Recent Tweets

Recent Tweets

//February

Target (TGT) Tumbles 12%: What Dividend Investors Need to Know

What Happened? Target (TGT) reported disappointing fourth quarter earnings results this morning, sending the stock down more than 12%.   Target's dividend yield now exceeds 4%, well above its five-year average yield of 2.6% and making it one of the highest-yielding dividend aristocrats.   Comparable sales declined 1.5% during the quarter, which was at the low [...]

February 28th, 2017|Dividend Aristocrats|

Kimberly-Clark (KMB): A Quality Dividend Aristocrat for Long-term Income and Growth

Kimberly-Clark has provided investors with reliable income increases for decades.   In fact, the company is one of the 51 dividend aristocrats, which can all be seen here.   Kimberly-Clark pays one of the safest dividends in the market, yields close to 3%, offers mid-single digit payout growth, and sells recession-resistant products.   All of [...]

February 27th, 2017|Dividend Aristocrats|

Joining Brian at Simply Safe Dividends

Hey there, I'm Matt, Brian's new CTO at Simply Safe Dividends, and here's the story of how I arrived here...   I remember the first time I traded a stock. It was Google in 2008. My thinking was simple: buy low and sell high!   I had no clue what I was doing. Over the course [...]

February 24th, 2017|Uncategorized|

Hormel (HRL) Lowers Outlook, Stock Drops 7%: What You Need to Know

Hormel (HRL) released new quarterly earnings results and updated its 2017 guidance this morning.   The company's earnings grew for the 15th consecutive quarter to reach a new record, and adjusted sales and volume increased by 3% and 5%, respectively. Not bad!   However, management lowered the company's 2017 earnings per share guidance to $1.65 to $1.71.   [...]

February 23rd, 2017|Dividend Aristocrats|

Special Dividend Definition, Rules, and Impact on Stock Price

There are numerous reasons to embrace dividend growth investing as the best means to achieving long-term financial independence.   Most discussion focuses on traditional income stocks, those that pay out steadily growing quarterly dividends.   However, occasionally a company will issue a special dividend, which is generally much larger than a regular dividend and therefore [...]

February 23rd, 2017|Dividend Investing|

Guide to Taxes on Dividends

With tax season upon us and the world of dividend investing having now matured and expanded into an ever more complex universe of business types, many income investors are understandably confused about taxes on dividends.   Especially since the U.S. tax code has grown into one of the largest and most convoluted parts of our [...]

February 21st, 2017|Dividend Investing|

GNC Suspends Dividend: An Important Lesson on Dividend Safety

GNC (GNC) surprised many income investors when management recently announced that the company’s dividend will be suspended.   After all, GNC has been in business for more than 80 years, maintains a payout ratio below 40%, generates solid free cash flow, and even increased its dividend every year since it began paying one in 2012 [...]

February 20th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

Annuity Surrender Charges: Read the Fine Print

Annuities are one of the most popular retirement investment vehicles, but they are also one of the most debated.   People either love them or hate them (there’s usually no in-between when it comes to annuities).   One particular aspect of deferred annuity contracts, and the one that’s at the root of almost every debate [...]

February 17th, 2017|Retirement Income|

YieldCo Primer for High Dividend Investors

YieldCos are a relatively new class of dividend stocks luring in many investors.   While many YieldCos offer strong income growth potential, not unlike the famous Dividend Aristocrats, they also come with high yields that average more than 5%.   This combination of high yield and high income growth results from YieldCos' exposure to renewable [...]

February 16th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

Vectren (VVC): A Utility Company with 57 Years of Uninterrupted Dividend Growth

You won’t read about Vectren in the headlines.   But for more than 50 years in a row, Vectren has quietly paid and raised its dividend. It’s a feat that’s been done by just 21 other companies publicly traded in the U.S.   Vectren is a utility company, and utility companies are often attractive to [...]

February 14th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Safety|

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) Cuts Dividend 92% – What Should Income Investors Do Now?

Scorpio Tankers (STNG) shocked many income investors when the company announced a 92% cut to its dividend this morning.   After all, the company’s management team sounded confident about maintaining Scorpio Tankers’ dividend just a few months ago in November:   “If you run through our model, the company is fully able to pay its [...]

February 14th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

Carlisle Companies (CSL): 40 Consecutive Years of Dividend Increases and a Bright Future Ahead

When it comes to steady dividend growers, often the best choice can often be a seemingly dull company - one that flies under the radar, yet grows steadily over decades.   Many times, it’s precisely boring companies that end up becoming dividend aristocrats, which are S&P 500 companies that reward long-term income investors with over [...]

February 10th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Growth|

Dominion Energy (D): A Quality Utility Stock for Dividend Income & Growth

Regulated utilities have long been a staple for many retired investors living off dividends.   However, while most people think of this industry as one that generally consists of high-yield, slow but steady dividend growth, that isn’t always the case.   In fact, Dominion Resources (D) is one of the fastest growing regulated utilities you [...]

February 10th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

Abbott Laboratories (ABT): A Top Dividend Aristocrat Down 15% From Its High

When it comes to dividend growth stocks there are few better choices than the legendary dividend aristocrats, S&P 500 companies which have raised their dividends for at least 25 consecutive years.   Investors can read analysis on all of the dividend aristocrats here.   Abbott Laboratories (ABT) is a dividend aristocrat with a long track [...]

February 9th, 2017|Dividend Aristocrats|

Macy’s (M): A Household Name with a High (but Risky) Dividend

Sporting a high 4.8% dividend yield and trading at its 5-year low, Macy's (M) at first glance looks like it could be an attractive investment for investors living off dividends in retirement.   But many retailers, especially department stores like Macy's, have suffered mightily over the past decade because of competition on the internet.   Can investors [...]

February 7th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|