* Who is Raul Alvarez and Why Should We Listen to Him?

Raul Alvarez was born in Havana Cuba in 1955 into a very successful family. Before fleeing to the U.S. during Castro's takeover, Raul's mother worked as a marine biologist and his father was the President of Cuban Airways. Raul recalls, "As an immigrant, and losing everything they lost, [my parents] were so determined to ensure that their kids wouldn't have to go through that and that they were absolutely self-sustaining."

* General Dynamics Corp. (GD) Stock Analysis

This article originally appeared on The DIV-Net March 23, 2009.

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

Company Description: General Dynamics is the world's sixth largest military contractor and also one of the world's biggest manufacturers of business jets.

* Weekly Links: March 29, 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.

* Champion Dividend Stocks

There are winners and there are champions in every walk of life. The difference is subtle, but very real. A champion is driven for success and will not let anything stand in its way. Some dividend stocks can be classified as champions. A bad economy, tight credit markets and a dark cloud of uncertainty are enough send some dividend companies running for the exit. However, these are the times that champions stand firm.

* Early Warning Signs of a Dividend Cut

It seems each week another dividend Aristocrat, Achiever or Champion cuts its dividend after increasing it for 10 or more years. In most cases the companies' investors were not surprised because they saw the early warning signs that indicated a dividend cut was imminent. Here are three signs that a company is heading toward a dividend cut:

* Will Housing Lead Us Out Of The Recession?

Looking back to the beginning of the current recession, there were two things that initially put the brakes on the economy: 1.) the sub-prime melt-down and 2.) virtual halt of residential construction. They go hand-in-hand. As new homes are constructed, many were being bought by those wanting to upgrade. In turn they had to sell their house. Eventually, as new home construction expanded while the buying population shrank, the only way to feed the beast was to expand the sub-prime market. Like most houses of cards, ultimately it failed. Has housing finally hit bottom?