

Tremezzina

Actually we didn't even visit the town of Tremezzina, instead, we made a stop to make a couple of pictures after departing from hotel Lenno and heading to Lugano in Switzerland.

Semarah Lielupe Hotel & SPA

23 January, 2020 | Hotel reviews | 19 seen

Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences by Semarah is located in a calm area of Jurmala, surrounded by forest and 400 m from the Baltic Sea. It features a spacious kids club with different games and toys.

We booked this hotel in mid-December 2019, for a two-night stay and paid in total $257 for two separate rooms (as my mom was traveling with us)

Elegant rooms at Lielupe Hotel SPA & Conferences feature a safety deposit box and a balcony. Private bathrooms come with a hairdryer and toiletries.

Room at Hotel Lielupe 

The room size could be bigger, but except that everything was good. We even got a free baby crib, which our baby girl is not even thinking to use anymore.

The view from the balcony was a pinewood, instead of the Baltic sea:

View from the balcony

One thing should be noted - this is a very kid-friendly hotel, the most kid-friendly I have actually stayed so far

kids playground near the dining area

Restaurant Lielupe provides its guests with an extensive international, Latvian and Russian cuisine. During summer guests can enjoy meals on the open terrace and there is a special kids menu as well.

Breakfast was included in our price. 

Spacious Wellness Centre offers different spa treatments, salt chamber, swimming pool and children pool. A hot tub is also featured. For active leisure a gym and a yoga and fitness hall is available.

Lockers at the SPA center

Should I add that the visit to the SPA is also included in the price?!

From the downsides, I should add that hotel offers secured private parking at a surcharge, a public street parking is available nearby for free. For private parking we paid about EUR 5 per day, to pay for the parking we had to go to the reception to get a token, not very convenient

There is a kids room for additional 6 EUR per hour located near the SPA center

Paid kids playroom

Conference and events centre offers a variety of conference halls and an auditorium. Events can be organised on the 9th floor hall with panoramic views.

Minimum Wages in Baltic States 2020

22 January, 2020 | Macroeconomics | 13 seen

It has been a great decade for all three Baltic states, and increasing minimum wages is just one good example of showing that.

From humble EUR 238 in 2010 to still modest EUR 607 (Lithuania). That's quite an impressive growth in "just" 10 years. 

For me observing minimum wages in the Baltic states has always been interesting, here you can find some of my previous articles on this topic:

• Minimum wages in Baltic states 2013
• Minimum Wages in the Baltic States 2015
• Minimum Wage Set to Rise in the Baltic States in 2018

Why do I care so much about minimum wages in the Baltic states? Simple, I've been building a dividend-paying stock portfolio and one of the mine goals is to reach a monthly dividend income level in the same level as a minimum wage.

Currently, I'm competing against Latvian minimum wage set at EUR 430 in 2020. The current best dividend income month has been June 2019, when I made EUR 267. In general, when planning next year's investments I must keep in mind the minimum wage increases. Tough. But that's what I'm loving being a dividend growth investor  - a healthy competition. See dividend income. As there is no planned minimum wage increase in Latvia for this year, it will be easier for me to get closer to that number.

Estonia (EUR 584)

Estonia's minimum wage has more than doubled from EUR 278 in 2010 to EUR 584 in 2020

There has been a long debate to increase the minimum wage to 40% of the nation's average wage. 

Representatives of the Estonian Trade Union Confederation (EAKL) and the Estonian Employers' Confederation (ETTK) accepted the public conciliator's proposal on Tuesday according to which the minimum monthly wage in Estonia will increase to €584 and the hourly minimum wage to €3.48 next year.

Unions, employers strike a deal, minimum wage to increase to €584

Latvia (EUR 430)

From EUR 256 in 2020 to EUR 430 in 2020. 

The minimum wages stays intact in Latvia, which last time was raised two years ago in 2018, hopefully, there is awaited a steeper increase in 2021

The minimum wage could be raised to €500 in 2021, but the differentiated non-taxable minimum could be raised in 2020, according to the Finance Ministry's report on fiscal space measures and expenditures for priority measures next year and in 2020-2022, which the Cabinet will review September 6.

