In a previous post I outlined the 5 best performing year to date dividend aristocrats. The 5 worst performing dividend aristocrats so far in 2008 include:

Investors need a solid defense right now, says Martin Denholm. This means holding high-dividend stocks. Consumer staples and telecoms industries are the best places to cherry pick strong companies. For a lower-risk alternative, try these two high-dividend ETFs (AMEX:SDY, PEY).

I received a lot of e-mails from subscribers on Monday after the collapse of Wachovia, asking me which bank I believe will be the next to fail. Most investors are afraid they will wake up next Monday morning with a worthless financial stock, whose deposits have been sold to another institution.

The typical dividend aristocrat is a mature company with wide moat that has weathered the storms of many boom and bust cycles while continuing to increase dividend payments to shareholders. These companies as well as the dividend champions are the cornerstone to my dividend strategy.

I was looking at the front page of Value Investing News last night (October 17, 2007), and the New 52-Week Lows list jumped out at me. This list is packed with top quality companies, many of which have sustainable competitive advantages.