Many of the stocks that I own and write Covered Calls upon also pay dividends.  Dividends happen on a regular basis and add significantly to my annual investment income.  Year to date I have received a total of $863.53 in dividends in my various accounts for 2010.

I have recently received notice of the following dividends paid in various IRA accounts for a total of $33.00:

I use my basis per share, excluding dividends, to determine the simple and annualized percentage return because I feel that it gives me a better representation of the value of the dividends as they relate to my portfolio.  My basis may be above or below the market price which causes my return to be lower or higher than published yields for a stock.