Minimum monthly wage could be raised to €500 in 2021

Lithuania (EUR 607)

From EUR 238 in 2010 to EUR 607 in 2020. Just like in Estonia, the minimum wage in Lithuania has more than doubled.

In recent years Lithuania changed the way how minimum wage is calculated, which led to some great boost. 607 EUR is the new minimum wage in Lithuania starting 2020. Why such an odd number? Probably to be 3 EUR ahead of neighboring Poland? Who knows

• Lithuania’s monthly minimum wage is to increase by 9.4% to 607 euros (U.S. $685.18) for 2020, up from 555 euros (U.S. $626.48) for 2019, the country’s Ministry of Social Security and Labor said July 3 in a news release (Lithuanian).

Lithuania to Raise Monthly Minimum Wage by 9.4% for 2020

Guest House 'Rivendell' in Borjomi

18 January, 2020 | Hotel reviews | 11 seen

Rivendell, Eco-friendly hotel with wooden rooms and organic garden, is located in Borjomi.

After discovering that we spend more and more time at luxury hotels across Georgia, we decided to return to the roots and instead of fancy 5-star hotels to choose a home away felling by choosing stay at guest houses/ family-run hotels.

At guest house Rivendell we stayed for one night at the end of June 2019 for that we paid just $40. Free parking and breakfast included. 

For a luxury stay in Borjomi see: Top 10 Luxury Hotels in Borjomi

Room at Guesthouse Rivendell

Simple, nothing special, our room came with a balcony and bathroom. From the downsides staying at guesthouses I should note - lack of soundproof rooms. It was OK, during our stay, but we heard everything from the other side of the wall.

View from Balcony

It was a smoky day a lot of haze, couldn't see much. 

The living room at guest house Rivendell

As we were traveling with our yet to turn one-year-old baby girl, it was cool having extra space she could run around and play. There were some baby toys. Kid-friendly.

Dinner on site

For the evening we order at the guesthouse dinner for us, and got roasted and really tasty chicken and salads (according to the picture). Paid something 50-100 GEL for that. It was worth every tetri. 

Breakfast at Rivendell

The next morning, we were served a typical Georgian breakfast, some porridge, cheese, honey even mashed potatoes and khachapuri, Good.

Guest house Rivendell in Borjomi

Property features free WIFI and free parking. Guests can relax in the garden at the property. Shared spaces are featured with fireplace, library, vinyl recorder, comfy sofas, children corner and small wine bar.

A fresh breakfast is cooked with fresh local ingredients and served on site. Guest may harvest and enjoy fresh vegetables from hotel's organic garden. Georgian cuisine and homemade wine is offered at the property.

The property offers family rooms. Some rooms come with a balcony or a fireplace.

Bakuriani is 15 km from Rivendell. Kutaisi International Airport is 85 km away.

Mintos.com Review 2020 (36 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending)

16 January, 2020 | Peer to Peer Lending | 53 seen

I've been investing in the Mintos.com peer to peer lending marketplace since the beginning of 2017, or it has been already 36 months or three years since I've been exposing my funds to this Latvian fintech platform. 

In the past three years, I've made a nice revenue of EUR 1,477.86 (before tax) and in today's article, I decided to share a quick overview for the past three years and also make a quick glimpse for my plans for 2020

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending website, by clicking on links on this page and by making investment on mintos.com, I might earn affiliate income at no cost to you. Also, I'm not a financial advisor and I don't give you any advice, I'm just sharing my own experience. Investments in stocks, funds, bonds or cryptos are risk investments and you could lose some or all of your money. Do your due diligence before investing in any kind of asset. 

Background - I first heard about Mintos.com at the start of 2016, one thing that made it attractive to me was an option to lend in Georgia (the country I've been living since 2011). Being familiar with the overall Georgian economy and the fact that so-called fast credits are very popular among the Georgian population, just oblivious I did it find appealing to monetize on it somehow. And Mintos.com seemed like a plan. See: Invest in Georgia - Peer-to-Peer (P2P) lending - Mintos.com

Fast forward  - three years later, I still invest with Mintos.com, I find them great, but they are just not interesting for me anymore, as I have found much more attractive and more interesting ways to invest and even generate income, selling options (stock market). I believe Mintos.com is great for set and forget style investors looking to generate relatively stable income. 

