Value Investing News

There is perceived safety in size. Giant corporations aren't randomly grown. Instead, they are carefully built through superior management and foresight. Often these are more mature companies that also offer stability and predictability, usually at the expense of dynamic growth. These are your mega-cap stocks.

Most investors aren't very good at investing. The formula for success in the market is relatively simple. Buy low, sell high. So why do so many people do so poorly? It seems they are doing the exact opposite of what they should be doing. If we can't trust our emotions, how can we succeed in the stock market and still sleep at night? Here is how to do it...

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.

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in October, extending the streak to 16 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 45 of the last 47 months.

This year the market has been quite volatile. With significant run ups followed by steep declines. This has provided income investors first hand experience in managing both their emotions and their income portfolio in an unsettled market. To make the most of these trying times, here are some concepts to help you succeed and thrive during a market correction:

The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest soft drink company, and it also has a sizable fruit juice business. Linked here is a detailed analysis and commentary.

PepsiCo, Inc. is a major international producer of branded beverage and snack food products. Linked here is a detailed analysis and commentary.

When it comes to investing in Dividend Growth Stocks certain sectors have been more favorable to investors than others. Historically, the sectors most popular with dividend investors include Financial Services, Healthcare and Consumer Defensive. Each has provided good yields and growth over the years.

Make no mistake, Dividend Aristocrats are the blue-blood of dividend growth stocks. When building your core portfolio, this list is where you want to start your evaluation. If you want dividend growth, these stocks have been there, and done that - for decades.

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income increased in May, extending the streak to 12 consecutive months of increases after June 2010's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 41 of the last 43 months.

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I have stated many times that my goal is to create an ever growing income stream from dividend growth stocks. Secondarily, it is my desire to beat the S&P 500 over time. With that said, I rarely look at the capital performance of individual stocks. What I do watch is the ability of the stocks I own to sustain their dividend growth.

Magic Formula Investing is a process that can be applied to any list of stocks, not just the market at large. This article shows how you can use the MFI process to find the best opportunities in a variety of scenarios.

Below you could find a brief overview of each of the four stock picks:

I can’t carry on anymore. The secret has become too much of a burden and it must be shared with the masses. This will shock some and enrage others, but it must be said, and I should be the one to say it. Dividend stocks are evil and they will eventually lead to the collapse of western civilization as we know it. There, I said it and here is why I believe it…

Over the next several weeks I plan to look at different sectors that have traditionally been very friendly to dividend investors. Each of these sectors have attributes that make the companies in them potentially desirable to long-term buy-and-hold dividend growth investors. Understanding these attributes will hopefully help us to select the very best companies for our income portfolios.