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Wed. Apr. 13, 2011

15 Dividend Stocks With A 15% Yield In 15 Years *

I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.
- Wayne Gretzky

I know very little about hockey, but I have always loved this quote. It can be applied to so many things in life, including investing. Just as Gretzky has a vision as to where the puck is going, investors need to have a similar vision, and not get caught up on short-sighted distractions. Investing in dividend growth stocks requires a long-term vision. It is easy to run a screen and find stocks that are paying a 15% yield today; but how long will they be able to sustain it? Instead  you may want to skate to where the future 15% yielders are going to be. To do that, here are some things you need to know…

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Wed. Mar. 23, 2011

Don’t Touch These 5 Dividend Stocks! *

Has someone near and dear to you responded with a ‘I was only trying to help’ after royally messing something up? Have you ever tinkered with a computer, smart phone or something else only to learn it no longer works and you are not sure how to fix it? Our dividend stock investments can suffer the same fate if we provide them with too much of the wrong type of attention. Here are some things to remember to keep your income investments on the straight and narrow…
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Wed. Mar. 9, 2011

List of 195 Dividend Stocks Every Income Investor Should Know About *

In 2009, I introduced the Stock Ideas list and it has proven to be immensely popular. The list consists of Dividend Aristocrats, US Broad Dividend Achievers and U.S. Dividend Champions. Duplications in the above lists are eliminated and stocks are crossed out when I learn that they have either cut their dividend or fail to raise it. Here is some information on each of the constituent lists and some highlights on this year’s changes:


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Fri. Dec. 31, 2010

10 Stocks Expected to Grow Their Dividends in 2011 *

In this space we normally look at companies that have recently raised their dividends. However, as the year draws to a close there were very few companies of note increasing their dividends this week. With that, I thought it would be interesting to see who were the big dividend raisers in 2010 and what we might see in 2011. Here are ten companies for your consideration:


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Wed. Dec. 29, 2010

Dividend Stocks vs. a Safe Distribution Rate *

One of the most interesting questions that often comes up is “How much can you safely withdraw each year from your retirement portfolio?” In 1995, Peter Lynch wrote that a 7% annual withdrawal rate would be prudent for an all-stock portfolio. He later retracted his analysis when financial columnist Scott Burns proved that a 7% withdrawal rate could put you back into the work force just to make ends meet.


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Mon. Dec. 20, 2010

McDonald’s Corporation (MCD) Dividend Stock Analysis *

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net December 13, 2010.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of McDonald’s Corporation (MCD). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: McDonald’s Corporation is the largest fast-food restaurant company in the world, with about 32,500 restaurants in 117 countries.

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Wed. Dec. 15, 2010

The 2011 Dividend Aristocrats *

The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats is the most prestigious list of dividend stocks. The Dividend Aristocrats index is designed to measure the performance of S&P 500 constituents that have followed a policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 25 consecutive years. This index is a member of the S&P Dividend Aristocrats index series.

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Wed. Nov. 24, 2010

6 Dividend Stocks That Will Make You Smile *

At the end of each month I do an evaluation to determine which dividend stocks I will purchase in the following month. There is always a warm feeling of joy that comes over me when when I buy one of my “favorite” dividend growth stocks. These are stocks that have earned a special place in my heart as a result of performing well over the decades and they are generally considered among the best managed companies in the world. Here are the six stocks that make me smile when it is time to buy…


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Wed. Nov. 17, 2010

Dividend Stocks vs. Dividend ETFs *

In 1993, State Street Global Advisors launched the first exchange-traded fund (ETF). Now there are literally hundreds of ETFs out there covering sectors, countries, popular indexes and various strategies, including income investing. A frequent question that I get is ‘Why do you invest in individual dividend stocks instead of income-based ETFs?’ On the surface this seems like a reasonable question since most ETFs are indexed, tax efficient, easily traded, passive and have low expense ratios. However, as we look beyond the ETFs luster, there are several significant reasons why many dividend investors prefer owning individual stocks…
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Sat. Oct. 16, 2010

Pocket Change Portfolio – September 2010 *

The Pocket Change Portfolio (PCP) was first introduced on September 13, 2008 as a real money dividend income portfolio funded by the “pocket change” earned from my various online endeavors. Each month I report on the portfolio’s progress and update its holdings.

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