At the start of 2020, mintos.com took the third-largest position (US stocks 57.4% and Baltic stocks 15.7% ) in my portfolio with 10.3% of my funds invested on Mintos.com marketplace. 

Investment portfolio structure at the start of 2020

2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020

During the past three years, the overall share of Mintos in my investment portfolio has decreased from 27.7% in December 2017 to 10.3 % in January 2020.

The reason is quite simple, during the years I have shifted my focus on the stock market, currently being focused on income generating form option trading.

A diversified portfolio helps. Never put all eggs in one basket, as they say. 

10.3% seems to be a kind of save level to be exposed in peer to peer lending

Despite being just third in size Mintos, has been among the second-best earner after US stocks in terms of dividend income (loan repayment) in 2019, in a passive income earning me EUR 575.35 or EUR 1.57 daily. Dividend income from the Baltic stocks earned me  €404.49 or EUR 1.10 daily. 

Learn more: Dividend Income

About interest earned on mintos.com

During the past three years, the maximum I've invested on the Mintos.com platform is €5,116.51 (June 2019) and has made a profit from interest payments  EUR 1,477.86. That would be to about 28% yield over the past three years. In 2017 - 7.94%; 2018 -14.82%; 2019 - 14.78%. This number is higher than average excepted around ~11-12% annual rate because I keep investing about a half of the amount in Georgian Lari loans (they come offer 16%-17% yield, but for a long time in 2018 were at 18%)

Monthly income from Mintos.com 2017-2019

Also, I should note that I constantly add and constantly remove funds on the Mintos.com platform, I only deposit GEL while I withdrew EUR. Now since the second half of 2019 seems GEL deposit has been removed from the platform and there are no plans to renew it (at least that what support has told me several times)

That is a red flag for me - as I don't plan deposit any other currencies than GEL (remember  - I joined only because I can deposit GEL) - my further participation with Mintos I can see as I will be there while funds will run out (I will withdraw). On the other hand, there is no rush for me and I will keep investing existing funds + converting existing GEL to EUR, to fund EUR loans (lately there is a shortage of GEL loans on the platform)

Unfortunately, because of I keep investing both in EUR and GEL currencies and because of currency exchange rates, the total value for my investment if converted back to EUR currency at the start of 2020 is a negative -7.34% value growth.  Be cautious when investing in international currencies.

Mintos.com contributes regularly to my dividend income with about EUR 40/mo, for 2020 I'm looking this will decrease to about EUR 30/mo, because of the withdrawals

Withdrawing money and paying taxes

In 2019 I have withdrawn money from Mintos.com peer to peer marketplace several times, to finance new purchases on NYSE  In most times money arrived at the bank account in one-two working days. 

Now, from money earned on the Mintos.com platform, I should pay taxes, luckily the platform offers simple tax guidance for the citizens of most countries.

Mintos Tax report

According to the Latvian Tax system, I have to pay 20% income tax. For me, that would mean to pay in tax ~ EUR 115.07 for 2019. I'm paying income tax once in a year when filling yearly tax income forms with Revenue service.  

As I'm not a tax advisor, I cannot comment much on here, for further questions and your situation please consult your tax advisor

About Auto Invest

Despite Auto Invest worked like a charm in the past, I have disabled it already in 2018 as I like doing all investments manually because I like to keep a hand on the pulse.  

Auto investing in Mintos.com platform

Auto Invest automatically implements your chosen investment strategy. After you have entered your investment criteria, Auto Invest will automatically invest in suitable loans. You can access Auto Invest at any time and follow your portfolio activity in real time to make sure it is working according to your investment goals. Auto Invest is a very efficient tool for saving time spent on investing activities. It also allows you to access newly placed loans in the system before manually-made investments.

You can pause or cancel Auto Invest at any time.

Once you have confirmed your investment criteria, Auto Invest will review loan listings and invest funds in loans that meet your preferences. Auto Invest will continue to automatically analyze and invest in suitable new loans as soon as they are listed. If you change any Auto Invest setting, all available loan listings will be rechecked to make sure they meet your investment criteria.  

