First, the good stuff. Here's my 32-stock portfolio ... +++Consumer Discretionary (4): DIS, HD, MCD, SBUX +++Consumer Staples (7): CVS, GIS, KO, MO, PEP, PG, PM +++Energy (3): CVX, KMI, XOM +++Health (4): ABBV, AMGN, GILD, JNJ +++Industrial (3): HON, LMT, MMM +++REITs (1): O. +++Technology (4): AAPL, MA, MSFT, V +++Telecom (2): BCE, T +++Utilities (4): D, NEE, SO, WEC +++ALSO: small stakes in 28 additional companies held in the Dividend Growth 50 portfolio (http://seekingalpha.com/article/2764265-its-new-its-nifty-its-the-dividend-growth-50): ADP, AFL, BAX, BDX, CAT, CL, CLX, COP, DE, EMR, GE, GPC, HCP, HSY, IBM, KHC, KMB, MKC, OHI, QCOM, SHPG, SJM, TGT, UTX, VZ, WBA, WFC, WMT.  +++++++++++++++ In January 2018, I started building a real-money DGI portfolio -- the Income Builder Portfolio -- at Daily Trade Alert: http://dailytradealert.com/income-builder-portfolio/ +++++++++++++++  Now, a little about me:I am a 50-something former sportswriter who was sent on a permanent vacation during the Great Recession. That sucked, but my story is not a sad one. Unlike many folks who lost their jobs, I am not in financial distress, I am not depressed and I am not bored. <My wife is a pediatric nurse with a bullet-proof job and decent benefits. So after supporting her and our two kids (now grown) for most of three decades, the least she can do is support my semi-retired keister! < Because of Roberta's job situation, because we have zero debt (not even mortgage debt), because we no longer have any dependents and because we have been pretty diligent savers over the years, we are comfortable (though nowhere near rich). < Although we hold some funds, bonds and cash, my investing philosophy leans heavily toward Dividend Growth Investing. In a few years, we want to live entirely off of our income stream, Social Security and pension payments - and therefore will not have to spend down the principal if we don't want to. To accomplish this, we invest mostly in blue-chip companies with long track records of growing dividends. We are well ahead of pace to reach our goal. < When not researching investments and writing for Seeking Alpha, DTA and other Web sites, I am the assistant women's basketball coach at Charlotte's Ardrey Kell High School, one of the best schools (and basketball programs) in the state. Prior to that, I spent a 4-year stint as the middle school head coach at Metrolina Regional Scholars Academy, where we won conference titles my last two seasons as part of our 34-4 record. I also umpire youth baseball and referee youth basketball. < My wife and I keep up on the doings of our now-grown kids, Katie and Ben, both of whom got married in  the spring of 2018, and we dote on our 8-year-old pup, Simmie, and. We also love to cheer on the basketball team of our alma mater, Marquette University, as well as the Carolina Panthers. < I still occasionally post to The Baldest Truth, the blog I initiated in 2007 -- lots of sports stuff, some politics, some personal junk -- at www.TheBaldestTruth.com.