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Wed. Aug. 25, 2010

When To Sell A Dividend Stock *

As a long-term buy-and-hold investor, most of my evaluation efforts are aimed at determining when to buy a stock. Sometimes it is necessary to sell a stock and we need to be equally adept at identifying those times. I have stated on numerous occasions that I have one hard and fast sell rule for my individual dividend stocks: When an individual stock held as a dividend investment lowers its dividend, immediately sell it. However, there are other times it makes sense to sell. Consider these:
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Wed. Jun. 16, 2010

What Determines A Dividend Stock’s Yield *

If income investing were as simple as picking the stock with the highest yield, everyone would be an expert. Most assume (rightfully so) that yield is heavily influenced by risk, but much more goes into determining yield. Below are several important factors that influence a stock’s yield, along with some illustrative examples:
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Wed. Jun. 9, 2010

Managing Risk With Dividend Stocks *

When you purchase individual stocks, risk is inherit. Sometimes bad things sometimes happen to good stocks such as the Chicago Tylenol murders of 1982. This shook Johnson & Johnson’s (JNJ) , but eventually it prevailed. Sometimes it is difficult when a strong leader leaves a company and creates a void that just can’t be filled. Consider the performance of General Electric’s (GE)  after Jack Welch retired and Microsoft’s (MSFT) after bill Gates began relinquishing his responsibilities. So how do you guard against these situations and disasters similar to what BP (BP) and their shareholders are currently facing?
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Wed. Feb. 17, 2010

38 Dividend Securities For A Well-Rounded Asset Allocation *

I am a firm believer that asset allocation plays a significant part in a portfolio’s long-term results. Recently, I received a question asking if you could have a diversified portfolio of dividend stocks. It is an interesting question that deserves further examination.


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Sat. Jan. 16, 2010

Pocket Change Portfolio – December 2009 *

Each month I update the Pocket Change Portfolio (PCP). The table below reconciles the PCP from beginning of period to end of period for December 2009, Year-To-Date (2009) and Life-To-Date. The Portfolio Returns line provides the calculated return for the three displayed periods.

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Wed. Oct. 14, 2009

Dividend Payout vs. Free Cash Flow Payout *

I am a firm believer in keeping things simple. However, you can simplify things to the point they no longer have value. In my opinion, a lot of the commonly used financial metrics can be very misleading unless you understand what is behind them. I would put EBIT, EBITDA and Dividend Payout in this category. As an investor in dividend stocks, I see Dividend Payout used a lot, so let’s take a closer look at it.


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Wed. Aug. 5, 2009

Five Dividend Stocks With Different Reasons Not To Buy *

Sometimes good companies aren’t good buys, and this is not always a bad thing. Often it is a result of the market over reacting in a positive direction. The stocks simply become overvalued, but their underlying fundamentals remain excellent. Below are a couple of companies that fall into this group:


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Wed. May. 20, 2009

Ten Dividend Stocks Beating The S&P 500 *

So far in 2009, the Dividend Aristocrats have under-performed the S&P 500. However there are several dividend stocks that have done quite well and beat the S&P 500 index, and some of those companies just might surprise you!


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Wed. Apr. 15, 2009

International Income Investing *

Any investor that understands the merits of asset allocation also understands the importance of including an international allocation in their portfolio. The concept is that in “normal” times there is always a market somewhere in the world rallying. To meet my set international allocation, I have focused on the following four areas of my overall portfolio:
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Wed. Feb. 11, 2009

The Best Dividend Stocks In The World *

I couldn’t begin to estimate how many different stocks are traded around the world on the various exchanges. Like everything else, there are many participants, but few players. Though the population of stocks may be large, there are only a precious few that are worthy dividend stocks. When spending my time looking for worthy investments, there are four primary places I look:
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