Invest & Access

There have been some several new features introduced during 2019, most visible probably being Invest & Access feature, which I haven't tried out, but what might be appealing to new investors is a feature to withdraw funds anytime:

• 9.79 % average interest rate 
• Access your money anytime
• Best diversification to manage risk
• First to buy high demand loans

Invest & Access fully diversifies your investment across current loans from all applicable lending companies on the marketplace. Your exact portfolio mix automatically adjusts to the market. To give you the best diversification for additional protection and stable returns, Invest & Access rebalances your portfolio daily.

Invest & Access only invests in loans with a rating of A+ to C- and buyback guarantee. In addition, it only buys loans from lending companies that have been on the marketplace for at least 6 months.

Income Goal For Dividends and Option Trading Q1 2020 ($1,200/mo)

14 January, 2020 | Investments | 16 seen

I have a goal to make at least $1,200 per month for the next 3 months of the year in dividend income + selling options.

Every quarter I create a brief income plan/goal laying out plans for the next three months.

Last quarter (Q4 2019) I had a plan to take $1,000/mo from the financial markets, unfortunately, it didn't work as expected.

In total, I made slightly more than $3,000 during the last quarter, but not all months were even so, for example, October was the best income month so far with $3,294.29 taken from the market, then come November and I got hit hard, ended month with negative -$959.06, during the month of December I traded safe and made slightly less than thousand - $927.98.

The past quarter has been like a roller coaster with high ups and low downs.

For the Q1 2020, I have a $1,200/mo goal. It seems quite doable and also is a pretty serious amount of money. 

I have a plan to invest about 16K this year into the stock market, if I would manage to take constantly $1,200 a month, that would help me to generate $14,400 (almost enough to cover my investment plans for 2020)

2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020

Now, some three months ago I was quite optimistic and already looked that most probably I will set a goal to take at least $1.500/mo starting Q1 2020, most probably I could, but as the previous quarter didn't work like expected + I've changed the way I count income.

From now I count net income and not gross income (this is important in the case with options trading - you can easily open positions and take few hundreds to few thousands in gross income, while you might lose in the future (net income). $1,200 is just the right amount to go for the next quarter.

Here is the plan:

• dividend income (from p2p lending and stocks) ~ $250/mo
• options on cryptocurrencies ~ $150/mo
• puts and calls ~ $300/mo
• Iron Condors ~ $500/mo

Dividend income is quite predictable as I already have stocks and I know the value I can get out. Options on crypto currencies are harder, that's why I have lowered my expectations here - $150/mo is not hard, but I will leave it there. Puts and calls, options traders are very familiar with these terms and know those are bread and butter for income-seeking investors. Currently, my portfolio doesn't make me $300 from puts and calls only (I would be exposed to bad trades if I would go for it) but I have incorporated a wheel strategy that generates me about $150-$200/mo "risking" about $10,000 on these trades. Now the risk is minimal as its not real risk, its buying power - capital tied to trades. For wheel strategy, I use margin and buying power to trade T, ET, FXI

Iron Condors (not a fan of them) - I prefer verticals, either bear calls or bull puts. The riskiest part of my income-generating plan - as I trade cash-settled options on indexes (SPX) and Futures (GC). If in the last quarter I was trading 0DTE SPX then for Q1 2020 I'm looking to trade 45DTE-90DTE on GC. I have more time to adjust. Yes, this is what I have learned in the past months I should adjust better my positions. 

There has been a tremendous growth both in earnings and knowledge acquired since I originally announced my million dollar saving plan. My focus has shifted away from the simple set and forgot peer to peer lending to dividend growth investing and options trading.

If successfully reached, I have some plans for the next quarters of 2020 already, they sound like this -  $1,400 in Q2, $1,600 in Q3 and $1,800 in Q4. These numbers actually don't sound scary to me, I don't feel like I would be lying to myself when talking these numbers,. If counted all together -  the total planned income for 2020 would be around $18,000. Now that is some serious boost to the portfolio. I probably could reach that $100,000 goal by the end of 2021?!

Trade safe! 

Fabrika Tbilisi

11 January, 2020 | Tourism objects | 91 seen

Fabrika Tbilisi is a stylish hipster place located on Egnate Ninoshvili street 8 in a renovated Soviet Era factory building, 

Fabrika is the space for rebellious minds to create and share.

Once a Soviet sewing factory has been revived and transformed into a multi-functional urban space bringing together enthusiastic individuals ready to stretch their minds with new exhilarating experiences.

