BigOlDave

12 Dividend Stocks to Own in This Market

Mark Bern's opening comment is spot on. Particularly in a market that is moving sideways, parking cash in some dividend generators makes more sense than staying in cash ...if (I really mean IFF) there are some fundamentals supporting expectations that the share price will hold or advance.

MB's a wise man. Here are some of my own thoughts, mixed with those of one wiser than both of us:

(1) Be flexible in your investment strategy. Day traders get killed; buy-and-holders die more slowly. Being attuned to different strategies, international economy, and emerging sectors or champions will up your odds of success.
(2) Always shop value, even if it means staying in cash until the watched stock’s price comes back down. Momentum's fine, but can turn on you and leave you with a loss if you find a better opportunity. Did I say “always”? What I meant was ALWAYS SHOP VALUE.
(3) Perhaps this is just item (2) above said better, but picking a good entry point is the key to winning this game. And if you don’t have time to play, leave it to the mutual fund managers.
(4) Cull your herd. You should always have a sense of which of your stocks provide the weakest total return. If the weak one will stay weak or get even weaker, go to cash, pick the best candidate on your watch list and put your money there. King Solomon (see his investment advise in Ecclesiastes 11) told us “If a tree falls … there will it lie.” Zombie stocks rarely come back to life.

Wall Street Breakfast: Must-Know News

Rachael,

Would it be possible to enhance SA's stock site's symbol? Click Ariba (ARBA) and all we get is the chart. If this is too much work, why not forward to Google/Yahoo/MSNBC or another site that at least tells us what sector it is in? Maybe you could even collect some ad revenue for the click!

Dave