Topic: How To Invest

What is Pat's commentary for the week of May 1, 2012?

Article Excerpt

We’ve always placed a high value on a record of dividends, mainly because it provides something of a pedigree for stocks we recommend. After all, you can’t fake a record of dividends. It takes a lot of success and high-quality management for a company to have the cash and the determination to declare and pay a dividend every year for five or 10 years. It’s not something you can create at the spur of the moment. Now many investors have come to share our high regard for dividends, especially as a source of retirement income. However, some take it to extremes. They put too much faith in a history of dividend payments. They think of a stock with a good dividend history as the next best thing to a government bond. But it’s nothing of the kind. It’s a good sign, but not the only sign you need to look for. It takes continuing effort to succeed as a so-called “buy-and-hold”…