September 2023 Dividend Portfolio Update

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Well, let’s get this dividend portfolio update out of the way. As you probably know, and maybe experienced, September was an awful month for investment holdings. Pretty much everything was down with the only exception maybe being oil and refinery stocks. On the bright side that means it was also a great time to buy and build up some positions.

There wasn’t much in terms of news in September. This put the focus squarely on the federal reserve and that’s never a good thing. There is no better market killer than that band of bumbling idiots. While they didn’t increase the funds rate this time around they opened their mouths which is usually just as bad. As expected, in the aftermath of the fed meeting and the J. Powell news conference, brought to you by Apple iPad, the markets tanked.

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Campground Review – Sunrise Ridge Campground

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In this edition of our campground review series we will be reviewing Sunrise Ridge Campground located in Hot Springs, SD.

Sunrise Ridge Campground is located off of highway 385 just outside of the historic town of Hot Springs. We booked a one month stay in the month of July 2023 and chose this location because we needed to be within driving distance of Rapid City. We prefer a quiet small town over being in a city. And quite honestly there’s not much to choose from that are decent and have a reasonable price in South Dakota.

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August 2023 Financial Update

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Welcome to our August 2023 financial update! In last months financial update we had just been upended from our camping spot in South Dakota. The quick exit had us moving southeast and settling in Nebraska before getting back on track with our regular schedule in Kansas.

Once we arrived in Kansas in early August life seemed to get back on track. It was nice to get back into our normal morning routine. It was also great to start taking more day trips to various locations. Kansas isn’t glamorous, but it has a lot of history to learn about. We also made the journey to Kansas City, MO to see the Federal Reserve Money Museum and then checked off another ballpark from our bucket list.

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August 2023 Dividend Portfolio Update

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Another month in the books and that means it’s time for another dividend portfolio update! After two solid months of gains our dividend portfolio took a small step back in August.

For most of the month it looked like the pullback would be sizable. However, after the fed summit in Wyoming and chairman nimrod’s speech the markets brushed off the worry and moved backup. While we didn’t recover all of the downside it was good to see the markets holding strong once again.

There were a couple of events that impacted our dividend portfolio in August. The biggest by far was J&J completing the spin off of Kenvue. The deal was very enticing with the opportunity to receive 8 shares of Kenvue in exchange for each share of J&J. That would have created a nice position for us in the new company. But in the end we decided to stick with our J&J shares as the company is just a machine. It is also our third largest holding and more importantly they are not adjusting the dividend after the transaction. We will probably look to add Kenvue into or portfolio down the line.

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Is The End Near?

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As athletes age there naturally comes a time when the conversation turns towards trying to determine how much one has left in the tank. Eventually, athletes begin to ponder life after their sport. This inevitably leads to public statements which then leads to questions being asked. It’s the common progression in sports that points to the fact that the end is near.

The old adage in sports is that if an athlete is talking about retirement then they have already retired. At least in a mental capacity.

The hardest part for the athlete is recognizing when the line has been reached so they can walk away gracefully. Everyone wants to find that most opportune time to bow out with their head held high. And no one wants to overstay their shelf life only to be mocked because of it. It can be a fine line to walk.

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Campground Review – Jim & Mary’s RV Park

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In this edition of our campground review series we will be reviewing Jim & Mary’s RV Park located in Wye, MT.

This was our first visit to Jim & Mary’s RV Park and it was a place we were super excited about. Many folks on social media RV groups had mentioned this RV park as one of their favorite places in Montana. So we had high hopes and booked a stay for most of June and early July 2023.

Jim & Mary’s RV Park is located off of interstate 90 just outside of Missoula at the exit for US 93. The location is super easy to find and all you really need to do is make sure you turn at the correct street as the signage could be a little confusing.

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July 2023 Financial Update

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This is not where we expected to be when we started writing our July 2023 financial update! We were sitting in a beautiful campground in South Dakota. The owners of the campground are amazing people. Not only do they maintain and manage the campground, but the rest of the property is a working family farm. We were on the list to purchase farm fresh eggs once a week and Mrs. RVF was taking rides with the owner out to the pasture to help feed and water the cows.

They were also gracious enough to share fresh vegetables from their garden with us and other campers at no cost. Each evening we would sit outside and watch the sunset. Some nights the campers would gather around the community fire pit and share stories. This and the surrounding scenery reminded us of why we chose to live this lifestyle.

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