First discovered back in 2016, this place has been on our radar ever since - I wouldn't call myself as often guest here, but I find this place chill. 

Fabrika Tbilisi

Space now continues its life as the popular hotspot that unites urban style cafes and bars, artist studios and shops, educational institutions, co-working space, the biggest in the region hostel, mind blowing open space courtyard, ever-changing one-off events and creates synergy between them.

Ar the place is relatively close to our apartment, I have been using the coworking facilities run by the ImpactHub time after time, and I'm thinking to use it more often in the future

Graffiti at Fabrika Tbilisi

Inside the Volkswagen van there is a photo-booth. Pay 5 GEL and get cool photos (price as of 2020)

For like-minded individuals, both locals and travelers, Fabrika is an alternative hotspot for gathering in Tbilisi with a great vibe and prodigious space to create and share, co-work, learn, socialize or have a sleepover.

With its striking “old-meets-new” attitude, Fabrika oozes genuinely cool soviet vibes blended with funky industrial elements. It has become the symbol of renovation, recreation and reinvention.

Fabrika is the creative center of Tbilisi with the unique atmosphere you don’t want to miss

Top 10 Hotels in Bergamo (Italy)

10 January, 2020 | Hotel reviews | 23 seen

If there is a good reason to visit Bergamo in Italy's region of Lombardy, then exploring the old town, city walks and architecture are the top 3 reasons according to Booking.com

Another reason you might find yourself in Bergamo is if you are traveling to/from Bergamo airport and are looking for just a nice accommodation after/before your flight.

That's actually how we ended in one of Bergamo hotels near the airport (Grand Hotel Del Parco - Bergamo Airport) when traveling here by Ryanair flight.

You should expect to pay about $60-$100 per night for a decent hotel in Bergamo

Please note: Hotels listed in this article contains affiliate links to Booking.com, and if you will click on them and make an actual booking I will earn an affiliate income from that

Hotel Excelsior San Marco

One of our top picks in Bergamo.Offering a rooftop restaurant, Hotel Excelsior San Marco is set in Bergamo's central square, Piazza della Repubblica. It has free WiFi throughout and is a 2-minute walk from the main shopping area of Bergamo Bassa.

There is a free internet point in the lobby. You will enjoy working out at the gym.

All rooms here feature an LCD TV with Sky Vision Gold. They have a minibar and a private bathroom with a hairdryer and slippers. Air conditioning is also available in all units during summer.

Breakfast is buffet style, while Italian specialities can be enjoyed at the restaurant on the roof top, offering panoramic views across Bergamo.

The property features a large outdoor private parking and a garage, both coming at an extra charge and subject to availability. Far from noisy traffic, the Excelsior overlooks a beautiful public park. The cable car to Bergamo Alta, the city's historic centre, is also just 2 minutes' walk away.

Book this hotel on Booking.com

B&B Hotel Bergamo

B&B Hotel Bergamo is located in Bergamo, 650 m from the train station. Free WiFi access is available in all areas.

Each room here will provide you with a satellite flat-screen TV and air conditioning. Featuring a shower, the private bathroom also comes with a hairdryer.

Guests can rent a WiFi device at reception, offering WiFi connection throughout the city. Bike rental is also available.

Santa Maria Maggiore Cathedral is 2 km from B&B Hotel Bergamo. Orio Al Serio Airport is a 10-minute drive away. An airport shuttle is available on request, at fixed hours.

Book this hotel on Booking.com

Mercure Bergamo Centro Palazzo Dolci

Offering air-conditioned rooms with free Wi-Fi and an electric kettle, this 4-star hotel is 300 m from Bergamo Train Station. It has excellent transport links to Orio al Serio Airport, Milan and the lakes.

Mercure Bergamo Palazzo Dolci is an elegant historical building just 5 minutes' walk from Donizetti Theatre. It has good bus links to the airport and Bergamo Old Town. In the lobby, you will find a computer with free internet access and printer.

Decorated in light colours, rooms at Mercure Bergamo are modern and soundproofed. They offer a flat-screen TV and a minibar.

Breakfast has a wide selection of sweet and savoury food. These include fresh fruit, pastries, salami, eggs and gluten-free items. L'Accademia bar serves fine wines, appetizers and dinner on request, open during the evening.

