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//March

Kinder Morgan (KMI): How Appealing Is This Pipeline Giant’s Dividend Going Forward?

In recent years energy transportation and storage stocks and Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) have become some of the most popular high dividend stocks for income investors to find attractive yields in this record-low interest rate environment.   Kinder Morgan (KMI) is one of the oldest names in this space, having helped to popularize the sector with [...]

March 30th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, MLP|

Magellan Midstream Partners (MMP): One of the Best MLPs for Income

Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) have become some of the most popular high dividend stocks over the past decade.   In an age of record low interest rates, midstream (i.e. energy gathering, storage, and transportation infrastructure) MLPs’ tollbooth-like business models are especially appealing for investors living off dividends in retirement.   These partnerships typically generate a high percentage [...]

March 29th, 2017|MLP|

Accenture (ACN) Dips 4% on Earnings: What Dividend Investors Need to Know

What Happened? Accenture (ACN) reported second quarter results that caused its stock to drop 3-4% this morning.   Accenture's organic sales grew 6%, and adjusted earnings per share were roughly flat compared to the prior-year period.   The company's sales and earnings were roughly in line with analysts' estimates heading into the quarter.   Management expects [...]

March 23rd, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Growth|

Duke Energy (DUK) Pays Steady Dividends for Retirement Portfolios

Duke Energy (DUK) is a popular holding in many retirement portfolios because of the company’s generous and dependable dividend.   Duke Energy has paid uninterrupted dividends for more than 90 years and increased its payout each calendar year since 2005.   With a dividend yield above 4%, a high Dividend Safety Score, and low stock [...]

March 23rd, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

4% Rule Versus Dividend Stocks: What’s Best for a Safe Retirement?

For the last few decades, the 4% rule has served as the cornerstone of modern retirement theory.   However, with 10,000 baby boomers retiring every day and 59% of Americans worrying about being able to afford retirement, in recent years many have begun to question whether or not this rule of thumb is still the [...]

March 22nd, 2017|Dividend Stocks, Retirement Income|

Higher Interest Rates Impact Utilities: What Dividend Investors Need to Know

Higher interest rates create a number of risks and opportunities for investors in the utility sector.   Utilities have long been a staple for low risk income investors, such as those that live off dividends during retirement.   That’s because most utilities have long track records of highly secure and slowly growing dividends, thanks to [...]

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

Higher Interest Rates Impact MLPs: What Dividend Investors Need to Know

Higher interest rates have a number of implications for investors in master limited partnerships (MLPs).   Record low interest rates over the last decade have created major challenges for income investors, who through 2007 had enjoyed generous yields on risk-free investments such as savings accounts, money market funds, CDs, and U.S. Treasury bonds.   Today, [...]

March 17th, 2017|MLP|

Higher Interest Rates Impact REITs: What Dividend Investors Need to Know

Many dividend investors wonder how higher interest rates will impact REITs, and for good reason.   Over the past few years, interest rates have fallen to their lowest levels in recorded history.   This has created a challenging environment for income investors who previously enjoyed healthy, low-risk returns from money market funds, CDs, and Treasury [...]

March 15th, 2017|REIT|

General Mills (GIS): A Safe Dividend Stock Down 15% Since July

General Mills (GIS) is a blue chip stock that has paid uninterrupted dividends for 117 years.   The company’s dividend has increased each year since 2004 and boasts a 10.4% annual growth rate over the last decade.   Despite General Mills’ impressive history, the company’s stock price is down more than 15% since early July [...]

March 15th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Safety|

GameStop (GME): A 6% Yield, But is the Dividend Safe?

At a glance, GameStop (GME) is a tempting dividend stock for retired income investors.   GameStop offers a high dividend yield in excess of 6% and has increased its dividend every year since initiating its dividend program in 2012.   The company has a healthy payout ratio near 40% and consistently generates positive free cash [...]

March 13th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners (BIP): A High-Yield, Fast-Growing Utility

Utilities are one of the cornerstones of high-yield portfolios and for good reason.   Their generally stable and predictable cash flows, often protected by regulated prices, result in most utilities achieving high Dividend Safety Scores.   Safe payouts can be a major asset for low risk investors - especially retirees who depend on dividends for [...]

March 11th, 2017|Dividend Stocks, High Yield|

Vector Group (VGR): How Safe is the Sky-High Dividend Yield?

Tobacco stocks such as Altria (MO) and Philip Morris International (PM) have long been favorites for dividend investors seeking generous, secure, and steadily growing yields.   However, with massive consolidation in the tobacco industry, courtesy of the secular decline in world smoking rates, the number of quality tobacco blue chips continues to decline.   Vector [...]

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

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A): Is a Dividend Cut on the Horizon?

With interest rates still at historic lows and the stock market soaring, income investors are hard pressed to find good places to put new capital to work.   As a result, high-yield stocks such as Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A) often attract investors with the promise of mouthwatering yields.   But while there are excellent high-yield [...]

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

New in Simply Safe Dividends: A Much Simpler Stock Screener

A little over a month ago I joined Simply Safe Dividends as CTO (the “tech guy”). After speaking with dozens of customers by phone, trading hundreds of emails with customers, and going through a crash course in analyzing dividend stocks, I’ve set out to make a bevy of improvements to the website.   First up was the [...]

March 3rd, 2017|Uncategorized|

Equity Indexed Annuities Pros and Cons for a Safe Retirement

One of the biggest challenges faced by retirees, or people who have just entered retirement, is finding the best method for ensuring that the money they've worked so hard to save doesn’t run out, or isn't lost to market declines.   The closer you are to retiring, the less time you have to work and [...]

March 2nd, 2017|Retirement Income|