Wealth Goblin https://wealthgoblin.com Field guides and dispatches from one goblin's public dividend ledger. Cashflow over clout. en-GB Sat, 12 Sep 2026 09:11:51 GMT What a dividend actually is https://wealthgoblin.com/guides/what-a-dividend-actually-is https://wealthgoblin.com/guides/what-a-dividend-actually-is Sat, 12 Sep 2026 02:21:15 GMT guide A company makes money, keeps some to grow, and posts the rest to the people who own it. That's the whole idea. Everything else is detail, and the detail is where people get scared off. A company makes money, keeps some to grow, and posts the rest to the people who own it. That's the whole idea. Everything else is detail, and the detail is where people get scared off.

TL;DR Own a slice of something profitable. Get posted a slice of the profit, on a schedule, for as long as you own it. The goblin's whole plan is "more slices".

Imagine you and three mates buy a coffee cart. It costs £4,000, so you each put in £1,000 and own a quarter. At the end of the year, after wages, beans and the council's cut, the cart has made £2,000 profit.

You have a choice. Keep it all in the cart to buy a second grinder, or pay some out. You decide to keep £800 for the grinder and split the remaining £1,200 four ways. £300 lands in your account. That £300 is a dividend.

You didn't work a shift. You didn't sell your quarter. You still own it, and next year, if the cart does well again, there's another £300, or more, or less. That's the entire concept. A public company is the coffee cart with several million owners.

Notice what didn't happen. Nobody predicted a price. Nobody sold anything. The money came from the business making money. Hold onto that; it's the bit the internet forgets.

The three words you'll see

Yield
The dividend as a percentage of what you paid. £300 on £1,000 is a 30% yield, which is coffee-cart fantasy. Real, boring, reliable things pay more like 4 to 8%.
Ex-div date
The cut-off. Own it before this date and you get the next payment. Buy on or after, you wait for the one after that.
Pay date
When the cash actually lands. Usually a few weeks after ex-div. This is the date the goblin writes on the calendar.

What it looks like in real life

Here's one of mine, with the real numbers. Legal & General paid 15.74p per share in June 2026. I owned 126,000 shares. Fifteen-ish pence times 126,000 is £19,830, and that's what landed. It goes in the ledger the day it lands, not the day it's announced.

Real example — Legal & General, Jun 2026: 15.74p per share × 126,000 shares = £19,830.

You will not start there. I didn't. The first one was pocket money and I was thrilled. The number isn't the point at Level 0; understanding where it came from is.

]]> KYC Clipped the Wings https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#kyc-clipped-the-wings https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#kyc-clipped-the-wings Wed, 09 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Second RECI top-up in three days, and it did not go to plan. 3,170 shares at 117p, taking the pillar from 12,600 to 15,770 - a real buy, just not the ~16,700 pencilled in on Monday. Second RECI top-up in three days, and it did not go to plan. 3,170 shares at 117p, taking the pillar from 12,600 to 15,770 - a real buy, just not the ~16,700 pencilled in on Monday.

]]> The Machine Fed Itself https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-machine-fed-itself https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-machine-fed-itself Mon, 07 Sep 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch The buy is done. 4,250 shares of RECI at 117.5p, taking the pillar from 8,350 to 12,600. No drama, no timing games this time - just adding to the pile. The buy is done. 4,250 shares of RECI at 117.5p, taking the pillar from 8,350 to 12,600. No drama, no timing games this time - just adding to the pile.

]]> Close Enough Counts https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#close-enough-counts https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#close-enough-counts Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch The second buildout buy is done. 11,250 shares of NCYF at 52.5p, taking the pile from 11,800 to 23,050. The goal was 25,000 - a nice round number chosen because at the regular 1p quarterly payment, 25k shares means £250 a quarter, matching RECI's £250.50 and levelling the pair up properly. So yes, I fell a little short. The goblin brain noticed. The second buildout buy is done. 11,250 shares of NCYF at 52.5p, taking the pile from 11,800 to 23,050. The goal was 25,000 - a nice round number chosen because at the regular 1p quarterly payment, 25k shares means £250 a quarter, matching RECI's £250.50 and levelling the pair up properly. So yes, I fell a little short. The goblin brain noticed.