Guests of Palazzo Dolci enjoy discounted rates at partner restaurants nearby.

The Gaetano Donizetti Theatre is 400 m from the property. The Bergamo Alta historical centre is a 10-minute drive away.

Price: ~ $91  Book this hotel on Booking.com

Hotel Città Dei Mille

As you come off the A4 motorway exit, Hotel Città dei Mille is the first hotel you will find when entering Bergamo. The trrain station is 900 m away, while Orio Al Serio Airport is a7-minute drive from the hotel.

Choose from single, double and twin rooms at Hotel Città dei Mille. Rooms are distributed over 7 floors and connected with a lift. In-room amenities include a minibar, satellite TV and Sky channels. Free internet is available in all the hotel.

Start your day with the hotel's generous sweet and savoury breakfast buffet that includes gluten-free and organic products. In the evenings, the on-site cafeteria serves quick, light meals and local wines.

Price: ~ $77 Book this hotel on Booking.com

Starhotels Cristallo Palace

Offering free WiFi throughout and a restaurant, Starhotels Cristallo Palace is a glass building set a 5-minute drive from Bergamo's Orio al Serio Airport, and a few minutes from Bergamo Alta, the historic upper city.

All rooms feature the brand's famous Starbed, large windows, and a TV with satellite channels. Some rooms offer panoramic views of Bergamo's historic centre.

The hotel's La Perosa restaurant serves excellent international cuisine and traditional local dishes. The Perry Bar by Eataly is also ideal for a relaxing drink.

The property also feature 7 meeting rooms, equipped with hi-tech facilities, which can host up to 450 people.

Price: ~ USD 75 Book this hotel on Booking.com

Hotel San Giorgio

Hotel San Giorgio is set in a historic building near Bergamo Train Station, 3 km from Orio al Serio Airport. All rooms offer free Wi-Fi, and parking is free.

Rooms are simply furnished and en suite. Each includes a satellite flat-screen TV, safe and fridge, as well as free toiletries and a hairdryer. Rooms come with either air conditioning or a cooling fan.

Breakfast is served on the rooftop terrace.

There is an on-site gym to work out and the hotel also offers free bicycle storage in its internal courtyard. The staff can provide travel info and maps of the city.

Price: ~USD 73 Book this hotel on Booking.com

NH Bergamo

Just 300 m from Bergamo Train Station, this NH hotel is also near the shuttle departures for Orio Al Serio Airport. Rooms feature free Wi-Fi.

All the stylish rooms of the NH Bergamo have blue and orange furnishings. Each room is air conditioned and features a spacious bathroom with a bath or shower.

A varied breakfast buffet is available every morning. NH Bergamo is a short walk from the shops and restaurants of the lower town and 10 minutes by cable-car from the upper town.

Price: ~ USD 92 Book this hotel on Booking.com

Le Funi Hotel

Le Funi Hotel is a charming hotel, set in a quiet area of Bergamo Alta. It is close to the historic centre of the medieval town.

The modern air-conditioned rooms come with free WiFi, a minibar and electric kettle. They also have a coffee machine and a 42" flat-screen TV with Sky channels.

Price: ~ USD 85 Book this hotel on Booking.com

Best Western Hotel Piemontese

Located in the city centre, Hotel Piemontese is just 50 m from Bergamo Train Station and right in front of the shuttle-bus stop to Orio Al Serio Airport and Papa Giovanni XXIII hospital. You can reach historic Bergamo Alta via the cable way, 1.5 km away

The Piemontese offers air-conditioned rooms with free WiFi and a flat-screen TV. Each room has a large, private bathroom. Some have a balcony.

The on-site restaurant offers both local and Mediterranean cuisine. A buffet breakfast is available daily.

Donizetti Theatre is only 200 m away. Orio Al Serio Airport is a 15-minute drive from the Piemontese.

Price: ~ USD 90 Book this hotel on Booking.com

Arli Hotel Business and Wellness

Hotel Arli is set in lower Bergamo, 4 km from Orio al Serio Airport, and features an excellent restaurant and a luxury wellness centre. Rooms are classically decorated or modern, all with air conditioning and satellite TV.

