Maximize your income, manage mortgages, and grow dividends amidst inflation. Smart investing tips in

Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd (TSX:AEM) , +10.0% dividend increase Agnico Eagle Mines Ltd has declared quarterly dividend of C$0.11 (+10.00% increase). It goes ex-dividend on Nov-30-2017 and is payable on Dec-15-2017. Annualized dividend is C$0.44 at a yield of 0.82%. Waste Connections (TSX:WCN) , +16.67% dividend increase Waste Connections has declared quarterly dividend of C$0.14 (+16.67% increase). It goes ex-dividend on Nov-07-2017 and is payable on Nov-22-2017. Annualized dividend is C$0.56 at a yield of 0.65%. Restaurant Brands International (TSX:QSR) , +5.0% dividend increase TSX:QSR has declared quarterly dividend of C$0.21 (+5.00% increase). It goes ex-dividend on Dec-14-2017 and is payable on Jan-03-2018. Annualized dividend is C$0.84 at a yield of 1.09%. US dividend increases (Oct 23 - Oct 27)

One way to identify dividend growth stocks is to look for dividend increases. Companies that pay rising dividends are likely to be financially healthy and generate consistent cash flow. Here is a list of 17 companies that increased dividends last week and have been increasing their dividends for 5+ years.

One way to identify dividend growth stocks is to look for dividend increases. Companies that pay rising dividends are likely to be financially healthy and generate consistent cash flow. Here is a list of 8 companies that increased dividends last week.

One way to identify dividend growth stocks is to look for dividend increases. Companies that pay rising dividends are likely to be financially healthy and generate consistent cash flow. Here is a list of 8 companies that increased dividends last week.

Starting July 2017 we have been tracking our fixed yearly expenses. We would like our dividends / passive income to cover these expenses in totality. In a way it tracks our progress to FIRE. As of today 2.27% of our annual expenses are covered through dividends (using TTM yield). It excludes variable expenses like groceries, gas etc. We ran into some additional expenses related to our home. We ended up adding a new expense category for home maintenance and made it a permanent fixture in our expense report. Additionally, it seems like fire department (FD) tax is included in our escrow amount. That lead to a marginal reduction in our expenses. One of the recurring expenses is Mrs.DG's car loan (at 1.9%). We have it till January 2019. I seriously contemplated paying of this loan earlier to free up cash flow, it made no sense as the gains are marginal. It made better sense to invest in stock market or make additional mortgage payments. How is your progress towards FIRE?

As everyone knows interest rates (checking account, savings account, online savings account etc) are low. They have risen a bit, but are no where near the historical highs (or enough to overcome inflation). I am constantly in situations where I want to park my extra cash in liquid high yielding investments. One approach is to invest in quality dividend growth stocks. Stocks are risky (even quality ones) and not very liquid. This post is not about savings account or CDs. It is about investing in other fixed investment strategies. As someone who has been investing with Vanguard for almost 6 years, I wanted to point out some excellent vanguard choices for fixed income investing.