]]> Feeding the Fourth Pillar https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#feeding-the-fourth-pillar https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#feeding-the-fourth-pillar Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch The buildout push is officially underway. Today I bought 8,500 shares of NCYF at 52.4p, taking the pile from 3,300 to 11,800. The timing was the whole point - the ex-div for the 1.5p August payment is July 30, so every one of those shares qualifies for the big payment of the cycle. That's £177 heading my way in August instead of the £49.50 it would have been. The goblin brain is very satisfied with that trade. The buildout push is officially underway. Today I bought 8,500 shares of NCYF at 52.4p, taking the pile from 3,300 to 11,800. The timing was the whole point - the ex-div for the 1.5p August payment is July 30, so every one of those shares qualifies for the big payment of the cycle. That's £177 heading my way in August instead of the £49.50 it would have been. The goblin brain is very satisfied with that trade.

]]> The SMIF Hoard Hits 100k https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-hoard-hits-100k https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-hoard-hits-100k Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch It's done. SMIF is at 100k. But let me be honest about how it actually played out, because it wasn't the clean finish I'd pictured. For the month of June I managed to get the SMIF position to within 1,545 shares of the 100k target - so close, but for a perfectionist like me it was genuinely hard not to have the full round number sitting there. That's exactly why the July dividend lands just short of the £500 mark - £492.98 - because the June ex-div caught me at the slightly lower count. A small thing, but my goblin brain noticed it. It's done. SMIF is at 100k. But let me be honest about how it actually played out, because it wasn't the clean finish I'd pictured. For the month of June I managed to get the SMIF position to within 1,545 shares of the 100k target - so close, but for a perfectionist like me it was genuinely hard not to have the full round number sitting there. That's exactly why the July dividend lands just short of the £500 mark - £492.98 - because the June ex-div caught me at the slightly lower count. A small thing, but my goblin brain noticed it.

]]> Dream Dividend Day https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#dream-dividend-day https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#dream-dividend-day Fri, 05 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch I have dreamt of this day. And whilst it's always nice to see a big dividend like this land - £19,830 from LGEN - it's actually pretty anti-climactic. Because it already has a home. There's no decision to agonise over, no temptation to do something clever with it. It goes straight into SMIF, exactly as the plan said it would months ago. The dividend hit and it just works - that's the whole feeling, and it's a genuinely nice thing to watch happen. Sticking to the plan is the least dramatic and most satisfying thing in the world. I have dreamt of this day. And whilst it's always nice to see a big dividend like this land - £19,830 from LGEN - it's actually pretty anti-climactic. Because it already has a home. There's no decision to agonise over, no temptation to do something clever with it. It goes straight into SMIF, exactly as the plan said it would months ago. The dividend hit and it just works - that's the whole feeling, and it's a genuinely nice thing to watch happen. Sticking to the plan is the least dramatic and most satisfying thing in the world.

]]> Dispatches from Kathmandu https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#dispatches-from-kathmandu https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#dispatches-from-kathmandu Fri, 08 May 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Writing this from Kathmandu. The trip was a bit last minute - threw the bag together and got out. Spent some time hiking in the Himalayas, which has a way of putting everything else in perspective, and I'm now doing a bit of a fitness bootcamp whilst working remotely. The seasonal business has gone into its quiet months so the timing worked out. Writing this from Kathmandu. The trip was a bit last minute - threw the bag together and got out. Spent some time hiking in the Himalayas, which has a way of putting everything else in perspective, and I'm now doing a bit of a fitness bootcamp whilst working remotely. The seasonal business has gone into its quiet months so the timing worked out.

]]> The SMIF Bonus Is Confirmed https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#smif-bonus-confirmed https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#smif-bonus-confirmed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Quick one - email from SMIF just landed. The 0.75p dividend for May is confirmed (not the base 0.5p), so that's great to hear. Payment date is May 8th, not May 6th as I had down. Quick one - email from SMIF just landed. The 0.75p dividend for May is confirmed (not the base 0.5p), so that's great to hear. Payment date is May 8th, not May 6th as I had down.

