The markets started the day strongly following the approval of
the austerity package voted on in Greece over the weekend. The
buying continued for much of the day as investors are hoping the
latest measures overseas turn the economic tide higher.
Wall Street analyst calls made up the bulk of today's bigger
headline movers. Moving higher on positive analyst commentary were
shares of United Technologies (
UTX
) (
more here
) and Ingersoll-Rand (
IR
). The buying carried over to other names in similar sectors such
as W.W. Grainger (
GWW
) and Parker-Hannifin (
PH
). On the flipside, we saw a bit of red in some negative commentary
as well, specifically in shares of Estee Lauder (
EL
) (
read more
).
New Dividend Stock Recommended Today!
We just upgraded a new dividend stock this morning onto our
industry-leading
Best Dividend Stocks List
. Be sure to
check out our post
detailing the upgrade if you haven't already.
Quick note: if the stock is moving up too quickly following a
recommendation, it may be best to wait for a pullback. Investing is
a marathon, not a sprint!
Becoming Fearless
The pro basketball world, especially in New York, has been going
bonkers over the recent performances from young Knicks point guard
named Jeremy Lin. Lin is the first NBA player of Taiwanewse
descent, and is the first player from Harvard to play in the NBA in
over half a century. But here's the thing: he was signed by the
Golden State Warriors in 2010 and was later released, then picked
up by several other teams, only to be cut time and time again.
The Knicks claimed Jeremy Lin off waivers in the second week of
December, and only after several key players suffered injuries did
he finally get his chance to start some games. Well here we are,
five games later, and he's led the team to five straight victories.
Lin even scored 38 points in Friday night's win over Kobe Bryant
and the Los Angeles Lakers. It's quite an amazing story. When
Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni was asked to describe Jeremy Lin,
without hesitation, he uttered a single word: "fearless."
Jeremy Lin became fearless after failing several times to secure
a spot on an NBA roster. At a certain point, he had to decide just
how badly he wanted to be a professional basketball player. How
much longer could he continue to make the sacrifices needed to
follow his dream?
As another example, my daughter recently entered an ergathon
rowing competition for her high school crew team. She isn't quite
as tall as some of her teammates, so she's been working out as much
as she can to gain the stamina and core strength to be able to
compete at a high level. She confided in me that whenever she gets
to the point of feeling nausea (which tends to happen quite often
to athletes that compete in an ergathon), she begins to let up,
hurting her finish time in the process. I told her that she will
need to push through that mental hurdle if she is going to get to
the next level. Sometimes you will need to suffer the cuts,
bruises, or the reality of what Jeremy Lin of the Knicks has gone
through, before you realize what it will ultimately take to make
it.
Anyone who is out in the world right now battling to make a name
for themselves and stand out in their field of employment can tell
you it takes an effort above and beyond the norm to get noticed. If
you find yourself in that spot and the success you want has been
eluding you, consider adopting a fearless mentality. Don't be
afraid to reach back for the extra something we all possess deep
down inside.
Retail Investor Elasticity
Retail (mom and pop) investors have a lot to think about when it
comes to developing an investing game plan. The key is finding a
successful strategy, such as putting money into dividend-paying
stocks monthly, and sticking to it. This practice will allow
investors to harness the power compound interest. Accordingly, they
should also focus on their core foundation foundation by getting
the most out of their professional career, which is the root of
where most money will come from.
Now comes the things investors should avoid. I urge you to avoid
jumping in and out of markets, chasing the latest hot market fad,
or try your hand at day trading. Just like a rubber band that will
snap the more times you try to stretch it out, you can snap your
finances back several years if you get too aggressive.
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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.
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
.