Monday, August 31, 2009

* PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net August 24, 2009.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of PepsiCo, Inc. (PEP). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: PepsiCo, Inc. (PepsiCo) is a global snack and beverage company. The Company manufactures, markets and sells a range of salty, convenient, sweet and grain-based snacks, carbonated and non-carbonated beverages and foods.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

* Weekly Links: August 30, 2009

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

Saturday, August 29, 2009

* D4L-PreScreen.xls Model - August 2009 Update

The D4L-PreScreen.xls model continues to be the most downloaded and used model in my toolbox. I have just completed an update on it. This update includes some minor tweaks and updates on interest rates used in the model. The changes are described below:

Friday, August 28, 2009

* 10 Stocks Raising Their Dividends

Are you confident and secure in your investing process? It appears many people were not. From the famed Canadian dividend investor Derek Foster who sold all his dividend investments in February to co-workers who have moved to the sidelines waiting on the bottom. Many investors who lost confidence and exited the market missed the significant rally over the last couple of months.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

* Seven Stingy Dividend Stocks

I currently track 100 dividend stocks in my D4L-Dashboard and have determined some of the lower rated stocks could be buys if the companies simply chose to increase their dividends. For various reasons their management has elected keep a low payout ratio and deploy the excess cash elsewhere.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

* 4 Dividend Stocks For The Social Security Blues

"The problem with Socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money."
- Margaret Thatcher

If you have followed the U.S. Social Security saga over the last several years, you know it is projected to run out of money soon. As it turns out "soon" just may be much sooner than previously expected. To make matters worse, it has been "broke" for some time, but through creative accounting that would land a private-sector CFO in jail, the government has been able to keep the appearance of solvency.

Monday, August 24, 2009

* The Coca-Cola Company (KO) Dividend Stock

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net August 17, 2009.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of The Coca-Cola Company (KO). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: The Coca-Cola Company is the world's largest soft drink company. It engages in the manufacture, distribution, and marketing of nonalcoholic beverage concentrates, fruit juices and syrups worldwide.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

* Weekly Links: August 23, 2009

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

Friday, August 21, 2009

* Two Dividend Stocks Rewarding Patient Investors

Life isn't linear and neither is investing. There are always bumps in the road and before we reach the next level sometimes we must toil longer than we like at the current level. Case in point, Cincinnati Financial (CINF) and Nordson (NDSN) investors have waited six quarters for a dividend increase and this past week their patience was rewarded by the companies.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

* Industrial Strength Dividends

This is a guest post by Saj Karsan of Barel Karsan. Saj is a DIV-Net core members and a value investor.

One of the biggest fears of the dividend investor is that a company with an attractive-looking yield will cut its distributions to shareholders. While there are certain early warning signals on a company level that may indicate that the risk of a dividend cut is high, investors should also be aware that the risk of a distribution cut is higher in some industries than it is in others.

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

* Six Great Dividend Stocks, But...

How about a list of some great dividend stocks that have a long history of increasing their dividends, some for decades? These aren't just any dividend stocks they are supported by a powerful balance sheet and have a track record of generating consistent cash flows. Even better, they are well-managed, and aside from the normal bumps in the road from the economic downturn, they are doing quite well, but...

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

* Focus On Stocks, Not The Market

In one form or another, I get the question daily, "What do you think of the market? Where's it headed?" Normally, I politely respond as expected, but occasionally I will startle the person with a reply like, "I don't know. For me it really doesn't matter much." My investing goals are not defined by movements in the market.

Monday, August 17, 2009

* Seven Companies Raising Their Dividends

It is well-documented that a significant portion of the historical equity returns are a result of reinvested dividends. Performance in any given year is driven by capital appreciation, but long-term returns are largely the result of reinvested dividends. It is important to note that you can reinvest dividends without participating in a formal DRIP plan. However, you can't reinvest dividends unless the company pays them, and the really good companies increase their cash dividends each year.

* Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net August 10, 2009.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Kimberly-Clark Corporation (KMB). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Kimberly-Clark Corporation is a global consumer products company produces tissue, personal care and health care. Its brands include Huggies, Pull-Ups, Kotex, Depend, Kleenex, Scott and Kimberly-Clark.

