Nick | The Yield Plan

Dividend growth investing | Building passive income through a systematic 6-category framework | Real portfolio. Real numbers. |

[Dividendology @dividendology]

The reality of life:

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

*This is not personalized investment advice. I manage my own portfolio using the Cascade system and
share what I'm doing. Not an RIA. Do your own research.*

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

Portfolio just crossed $964K. Here's the April income update for my dividend growth portfolio using the
Cascade system.

Numbers first: Grand total $964,152. Annual dividends: $80,306/yr.

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

This is how I'm building sustainable income. What's your take on YoC as a metric?

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

HOW THE SYSTEM DECIDES

Each category has a target %. Every contribution goes to whichever category has the largest gap vs. target.

No emotion, no market timing.

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

I don't just "buy dividend stocks."
I build allocations across 6 categories — each one serving a different job in the portfolio.

Here's how I think about each one.

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

Short-Term Income — the deployment zone.

Cash waiting for the next signal shouldn't sit idle. I park it in short-duration assets — money market funds, T-bills — until a buy signal fires.

Every dollar has a job. Even the ones waiting in line.

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

ETFs — the stability layer.

Broad exposure that cushions single-stock volatility. Keeps capital working when individual
opportunities are thin.

SCHD and DGRO are my core holdings. Low cost, consistent, boring in the best way.

(I own $SCHD, $DGRO)

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

Value Yield — quality names trading cheap.

Solid businesses with above-average yields that the market has temporarily mispriced.

I run an IV score on each one. If the gap between price and intrinsic value is wide enough, it earns a buy signal.

(I own CHRD)

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

Dividend Growth Compounders - the long game.

Lower current yield, but the raises compound hard. A 3% yield at 8%/yr growth doubles income in under 10 years.

I target 10+ consecutive raises and FCF that covers the dividend.

(ABBV: dividend up 270%+ over the last decade)

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

Pass-Through Entities — BDCs and MLPs.

These structures pass income directly to shareholders, avoiding the corporate tax layer. Built for distribution.

I only hold names where the yield looks earned, not borrowed. MAIN and EPD are my anchors
here.

(I own MAIN, EPD)

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

REITs — the income backbone.

Required to pay out 90%+ of earnings as dividends. I focus on balance sheet strength and FFO growth, not just current yield.

VICI and PLD are my two largest positions - reliable monthly cash, long-term leases behind them.

(I own VICI, PLD)

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

Most dividend investors track yield. I track the " gap between price and intrinsic value.

VICI trades at $28. My IV estimate: $43.86.

That's +54% upside - before the 5.6% yield even enters the picture.

That gap is the real margin of safety.
(I own VICI)

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

What's your biggest challenge with dividend investing right now?

Finding the right stocks, knowing when to buy, or staying patient while it compounds?

Drop it below — genuinely curious where people get stuck.

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

After 5 months off the grid, I'm back.

Not because things went wrong — because I was heads-down rebuilding the system from the ground up.

Here's where things stand, and what's coming. 🧵

[Nick | The Yield Plan @TheYieldPlan]

What's coming here:

• Monthly signal reports — what the system is flagging, what I'm buying
• Weekly portfolio updates — real numbers, real moves
• A subscriber tier for the full breakdown

Building this in public. No hype. Just the system doing its job.