The first week of March hasn’t brought as many dividend increases as we’ve seen in recent weeks but any increases are welcome news to income investors in this day and age. Wal-Mart is the highest profile company raising its dividend this week, and several notable gas companies have also increased their dividends.

General Shares

Southwest Gas Corp. (SWX), a supplier of natural gas to Arizona, Nevada and California, has increased its dividend 5.3% to $0.25 per share. This gives a new yield of 3.38%. The Andersons (ANDE), agriculture and transportation operators, has increased its quarterly dividend 3% to $0.09, leaving their new yield at a measly 1.08%. Hanover Insurance (THG), a provider of insurance and other financial products, has raised its dividend a generous 33%, giving a payout of $0.25 and a new yield of 2.34%. Similarly to Hanover Insurance, Fred’s (FRED) has increased its dividend 33% giving a new payout of $0.04 a share, and a yield of 1.50% based on this payout.
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Investing in dividend stocks is a great way to make a passive income, but how does one choose which stocks to invest in? Half the battle is in knowing what to look for, and we’ll try to cover the basics of that here.

Yield

If you’re investing in dividend paying stocks, the first thing you are going to look at when considering a particular company’s stock is its dividend yield. Annual yield can be calculated by taking the annual dividend (for example, if the dividend is paid quarterly you multiply it by four to get your annual dividend) then divide it by the current share price. Read the rest of this entry →

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This week has seen another stunning amount of dividend increases for large US companies with 18 companies reporting increases. US economic data has suggested that the economy is starting to grow at a faster pace, and it seems that, maybe, these companies are looking towards a better year and can afford to increase their dividends to attract investment, or alternatively rewarding investors who stayed with them through the ‘rough patch’. Read Complete Article

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We are only two-thirds of the way through February, and there has already been a large amount of dividend increases. In particular, over twenty notable companies raised their dividends in the second week of February alone, bringing the total number of dividend-raisers up to around 30 for the first three weeks of February. In the same period last year, the majority of companies were maintaining, or some even reducing, their dividend payouts after the ‘big crash’. Here we shall take a look at some notable increases, and ponder what the increases the last week of February will bring for income investors. Read Complete Article

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Do you want to setup a passive income stream by investing in a variety of vehicles? If so, it is time that you consider all your options. There are many ways to invest your money – some will work for you, and some will not. The more you know about this the better off you are going to be. After all, the last thing you want to do is take a risk with your money that you are not aware of or don’t fully understand. Read Complete Article

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One of the best ways to setup a passive income stream is through real estate investing. This is something that investors have been relying on for many years. If you know what you are doing you may find yourself making a lot of money on auto-pilot in no time at all. Read Complete Article

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Passive income can come in many ways. Over the past five years or so, more and more people are realizing that building the right types of websites can lead to years of passive income. Is this something you have considered? Read Complete Article

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Why build passive income?

Passive income is a popular term nowadays and most of you have undoubtedly heared about it. But why, you may ask yourself is it so popular? The popularity of passive income is fairly easy to explain; if you build a passive income portfolio you will achieve financial freedom which is something most people desire. Having financial freedom allows you to have more control over your life. You no longer depend on a paycheck from your employer and have the option to work if you want to and not because you have to. Having the money to to cover your costs of living brings with it a tremendous piece of mind. And knowing that you will still get paid even though you don’t actively work for it is real nice also. Read Complete Article

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If you are trying to decide where you are going to live after you retire one important thing to take into consideration is income tax. Choosing the right state to retire in can have a huge impact on your bottom line; likewise making the wrong choice can cost you thousands of dollars in taxes. You may not have much control over the federal income taxes you are paying but choosing the right state to live in can have a dramatic impact on the state income tax that you are paying in your retirement. Read Complete Article

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Gold has just broken through the previous intraday record and touched $1,043 per ounce. It’s currently trading
around $1,038. Read Complete Article

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