2025 Portfolio Review and Why I Don't Limit The Number Of Stocks Owned

2025 is in the books with only 2 and a half trading days left. 

2025 is the year I initiated my dividend portfolio and embarked on this hopefully decades-long journey with dividend investing. My portfolio was steady and already printed cash like it was supposed to.

In 2025 my Net Assets increased by 45%, of which around two thirds can be attributed to personal savings and one third can be attributed to investment returns (capital gains + dividends).

Here is a breakdown of the number of dividends I can expect to receive by month next year:

  • Jan: None
  • Feb (3): Kimly, SGX, Suntec
  • Mar (6): Keppel DC REIT, AIMS APAC REIT, PLife, CICT, MIT, MLT
  • Apr (1): DBS
  • May (7): DBS, OCBC, UOB, CLI, CDG, SGX, Suntec
  • Jun (3): AIMS APAC REIT, MIT, MLT
  • Jul (1): Kimly
  • Aug (6): DBS, OCBC, UOB, CICT, CDG, Suntec
  • Sep (5): Keppel DC REIT, AIMS APAC REIT, MIT, MLT, PLife
  • Oct (1): SGX
  • Nov (3): DBS, SGX, Suntec,
  • Dec (3): AIMS APAC REIT, MIT, MLT
I currently hold 15 individual counters, giving me a total of 39 dividend paydays to look forward to next year. The number of paydays will increase as I expand my portfolio to include new counters when I see an opportunity. 

Engineering My Endless Paycheck

Conventional wisdom says: "Keep it simple. Pick 5 to 10 high-conviction stocks or ETFs. Don't diworsify."

If we only own a few stocks and ETFs, our dividend calendar becomes very lumpy. The SNP500 ETFs do give diversification across 500 counters, but they still only pay you 4 times a year. A mountain of cash may come in May and August for example, while our dividend tap runs dry in other months. 

I aim to own a wide array of counters in banks, various REITs, utilities, conglomerates.  Each stock represents a block of cash flow in certain months. The idea is to stack these blocks until the income stream isn't a jagged spike, but a flat, reliable line. This makes the portfolio a powerful cash flow machine. It can pay much more consistently than any salary. It matches the rhythm of real-life expenses and lets us be prepared to capture value in any kind of downturn.

Business Takes Care Of Itself

If you notice one thing about my portfolio, it's how recognizable and well-known my stock counters are. They are all household brands and large public companies under constant scrutiny by analysts and like-minded investors.

Our due diligence becomes rather straightforward as many others have published analysis that we can read and verify. When I add stocks to my portfolio, I simply have to take care of my entry price. Then we can let the CEOs and businesses run themselves 24/7 to deliver dividends straight to my account. 

Life does not become more complicated whether I have 15 or 150 counters in my portfolio. Rather, the redundancy creates such a steady stream of cash flow with such a diversified portfolio. Any poor earnings and dividend cuts in a few counters would not cause me any pain. 

Conclusion

My playbook for 2026 remains the same, constantly feeding my dividend portfolio with new capital and reinvesting dividends each month. 

While it sounds so simple, the Singapore market has been running hot with prices and valuations breaching new highs. This can make it psychologically difficult to buy stocks and hold on to them. 2026 can prove to be more challenging to navigate with higher valuations and potential for market downturns like we saw in April 2025. 

Disclaimer: This article represents my personal views and portfolio actions. It is not financial advice. Please do your own due diligence before investing. 

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