Arli Hotel Business and Wellness features a modern business floor with free Wi-Fi. The wellness and fitness centre is complete with sauna, Turkish bath, and hot tub.

All rooms include a modern bathroom and in-room free WiFi. Some rooms offer goose-feather duvets and pillow menu.

Enjoy a delicious mix of Italian, international, and vegetarian cuisine at the restaurant, open for both lunch and dinner. There is also a sophisticated wine bar, and drinks and snacks are available at the café, open all day.

Price: ~ USD 104 Book this hotel on Booking.com

December 2019 Dividend Income Report - $235.94

8 January, 2020 | Investments | 16 seen

Welcome to the thirty-second (#32) dividend income report, covering earnings I've made from dividend-paying stocks and peer to peer lending in December 2019.

Last December we spent some 10 days in Latvia, unfortunately, global warming has hit Latvia too and instead of snowy meadows and white fir trees, all we got was some gray haze and green grass.

Christmas tree 2019

Every citizen is allowed to cut one fir tree from Latvian State Forests (Latvijas Valsts meži), there are rules that apply, but here we got our Latvian tree (we have another live tree in Tbilisi)

The last December was quite OK in terms of dividend income. Also, I almost recovered from my bad option trades I was hit last November.

At the end of the month, I have collected $235.94 from dividend stocks and Mintos peer to peer lending platform.  Compared to the previous December in 2018, that is a growth of 47.11%% (+$75.64). I really love such YoY growth

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links to mintos.com peer to peer lending and deribit.com options trading websites, by clicking on links on this page and by making investment mintos.com or derbit.com, I might earn affiliate income at no cost to you. Also, I'm not a financial advisor and I don't give you any advice, I'm just sharing my own experience. Investments in stocks, funds, bonds or cryptos are risk investments and you could lose some or all of your money. Do your due diligence before investing in any kind of asset. 

An additional $527.90 was made from options trading (mostly vertical spreads on SPX, GC and a few puts and calls on stocks I own or would like to have). As options trading is not a passive form of making money while you are sleeping it wouldn't be fair to include them in dividend income reports. 

Last but not least, last October I traded options on cryptocurrencies using Deribit platform, which resulted in an additional $164.14

When counted all together (dividends + options + crypto options), it seems I have made $927.98 in total last month. That's slightly less than my plan for Q4 2019 (the plan was to make at least $1,000/mo from the market), but I will take as I was pretty cautious last December and did not overtrade.

Effective income yield last December was 2.75%  That's about 33% annually.  I believe I should stay in this range. From dividends + active trading taking 30% year seems very doable. Actually I took almost 29% yield in 2019, see: 2019 in Review and Financial Goals for 2020

Interest income in December 2019

From the stocks and peer to peer lending  I got following income last month:

Ticker

Earnings

PEI

€47.99

WPG

€45.70

Mintos

€42.91

NCN1T

€24.00

EDF

€13.71

EDI

€11.51

VTA

€9.28

RA

€9.10

CLM

€5.48

NCV

€3.80

ATRS

€1.76

Total: EUR €214.49 / $235.94

In total there were 11 great companies paying us dividends in December 2019, that's 1 company more than in December 2018. 

Mintos has slipped to third place in terms of interest income generated

Mintos.com Review After 24 Month of Investing in Peer to Peer Lending

Monthly income

I've been tracking my journey towards million dollars in a savings account since January 2017. The result, so far, looks quite good. Dividends are growing. 

Monthly dividend Income chart as of December 2019

The cumulative earnings for 2019 now are $2,591.22  which is exactly 126.71% from my goal of 2019 ($2,045). Awesome I have beaten my yearly goal by extra $546.22. Isn't that awesome? 

2018 in Review and Financial Goals for 2019

Goals for December 2020

This is my favorite part of the reports - trying to forecast/set goals for the next year. But before setting a goal for 2020, let's see what I forecasted/said a year ago (December 2018)

Now, when setting goal/forecast for December 2019 I have a $240 goal for December 2019.  From today's perspective looks very possible. 

Now, I didn't reach my goal by some mere 5 dollars, but I will take it. Sometimes it happens. As long as there is a growth YOY I'm a very happy hippo.

When setting goals/forecast for December 2020 I have a $310 goal in my mind. From today's perspective looks quite doable.