Sunday, August 16, 2009

* Weekly Links: August 16, 2009

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

Saturday, August 15, 2009

* Pocket Change Portfolio - July 2009

Each month I update the Pocket Change Portfolio (PCP). The table below reconciles the PCP from beginning of period to end of period for July 2009, Year-To-Date (2009) and Life-To-Date. The Portfolio Returns line provides the calculated return for the three displayed periods.

Friday, August 14, 2009

* Dividend Stocks: Lowering Risk By Increasing Dividends

If your goal is to accumulate wealth for a comfortable retirement, then there is no risk-free path. Throughout time every angle has been tried and failed. Inherently, individual stocks will carry higher risk due to the lack of diversification when evaluated on a stand-alone basis. However, you can mitigate some of this risk by selecting solid dividend paying companies with a track record of increasing their dividends each year.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

* 7 Investor Traits to Achieve Success

This is a guest post from one of DIV-Net's finest value investors, Jae Jun of Old School Value blog:


I'm not here to teach you how to be a great investor. On the contrary, I'm here to tell you why very few of you can ever hope to achieve this status.

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

* Dividend Stocks Secret Ingredient

When people learn that I am an income investor it is not uncommon for them to ask why I invest in stocks instead of high yield money market accounts [MMA] or certificates of deposits [CD]. I generally start with my short answer of, "Dividend stocks have a secret ingredient that makes them a much more desirable investment."

Needless to say this usually piques their interest and normally the response is something like, "Secret ingredient? What secret ingredient?" Then I explain.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

* Another Call For The Bottom

The markets have seen some significant gains since their March lows. Each time this occurs there is a new round of experts calling the bottom. Time and time again the market throws them a cruel twist and heads lower. Will this time be different?

Monday, August 10, 2009

* RLI Corp. (RLI) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net August 3, 2009.

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

Company Description: RLI Corp, based in Peoria, IL, provides selected property, casualty and surety insurance.

Sunday, August 9, 2009

* Weekly Links: August 9, 2009

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

Saturday, August 8, 2009

* Progress Update - July 2009

Once again it is time for a goals/progress update. I am pleased to report that annualized dividend income rose in July, extending the streak to 5 months after February's decline. Since I began publicly tracking annualized dividend income in November 2007, it has increased in 19 of the last 20 months.

Friday, August 7, 2009

* Five Stocks Raising Their Dividends

Many years ago my grandmother made the statement, "Everyone I know is either dead, or dying." I thought it was an odd statement since everyone I knew was either getting married or having kids. Your perspective depends on who you run with. Contrary to the perception from popular media, not all companies are cutting dividends, many are still raising them, and some are starting a new dividend program.

Thursday, August 6, 2009

* New Premium Feature

It has been nearly a month since the introduction of the D4L-Dashboard. Since this premium service was designed for the serious dividend investor looking for more frequent visibility into more dividend stocks, I was moderately surprised and humbled at the positive response

D4L-Dashboard received during its first month. As a thanks to those who subscribed, I want to offer an additional premium feature as part of your subscription. 

Each week, as part of the process of updating the D4L-Dashboard I look at several companies and either create a new analysis or freshen the data of an existing analysis.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

* Five Dividend Stocks With Different Reasons Not To Buy

Sometimes good companies aren't good buys, and this is not always a bad thing. Often it is a result of the market over reacting in a positive direction. The stocks simply become overvalued, but their underlying fundamentals remain excellent. Below are a couple of companies that fall into this group:

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

* Has The Insurance Industry Finally Turned The Corner?

There are not many companies whose fortunes are as closely tied to the stock market as those in the insurance industry. When the market is climbing, insurers will often soar beyond the market, and will fall harder when the market declines. With the recent uptick in the market, is now a good time to consider insurance companies?

Monday, August 3, 2009

* Becton Dickinson & Co. (BDX) Dividend Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net July 27, 2009.

Linked here is a detailed quantitative analysis of Becton Dickinson & Co. (BDX). Below are some highlights from the above linked analysis:

Company Description: Becton, Dickinson and Co provides a wide range of medical devices and diagnostic products used in hospitals, doctors' offices, research labs, and other settings.

Sunday, August 2, 2009

* Weekly Links: August 2, 2009

Each Sunday I highlight the Carnivals I participated in over the past week, along with any notable articles that I came across. 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. Below are the carnivals that I participated in this week, along with a link to my article: