Value Investing News

Have you noticed that investing in dividend growth stocks has gone main stream? What a change from a couple of years ago when dividends were considered "stodgy, for old people, yawn, boring!" With its new found attention, dividend growth stocks aren't disappointing their newly acquired fans. When all is said and the last word is written, 2011 was a great year for dividends!

The S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats is the most recognized list of dividend stocks. The Dividend Aristocrats index is designed to measure the performance of S&P 500 constituents that have followed a policy of consistently increasing dividends every year for at least 25 consecutive years. This index is a member of the S&P Dividend Aristocrats index series.

Value investors often struggle with ascribing value to future earnings power of a company, unless the company has a moat that protects its profitability. But how do you know a moat exists and will exist in the future. A simple SWOT analysis can help with estimating a future moat.

As the world continues to shrink through technology advancements, and all of the products that consumers demand become commoditized, a company’s brand can be a valuable competitive advantage. It’s no coincidence then that the four top brands in the world, as measured by their brand value, are also among the largest in terms of capitalization and revenue.

I couldn't begin to estimate how many different stocks are traded around the world. 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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Greg McCall's The Monopoly Method defines a structured approach to investing profitably in companies that exhibit "monopolistic tendencies". The book has plenty of good information, but this method is one for serious investors with the time and inclination to thoroughly research their investments.

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To make our world easier to understand and explain, we like to organize and categorize things into groups for ease of reference. Dividend Stocks are no different. They can be placed into a few categories based on their historic performance and expectations for the future. Here are three broad categories and some representative selections from each:

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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.

Who wouldn't like to earn a safe 15% on their original investment? Normally double-digit returns are the fodder of con artists or associated with extraordinarily risky investments. In either of these cases, the person is usually left holding despair in one hand and an empty wallet in the other. However, I have discovered that you can actually enjoy high yields with minimal risk...

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:

Growth or yield? In a perfect world, income investors would want both from their investments and are not interested in investments that offer neither. This is where the common ground ends, and the debate begins. Without the benefit of a perfect world, we are left with the middle ground which is a balancing act between growth and yield.

Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. is the largest retailer in North America. Wal-Mart operates a chain of discount department stores, wholesale clubs, and combination discount stores and supermarkets. Linked here is a detailed analysis and commentary.

What will your financial future look like? Have you ever considered how you will fund your retirement and pay your bills after the payroll checks stop coming? If you haven't thought about this, you are likely in the majority.

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. Dividends Received
Total dividends received during the month were...

Many people spend their investing lives jumping from one investing strategy to another. It seems they are always looking for that hot combination that will produce instant wealth. Think about it, most things that are instant, such as potatoes and coffee, aren't really that good. Quick and easy, yes, but not really good. There are many ways to invest successfully.