Dividends

[bar1080]

I'm not aware of reliable rules for finding the "Next Microsoft" or the next great dividend stock (such as Exxon). But it's easy to make a tidy list of red flags for weeding out abject junk. Most stocks that make it onto the NYSE, for example, are probably worthwhile long term investments, especially when compared with IHUB junk.

BTW, note that my dividend stock horizon is long by IHUB standards. I start my research with this question: Can This Investment Survive The Next Depression? Root out junk and the upside will take care of itself. A good start on picking dividend stocks is to shun anything with a monthly payout, rather than the common quarterly payout, and an unusually high yield.

Put another way, if the stock's target buyers are unsophisticated retirees, desperate for income ... RUN!