]]> The Fourth Pillar Is Live https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-fourth-pillar-is-live https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-fourth-pillar-is-live Thu, 09 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch NCYF is officially on the board. The fourth and final pillar of the dividend machine is live. Bought 3,300 shares at 50.1p per share - it's a smaller buy than I'd have liked, but consistency matters more than size. The Iran situation has knocked my earnings a bit, and I had family visiting which meant spending money on actually enjoying life. What's the point of building all this if you never live? I make no excuses for the smaller buy. About £1,025 of new money went in this month. NCYF is officially on the board. The fourth and final pillar of the dividend machine is live. Bought 3,300 shares at 50.1p per share - it's a smaller buy than I'd have liked, but consistency matters more than size. The Iran situation has knocked my earnings a bit, and I had family visiting which meant spending money on actually enjoying life. What's the point of building all this if you never live? I make no excuses for the smaller buy. About £1,025 of new money went in this month.

]]> Easter in the Cave https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#easter-in-the-cave https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#easter-in-the-cave Sun, 05 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Happy Easter from the cave. Writing this on a bank holiday while the world continues to be... interesting. The Iran war is still rattling markets and creating this general atmosphere of not really knowing what's happening next. Temperamental, unstable, pick your adjective. But here's the thing - this is all short-term noise in the grand scheme of things. Could I try to pivot strategy and take advantage of the weakness in various positions? Sure. But that's not really what this is about. The plan is the plan. Happy Easter from the cave. Writing this on a bank holiday while the world continues to be... interesting. The Iran war is still rattling markets and creating this general atmosphere of not really knowing what's happening next. Temperamental, unstable, pick your adjective. But here's the thing - this is all short-term noise in the grand scheme of things. Could I try to pivot strategy and take advantage of the weakness in various positions? Sure. But that's not really what this is about. The plan is the plan.

]]> The Income Doesn't Care https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-income-doesnt-care https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-income-doesnt-care Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Quick correction first - I had the SMIF ex-dividend date wrong. It's April 7th, not whatever I had in my head before. Noted. Quick correction first - I had the SMIF ex-dividend date wrong. It's April 7th, not whatever I had in my head before. Noted.

]]> RECI Topped Up, Six Days Early https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#reci-topped-up-six-days-early https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#reci-topped-up-six-days-early Fri, 06 Mar 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Put in a buy order for another 4,350 shares of RECI this morning. If it goes through - and I don't anticipate any issues - that takes us to 8,350 shares ahead of the March 12th ex-dividend date. Six days early. Put in a buy order for another 4,350 shares of RECI this morning. If it goes through - and I don't anticipate any issues - that takes us to 8,350 shares ahead of the March 12th ex-dividend date. Six days early.

]]> Pillar Three Is on the Board https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#pillar-three-on-the-board https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#pillar-three-on-the-board Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch RECI is officially on the board. Pulled the trigger on the first 4,000 shares - I like round numbers. This is the third pillar of the dividend machine and it feels good to finally have skin in the game here. Quarterly payer at 3p per share, so that's £120 heading my way in April. The ex-dividend date is projected around March 12th, so if things go well I'd love to sneak in another 1,000 shares before then to bump that April payout to £150. 5,000 is a nice clean number. RECI is officially on the board. Pulled the trigger on the first 4,000 shares - I like round numbers. This is the third pillar of the dividend machine and it feels good to finally have skin in the game here. Quarterly payer at 3p per share, so that's £120 heading my way in April. The ex-dividend date is projected around March 12th, so if things go well I'd love to sneak in another 1,000 shares before then to bump that April payout to £150. 5,000 is a nice clean number.

