Stock Hymns in Praise of Dividends

Editor

---

» About this writer

Ingratitude is worse than a common failing. It can lead you to the wrong stock picks. Search engines show you historical stock price trends. Denominators are missing. It is not just a matter of ratios. Those checks in the mail every quarter are chicks in your hands. The guidance stuff is for tired birds in the proverbial bush.

Brokers love stock trading. Buy or sell, they gain even Stevens. Just do not hold. The truth is that top stock is never worth selling. It is another matter if you need a sudden surge of cash. Staying put with professionally managed corporations is the general way to go. Perhaps we need to do more to celebrate dividends.

Executives justify their actions in terms of stock values. Their checks are in dollars thanks. You get a salary credit on the same date every month. It is the ultimate bond, except for bonuses and perquisites. Why not tote up your dividends the same way?

You do not have to imagine companies that have not skipped a dividend for stacks of quarters. We can list them for you. That is a platinum lining of today’s stock market. Corporations with unbroken records of checks in your mail are now yours for incredibly low stock prices. Bless the Credit Crisis.

We should not recommend speculation on loaned funds. However, the Fed certainly tempts today’s stock investor with cheap credit. It is a chaser that is hard to resist after April 2008 stock prices for rock-steady blue chips.

Look for stocks that consistently beat interest rates with their dividends. Gift yourself bonuses by buying on days when the stock market is down. It really is that simple. Stay tuned here for regular leads to this genre of stocks.

Features