15 Dividend Stocks Sending More Cash To Shareholders

Any income investor will tell you that it is important for a company to sustain its dividend. However, as an investor in dividend growth stocks, it is not enough to simply sustain the dividend – I want to own companies that are capable of sustained dividend growth. Needless to say, this is a little more difficult to accomplish, but well-worth the time to find companies that can deliver on this expectation.

Are You Patient Enough To Be Wealthy? These 12 Dividend Stocks Will Help You Wait

For most people fortunate enough to be born in the U.S., or any other industrialized country, they have access to the two main ingredients to achieve financial success: 1. Opportunity and 2. Time. Unfortunately, very few people are able to take advantage of the situation enough to even build a secure retirement. Here are some of the reasons people fail, and what you can do to not fall into that group...

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net April 18, 2011.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. (WMT). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the largest retailer in North America and operates a chain of discount department stores, wholesale clubs, and combination discount stores and supermarkets.

Weekly Links: April 24, 2011

Each Sunday I highlight the Carnivals I participated in over the past week, along with any notable articles that I came across. For those readers not familiar with carnivals, it's where personal finance bloggers submit their best articles of the week with one blog serving as the host. The entries are separated into various categories such as Investing, Credit, Debt, Budgeting, Frugality, Wealth Building, Money Management, Financial Planning, Insurance, Taxes, The Economy, Real Estate, et. al. Below are the carnivals that I participated in this week, along with a link to my article:

2011-Q1 Performance Review

After each quarter-end I review my asset allocation and year-to-date total returns by category. The attached PDF contains my actual asset allocation as of 2011-Q4. Below is a high-level summary of the information contained in the PDF:

10 Dividend Stocks Paying More Cash

Payback is the amount of time needed for an investment to earn its cost, undiscounted. Though not very sophisticated, payback can still help you screen for good, solid dividend growth stocks. Once you earn back your investment, some might say you are in a no-lose situation. I wouldn’t go quite that far, but you have found an investment that has provided you a good historical revenue stream, and hopefully it will continue to do so in the future.

10 Dividend Stocks For Healthy and Wealthy Retirement

Americans are worried that they might not have enough money for retirement. Women who outlive their husbands are at special risk, with 40 percent of widows living almost exclusively on Social Security. There are a lot of worried retirees out there.

According to WebMD excessive worrying can lead to suppression of the immune system, digestive disorders, muscle tension, short-term memory loss, premature coronary artery disease and heart attack. This isn't the way to spend our golden years. Here are some things we can do about it today for a healthy and wealthy retirement tomorrow...

ConocoPhillips (COP) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net April 11, 2011.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of ConocoPhillips (COP). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: ConocoPhillips Co. was formed in 2002 when Phillips Petroleum and Conoco merged and is now is the fourth largest integrated oil company in the world

Weekly Links: April 17, 2011

Each Sunday I highlight the Carnivals I participated in over the past week, along with any notable articles that I came across. For those readers not familiar with carnivals, it's where personal finance bloggers submit their best articles of the week with one blog serving as the host. The entries are separated into various categories such as Investing, Credit, Debt, Budgeting, Frugality, Wealth Building, Money Management, Financial Planning, Insurance, Taxes, The Economy, Real Estate, et. al. Below are the carnivals that I participated in this week, along with a link to my article:

March 2011 Pocket Change Portfolio Performance Update

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.

8 Dividend Stocks For The Ultimate In Deferred Gratification

Deferred gratification is a principle where one or more people choose to postpone near-term benefits in order to enhance their chances of greater benefits in the future. In our microwave society marked by the ‘I want it now’ attitude, it is unusual to find someone willing to wait. However, deferred gratification is essential for anyone wanting to build wealth and is a key ingredient in a successful dividend investing strategy.

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...

How to Find The Best Dividend Stocks

Dividend Growth Investing has been an approach used by many investors interested in building a growing income over time. This strategy is not difficult, but it can be time consuming if you try to track all the Dividend Aristocrats, Dividend Achievers, Dividend Champions and other stocks with a long history of increasing their dividends. So what's an investor to do?

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net April 4, 2011.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Genuine Parts Company (GPC). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Genuine Parts Co is a leading wholesale distributor of automotive replacement parts, industrial parts and supplies, and office products.

Weekly Links: April 10, 2011

Each Sunday I highlight the Carnivals I participated in over the past week, along with any notable articles that I came across. For those readers not familiar with carnivals, it's where personal finance bloggers submit their best articles of the week with one blog serving as the host. The entries are separated into various categories such as Investing, Credit, Debt, Budgeting, Frugality, Wealth Building, Money Management, Financial Planning, Insurance, Taxes, The Economy, Real Estate, et. al. Below are the carnivals that I participated in this week, along with a link to my article:

Dividend Income Progress Update - March 2011

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in March, extending the streak to 9 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 38 of the last 40 months.

My goals were defined in this December 1, 2007 Investing Goals post and updated in my 2011 Investing Goals post. Below is an updated version of the table found in the original post.

* 6 Dividend Stocks Building Shareholder Returns

Numerous research projects have shown, a conservative dividend growth based investment strategy has consistently outperformed the market over time. My goal as a dividend growth investor is to build a steadily increasing income and not necessarily to outperform the market via capital gains. But given the choice, I certainty don't mind having both.

* 10 Dividend Stocks With With A 10%+ Dividend Growth Rate

The difference between an income investor and a dividend growth investor is time and the understanding of how compound growth works. If you are 67 years old and need income today, you will likely select a different group of stocks than an enlightened 27 year old that doesn't necessarily need the income today. The 27 year old has the the luxury of time to grow a superior yield, while the 67 year old may be forced to assume additional risk to buy a higher current yield. Here are some of the reasons an investor might forgo current yield in hopes of future gain...

* Microsoft Corporation (MSFT) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net March 28, 2011.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Microsoft Corporation (MSFT). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Microsoft is the world's largest software company, develops PC software, including the Windows operating system and the Office application suite.

* Weekly Links: April 3, 2011

Each Sunday I highlight the Carnivals I participated in over the past week, along with any notable articles that I came across. For those readers not familiar with carnivals, it's where personal finance bloggers submit their best articles of the week with one blog serving as the host. The entries are separated into various categories such as Investing, Credit, Debt, Budgeting, Frugality, Wealth Building, Money Management, Financial Planning, Insurance, Taxes, The Economy, Real Estate, et. al. Below are the carnivals that I participated in this week, along with a link to my article:

* 1 Company Announced A Higher Dividend, 7 To Pay Higher Dividends in April

A stock with a high yield doesn’t mean much if the dividend is cut or eliminated, and the stock price declines significantly. Sometimes it is desirable to accept higher risk for a higher yield. Other times we may be accepting higher risk and are not being adequately compensated for the additional risk. One measure of dividend sustainability is the ability of management to consistently raise their dividends each year.