The markets spiked higher as it appears progress has been made
over the weekend regarding the impending tax hikes ("fiscal
cliff"). Will the eventual agreement propel stocks higher or be a
non-event? That's soon to be determined as we monitor the latest
headlines.
Without any major earnings or M&A news, Wall Street analyst
calls are taking center stage today. On the upside, we had shares
of Ace Ltd. (
ACE
), Travelers (
TRV
), and Simon Property Group (
SPG
) gain ground on the back of positive commentary. On the flipside,
some analysts are beginning to pull in the euphoria surrounding
Apple (
AAPL
) shares amid fundamental questions around how the holiday sales
will impact the company's bottom line. The tech giant managed to
rebound after an early drop to finish in the green by the close.
Peabody Energy (
BTU
) however did not fare as well, following some negative analyst
commentary.
Making an Impact
In life, sometimes you never know when your action or words will
have an impact on someone's outlook. If someone were to ask me what
I would want to be acknowledged for, the obvious answer from an
outsider looking in would probably be the stock picks on our
recommended list. However, anyone that has read this newsletter for
the last several years knows I try my best to steer readers toward
and overall package of success.
Sometimes the message really resonates, and sometimes there will
be a bit of skepticism in what it is a reader gets from a
particular take (fortunately that doesn't happen too often).
Whether the impact is solely financial, the fact is I hope the
message is remembered more for what it can do to inspire. Whether
you are a parent or not, the terrible tragedy from Friday's
Connecticut shootings is a reminder that no one knows what can
happen from one day to the next.
Please don't ever think the focus about what I write about is
simply about money. It is about appreciating the life lessons that
are out there and how they can apply to our own mission of building
wealth, success, and ultimately happiness. We really can control
much of what happens under our own roof, and I certainly hope many
people will start paying attention to danger signs that are
sometimes right in front of us. The world must shake off this vast
amount of complacency that is obviously holding many individuals
back from stepping up their game and achieving everything they're
capable of.
We are often reminded at how precious life can be. Let's stay
alert to not ever forget this lesson. In the meantime, we pray for
those families affected and hope that time can somehow heal even
the smallest part of one's life. Change will certainly come -
whether its about guns, violent video games, mental health, school
security, or whatever, but let's hope our political leaders can
come together with real ideas about how to make our lives safer in
an all-too accepting, ever-changing, and volatile world.
Our 2013 Dividend Stock Guide Has Arrived!
Our new members-only eBook has just been released! This 250-page
guide to investing in 2013 contains a concise economic forecast for
next year, including full previews for 60 big-name stocks! Be sure
to head over to
Dividend.com Premium
and download it and get your game plan in place for all good things
dividend-related in 2013!
I hope everyone had a chance to check out our
Dividend.com Premium
members-only weekend articles, including new features that
highlight some of the biggest winners and losers from the week that
was, such as analyst upgrades/downgrades and earnings/story stocks.
These articles are a great way to catch up on the week that was in
the markets. We also have a rundown of how various Dividend
ETFs
performed on the week.
Be sure to visit our complete recommended list of the
Best Dividend Stocks
, as well as a detailed explanation of
our ratings system here
.