A revised higher quarterly GDP estimate and better-than-expected
pending home sales numbers attempted to get investors jubilant, but
the lackluster volume could not keep the midday momentum strong
enough to close near the highs.
Earnings results helped shares of Brown-Forman (
BF-B
) gain ground throughout much of the session. H.J. Heinz (
HNZ
) gave back some of yesterday's pop as the company
reported results that beat on the EPS side
, but missed on revenue estimates. Joy Global (
JOY
) shares were able to bounce o 52-week lows to close higher
following their ho-hum results.
Elsewhere, we saw stocks like Eaton Corp (
ETN
) and Schnitzer Steel (
SCHN
) finishing in the red following cautious Wall Street analyst
calls. Finally, a CEO resignation helped shares of Wellpoint Inc. (
WLP
) to gain over 7% on the day. You don't often see that type of
reaction with a change at the top.
"The Hill"
I recently saw a clip of Hall of Fame football great Jerry Rice
that talked about work ethic, and how he still practices the same
workout routines now at the age of 50 as he had done during his
playing days. His routine involves running up a steep 2 and 1/2
mile hill each day. Rice talked about how the first time a former
teammate, Roger Craig, introduced him to the hill, and how he could
barely finish the run. He'd never felt so exhausted from a workout.
It was at that point he was hooked into beating "The Hill."
Not only did Mr. Rice beat The Hill - he continues to do so to
this day. This sort of work ethic mirrored his overall approach to
the game of football. From reporting to camp early, when the
rookies did (which most veterans/non-rookies almost never do), to
sitting in on special-teams meetings (realizing how important their
role was to winning), and just always being in the best shape he
could be in, Rice's example resonated to his teammates and was no
doubt a big part of his teams winning 3 Super Bowl titles. Rice
owns countless NFL records that may never be broken, and continues
to practice his daily physical routine of being in the best shape
ever. His continued approach has likely translated into numerous
successes off the field as well.
We all have our own approach to how we go about our business,
whether it concerns your career, investing, personal life, or
anything else. Each day we decide what we are going to commit our
attention to. As a kid, my biggest love was sports, and watching
any and every game I could on television, so that I can take some
of the lessons I learned watching to the field of play with my
friends and in the leagues I participated in. As I got older, I
became inquisitive about business, seeing the success my dad had in
his ability to make a living on his own. Plenty of my other
relatives went the self-employment route as well and fared quite
nicely. I watched what they did with their money, as some were more
aggressive than others. There were hits and misses, but the idea of
just being able to swing the bat at what you wanted, whenever you
wanted, was my first taste of what financial freedom could look
like.
Those lessons learned back then have stayed with me through
today, and I hope will continue with me for the rest of my life. My
priorities have changed throughout the years and I have had to make
choices that I just wish I had more time for. As big a sports fan
as I am, I've still never played in "fantasy" sports leagues. I've
always considered doing so, but I barely have time to catch up with
some of my favorite television series/shows. You see, I like to
keep a tight handle on what my daily routine involves. Trying to
maintain a semblance of balance with work, family, investing, and
everything else is a constant challenge.
To be able to pull away from the pack, we may not have as much
time as others make for leisure activities. But that's not a bad
thing. In fact, I would implore anyone reading this to take that
first step to setting up a different itinerary from your inner
circle if you are looking to successfully break out. You don't need
to jump on every invitation to spend three hours at the ballpark
watching your favorite team. Rather, consider how you can user
those three hours to educate yourself on how to get closer to
financial freedom, building wealth, or whatever your ultimate
desire is.
My co-founder Tom Reese and I dedicated over half a year
building Dividend.com, going at it seven days a week with no pay,
just to put up a site we felt would be the best dividend-focused
site in the world. We could have tried to raise money from
investors for it, and wouldn't have had to worry as much about the
day-to-day expenses, but then we may not have had the same runway
we needed to build the right concept for our business.
Life is about choices and about work ethic. The lessons you
learn here and the investment ideas we share is just one part of
it. We're just happy to be a part of your journey.
An Important Note Regarding the Best Dividend Stocks List
We want to make sure everyone understands that the stocks on our
Best Dividend Stocks List
are the names we currently like for new investor capital,
regardless of what date the stock was first recommended on. If and
when a stock is removed from the list, we will clearly state
whether the stock should be sold (which is rare but occasionally
will happen), or simply held in one's account until we see a better
entry point or catalyst.
And here's one last thing to remember about what we do here at
Dividend.com: it's not just the names that we recommend that can
help you build wealth, but also the things we try to steer you away
from that are just as important. Forget about speculative or penny
stocks, chasing unprofitable IPOs, and listening to the manic
talking heads in the business media!
Our
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A Dividend Capture Strategy for Active Investors
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Just check our enhanced
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Speaking of dividend capture, Dividend.com Premium members can
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Thanks for reading everybody. I'll see you tomorrow!
Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the
Best Dividend Stocks
, as well as a detailed explanation of
our ratings system here
.