How Much Money Will You Need To Retire?

How much money will you need before retiring? This obviously is very important question, but also a very difficult question to answer. There are many factors and assumptions that go into estimating the income that will be needed in retirement. With so many estimates and assumptions, there is a high probability the estimated number will be incorrect.

McDonald's Corporation (MCD) Dividend Stock Analysis

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 35,000 restaurants in 119 countries.

Weekly Links: March 29, 2015

Each Sunday I highlight any notable articles that I came across over the past week, along with any Carnivals I participated in. 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.

2 Stocks Paying Higher Cash Dividends

We have all heard it… Stodgy, for old people, yawn, boring! These have all been used to describe dividend growth stocks. As a dividend growth investor, I sometimes think our strategy is the most misunderstood. It seems everyone understands a traders mentality and a high-yield mentality. Periodically, it is good to remind ourselves that dividend growth stocks provides us with excellent long-term leverage and a growing income.

ConocoPhillips Co. (COP) Dividend Stock Analysis

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

Company Description: ConocoPhillips Co. is one of the largest independent oil and gas exploration and production (E&P) companies in the world. The company spun off its downstream assets in May 2012.

Genuine Parts Company (GPC) Dividend Stock Analysis

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.

Seeding A Forest Of Dividend Growth Stocks

In the southern U.S. where I live, there has been some controversy over harvesting forests of hardwoods and reseeding them with pines. Valuable hardwood trees such as white and red oaks, cherry, ash, yellow poplar and black walnut require decades to reach financial maturity. The southern pine reaches financial maturity in a fraction of the time, but will not bring the same price as hardwoods. Growing hardwoods is very similar to investing in dividend growth stocks.

6 Confident and Secure Companies Boosting Dividends

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. The industry the company operates in, legal considerations (REITs and MLPs), maturity and growth potential all have an effect on an individual stock's yield, along with the company's ability to grow its dividend.

Below are several companies confident and secure enough in their business to increase their cash dividends:

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Tags: HPQ, ANH, AMTG, WSM, RTN, CIM,

Weekly Links: March 22, 2015

Each Sunday I highlight any notable articles that I came across over the past week, along with any Carnivals I participated in. 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.

Abbott Laboratories (ABT) Dividend Stock Analysis

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

Company Description: Abbott Laboratories is a diversified health care products company that is now focused on nutritionals, diagnostics, generic drugs, and medical devices, following the spinoff of its R&D-based prescription pharmaceuticals business at the beginning of 2013.

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Tags: ABT, BMY, JNJ, LLY,

Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP) Dividend Stock Analysis

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Helmerich & Payne Inc. (HP). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Helmerich & Payne, Inc. is the holding company for Helmerich & Payne International Drilling Company, an international drilling contractor.

7 Stocks With A Strong Cash To Dividend Coverage

Dividends are not paid with sales, earnings, EPS, EBIT or EBITDA. Instead dividends are paid with cash. As an investor, you want to pay close attention to the cash flow statement. Unfortunately, it is probably the least used and most misunderstood statement.

Ultimately, cash flow is what drives the value of any financial asset. The reason analysts look at revenue, EPS, EBIT, EBITDA and margins, they are trying to estimate the level of cash the company will generate in the future.

9 Stocks Sending More Cash To Shareholders With Higher Dividends

We all are looking for the perfect dividend stock. In an utopian world, the perfect dividend stock would be one that is both high-yield and provide a high dividend growth rate. Its share price would appreciate ratably with its increasing dividend. All of this would be driven by increasing earnings and cash flow.

Though they are not perfect, the stocks below did recently rewarded their investors with higher cash dividends:

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Tags: EQR, O, PNC, KEY, STI, STLD, GIS, XLNX, QCOM,

Weekly Links: March 15, 2015

Each Sunday I highlight any notable articles that I came across over the past week, along with any Carnivals I participated in. 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.

February 2015 Progress Report

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in February, extending the streak to 56 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline.

Since I began publicly tracking my progress in November 2007, annualized dividend income has increased in 85 of the last 87 months.

Phillips 66 (PSX) Dividend Stock Analysis

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Phillips 66 (PSX). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Phillips 66, spun off from ConocoPhillips in 2012, is one of the largest independent refiners and marketers of petroleum products in the U.S., with significant interests in the NGL gathering and processing and petrochemicals businesses.

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Tags: PSX, MPC, VLO, WNR,

Hormel Foods Corp. (HRL) Dividend Stock Analysis

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Hormel Foods Corp. (HRL). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Hormel Foods Corp. is a multinational manufacturer and marketer of consumer-branded food and meat products.

Optimizing Your Asset Allocation

When to buy a stock and at what price are very important decisions. However, serious investors will tell you the most important decision is how you allocate your assets. Many people step back and look at their asset allocation and how it needs to change as they approach retirement.

5 Dividend Stocks Raising Their Payouts And Yields

When you purchase individual stocks, risk is inherent. Sometimes bad things happen to good stocks. Eventually, every investor will hold a stock that falls out of favor and endures a double-digit decline. Understanding this from the onset makes it easier to deal with. To minimize the risk of significant declines, your core portfolio should focus on blue-chip dividend growth stocks.

Listed below are select companies that have recently elected to raise their payout and yield by increasing their cash dividends to shareholders...

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Tags: TYC, GD, BBY, GME, FMC,

Weekly Links: March 8, 2015

Each Sunday I highlight any notable articles that I came across over the past week, along with any Carnivals I participated in. 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.

AFLAC Incorporated (AFL) Dividend Stock Analysis

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

Company Description: Aflac Incorporated provides supplemental health and life insurance in Japan (78% of pretax operating profits) and the U.S. Products are marketed at work sites and help fill gaps in primary coverage.

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Tags: AFL, AMIC, UNM, CNO,

Raytheon Company (RTN) Dividend Stock Analysis

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

Company Description: Raytheon Company, the world's fifth largest military contractor, specializes in making high-tech missiles, advanced radar systems and sensors, defense electronics, and missile-defense systems.

Dividend Growth Stocks Are My Conviction

For many investors, there is no clear conviction as to how they should invest. Today's investments are guided by what was read or heard yesterday, and the popular media is constantly churning out new and different ideas. Granted it makes for some "interesting" reads, but it certainty is no way to run a portfolio.

9 Stocks With A Vision Of Higher Dividends

To succeed as a dividend growth investor you must identify and purchase stocks with sustainable dividend growth. Inertia is powerful force. Once a company has established a track record of growing its dividend over the decades and developed a shareholder base that expects higher dividends each year, it becomes increasing difficult for management to cut or fail to raise their dividend. No Board member or CEO of this type of company wants a dividend cut to occur on their watch.

Here are a few select companies that have recently followed through on their vision of providing increased cash dividends to their shareholders...

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Tags: SFL, CB, MAIN, ETN, HD, CMCSA, WM, MPW, ORI,

Weekly Links: March 1, 2015

Each Sunday I highlight any notable articles that I came across over the past week, along with any Carnivals I participated in. 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.