]]> The Goblin Audits Himself https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-goblin-audits-himself https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-goblin-audits-himself Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Well... I've been doing a bit of an audit on myself and my businesses. Tax season after all. I ran every single bank statement through AI and found some interesting things. My accounting is now 90% cheaper than it was before and more accurate thanks to some Python script wizardry. This was actually a fun process - it helped me reflect on goals for the year ahead, where I can cut some stuff, where I can add some other stuff, and just how I live. Well... I've been doing a bit of an audit on myself and my businesses. Tax season after all. I ran every single bank statement through AI and found some interesting things. My accounting is now 90% cheaper than it was before and more accurate thanks to some Python script wizardry. This was actually a fun process - it helped me reflect on goals for the year ahead, where I can cut some stuff, where I can add some other stuff, and just how I live.

]]> Final New Money Into the Hoard https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#final-new-money-into-the-hoard https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#final-new-money-into-the-hoard Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch End of January buy done a little early. Deployed 4,546 shares into the SMIF Hoard - that's the final £4,000 of new money going in. Total now sits at 77,276 shares with 22,724 to go. Base dividend locked at £386.38/month. End of January buy done a little early. Deployed 4,546 shares into the SMIF Hoard - that's the final £4,000 of new money going in. Total now sits at 77,276 shares with 22,724 to go. Base dividend locked at £386.38/month.

]]> First Buy of 2026 https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#first-buy-of-2026 https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#first-buy-of-2026 Mon, 05 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT dispatch First buy of 2026 is in. Deployed 6,530 new shares into the SMIF Hoard at 87p per share - just over £5,300 of new money. Total holding now sits at 72,730 shares with 27,270 to go. First buy of 2026 is in. Deployed 6,530 new shares into the SMIF Hoard at 87p per share - just over £5,300 of new money. Total holding now sits at 72,730 shares with 27,270 to go.

]]> Christmas Eve Check-In https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#christmas-eve-check-in https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#christmas-eve-check-in Wed, 24 Dec 2025 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Christmas Eve check-in. December has been more challenging than expected on the business side - exchange rates have been brutal and that always stings. The SMIF dividend payout of £331 is due on January 5th, so the decision on how much goes into the pie will be made then. Projecting it'll still be £5,300 in new money, plus using the full £331 dividend to buy on top of that. Will post the actual numbers once the buy is complete around the 5th. Christmas Eve check-in. December has been more challenging than expected on the business side - exchange rates have been brutal and that always stings. The SMIF dividend payout of £331 is due on January 5th, so the decision on how much goes into the pie will be made then. Projecting it'll still be £5,300 in new money, plus using the full £331 dividend to buy on top of that. Will post the actual numbers once the buy is complete around the 5th.

]]> The Pile Grows https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-pile-grows https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#the-pile-grows Fri, 28 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Just deployed another 6,110 shares into the SMIF Hoard for approximately £5,300. Total holding now sits at 66,200 shares - well on the way to that 100k target. Business had a strong month, and if things keep going this way, expecting to drop a similar buy at the end of December. The pile grows. Just deployed another 6,110 shares into the SMIF Hoard for approximately £5,300. Total holding now sits at 66,200 shares - well on the way to that 100k target. Business had a strong month, and if things keep going this way, expecting to drop a similar buy at the end of December. The pile grows.

]]> Out of the Shadows https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#out-of-the-shadows https://wealthgoblin.com/updates#out-of-the-shadows Sun, 09 Nov 2025 00:00:00 GMT dispatch Wealth Goblin comes out of the shadows. I am apprehensive to share this as I keep most of my financials bottled up but hey I'm the Wealth Goblin and I'd like to share finally what I am doing. Here it is, laid out in black and white... well... the colors of the site. Expect updates here monthly based on what I have done with income at the end of each month but at the moment, full steam ahead for the SMIF Hoard train. Wealth Goblin comes out of the shadows. I am apprehensive to share this as I keep most of my financials bottled up but hey I'm the Wealth Goblin and I'd like to share finally what I am doing. Here it is, laid out in black and white... well... the colors of the site. Expect updates here monthly based on what I have done with income at the end of each month but at the moment, full steam ahead for the SMIF Hoard train.

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