Investing in Dividends

An important law has been extended through 2009. Individuals age 70½ and older can still directly transfer up to $100,000 a year from an IRA to qualified charities without having to count those distributions as taxable income. Plus, the transfer still counts toward that person’s minimum distribution.
We also want to point out that you do [...]

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With the holiday shopping season in full swing, you might be busily hunting for gifts that are both affordable and practical.
Well, why not give someone a share of your favorite dividend-paying stock?
The real problem isn’t finding good stocks to buy. It’s the logistics — while a single share of stock might be good for your [...]

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When you sell a position at a loss, the IRS allows you to deduct that loss come tax day.
It works like this:
First, if you also booked gains for the year, you’ll be able to offset them on a dollar-for-dollar basis with no limit.
Second, if you recorded more losses than gains — or no gains [...]

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Because Roth IRAs do not require you to take minimum distributions, you can leave every single penny of your Roth IRA intact for your designated beneficiary. That’s great.
Even better is the fact that your heir will face a choice upon your death: Either withdraw the whole amount by December 31 of the fifth year [...]

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Sure, there’s probably plenty of time to take advantage of these prices. They may even get more attractive before all is said and done. But you can’t let fear freeze you in your tracks. You’ve got to keep looking ahead and planning for better days.
Never forget these two basic facts:
First, many of the market’s [...]

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In September, Microsoft boosted its payment by a solid 18%, and National Semi hiked a whopping 33%! Those aren’t token increases … they demonstrate solid financial wherewithal and loyalty to shareholders.
But how are tech companies boosting their dividends right now? Aren’t they the kind of firms most hurt by economic downturns?
On one hand, the [...]

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