January, 2009:

5 High Yield Dividend Stocks for 2009

Jan 23rd, 2009
by Sean.
8 comments

In a recession year, there may be little growth in the economy, but that does not mean our portfolios have to suffer. In the time we are waiting for the stock market to pick up again, holding high yield dividend stocks is the best way to increase profits. We look for solid companies that provide consistent dividend. Here are 5 dividend stocks that have good consistent dividend payouts and are expected to grow when the market recovers.

Pfizer

Pfizer Inc. (PFE)
Sector: Healthcare
Industry: Drug Manufacturers – Major
Company: Pfizer is the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer with $26B in cash reserves and has been paying a consistent dividend over the years. Pfizer has a huge research and development (R&D) unit and it is only a matter of time before they launch a new blockbuster drug.
Price: $18.27 (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Annual Dividend: $1.28
Annual Dividend Yield: 7.01% (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Dividend Payout Frequency: Quarterly
Recent Dividend Payouts:
5-Nov-08 $ 0.32 Dividend
6-Aug-08 $ 0.32 Dividend
7-May-08 $ 0.32 Dividend
6-Feb-08 $ 0.32 Dividend

Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ)
Sector: Technology
Industry: Telecom Services – Domestic
Company: Verizon Communications, Inc. provides communication services in the United States and internationally. They are well known for their excellent wireless network. Since the introduction of FIOS, the demand for the fiber optics network in residential units has skyrocketed. Verizon is in a good position for growth and carries little risk.
Price: $34.64 (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Annual Dividend: $1.84
Annual Dividend Yield: 5.31% (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Dividend Payout Frequency: Quarterly
Recent Dividend Payouts:
8-Oct-08 $ 0.46 Dividend
8-Jul-08 $ 0.43 Dividend
8-Apr-08 $ 0.43 Dividend
1-Apr-08 $ 0.17 Dividend
8-Jan-08 $ 0.43 Dividend

GE

General Electric Co. (GE)
Sector: Conglomerates
Industry: Conglomerates
Company: General Electric Company (GE) is a diversified company with four segments: GE Capital, Energy Infrastructure, Technology Infrastructure, and NBC Universal.
They operate in the areas of technology, media, and financial services. With $16B in cash, a high dividend yield, and diversity in multiple verticals, GE is a safe bet.
Price: $17.07 (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Annual Dividend: $1.24
Annual Dividend Yield: 7.26% (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Dividend Payout Frequency: Quarterly
Recent Dividend Payouts:
24-Dec-08 $ 0.31 Dividend
18-Sep-08 $ 0.31 Dividend
19-Jun-08 $ 0.31 Dividend
21-Feb-08 $ 0.31 Dividend

conEdison

Consolidated Edison Inc. (ED)
Sector: Utilities
Industry: Diversified Utilities
Company: Consolidated Edison, Inc. is one of the largest energy providers in New York City, but also provides electric, gas, and steam utility services in many parts of the United States. Even during recession, everyone has to pay their electric and gas bills. ED should be a reassuring bet and has good dividend payouts.
Price: $39.26 (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Annual Dividend: $2.34
Annual Dividend Yield: 5.96% (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Dividend Payout Frequency: Quarterly
Recent Dividend Payouts:
7-Nov-08 $ 0.585 Dividend
11-Aug-08 $ 0.585 Dividend
12-May-08 $ 0.585 Dividend
11-Feb-08 $ 0.585 Dividend

Altria

Altria Group Inc. (MO)
Sector: Consumer Goods
Industry: Cigarettes
Company: Altria Group, Inc., through its subsidiaries, engages in the manufacture and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products in the United States and internationally.
Price: $15.20 (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Annual Dividend: $1.28
Annual Dividend Yield: 8.42% (as of close on 1/2/2009)
Recent Dividend Payouts:
22-Dec-08 $ 0.32 Dividend
11-Sep-08 $ 0.32 Dividend
11-Jun-08 $ 0.29 Dividend
31-Mar-08 $ 51.060001 Dividend
17-Mar-08 $ 0.75 Dividend

Ticker Price Dividend Yield
PFE $18.27 $1.28 7.01%
VZ $34.64 $1.84 5.31%
GE $17.07 $1.24 7.26%
ED $39.26 $2.34 5.96%
MO $15.20 $1.28 8.42%

The average dividend yield of the 5 stocks comes out to approximately 6.80%. The best time to buy them is before the market enters an uptrend.

Disclaimer: As of the article published date, the author holds shares of PFE and GE.

Credits: Data provided by Yahoo! Finance

Rental Property Update December 2008

Jan 14th, 2009
by Sean.
12 comments

Rental Property - Master Bedroom Ceiling FanThis post is about my rental property in Philadelphia. In this post, I talk about my landlord experience – the good, the bad, and the ugly. All my posts that are related to the rental property can be found in the Rental Property section, including the bad tenant saga series).

There were a lot of things that happened in December with the rental property. During the beginning of the month, I received a notice from the water company that the water bill was past due. Since the water bill is in my name and is tied to the property, I will ultimately have to pay for the dues.

My tenants reported yet another issue in the house and demanded repairs (details below). My real estate agent suggested that I fix the damages as soon as possible and I did just that.

They had owed me 6 months of rent payment plus other fees. I followed up with the eviction process and showed up in court to receive a ruling against them. However, towards the end of the month, they filed a petition against me and asked for another court appearance.

Below is a detailed account of some of the events that occurred.

Fri, 12/05/2008:

I received a letter from the Philadelphia Water Revenue. The letter is a notice for water shut off. The water bills were 3 months overdue and the tenant failed to pay the bill.

Sat, 12/06/2008:

My tenant called me during the evening around 7 pm and he reported an issue with the sewage pipe. He said that a pipe in the basement broke and the basement was flooded with water, feces, and urine. He said that the house was not in good living conditions and he threatened to called License and Inspections (L&I) if I do not fix the pipes on that night.
I called my real estate agent and he said that it would not be good to have L&I involved. He advised that I call a plumbing company and fix the pipe problem soon. He recommended a company by the name of Roto Rooter. I called Roto Rooter and they sent someone to the house around 11 pm. Since then I had not heard from my tenant.
I called my real estate agent and he said that it would be best to avoid having L&I involved. He advised that I call a plumbing company and fix the pipe problem soon. He recommended a company by the name of Roto Rooter. I called the company and they sent someone to the house around 11 pm.
I had given my credit card info to Roto-Rooter because my tenant said that he does not have a credit card, as a result of a current divorce with his ex-wife.

Sun, 12/07/2008:

I called Roto Rooter during the morning to check the status of the repair. I was surprised that there were no charges. I had no heard back from my tenant so I left the issue alone.

Fri, 12/12/2008:

I traveled to Philadelphia and attended the court hearing and received a ruling in my favor by the judge

Fri, 12/30/2008:

The tenant filed a petition against me. He asked the judge to have a court hearing and hear his story. We had to wait for the court date.

The attorney office and I had been exchanging phone calls during the month. Sometimes they were not very understanding of the situation and were slow to respond to my calls. It was very frustrating to go through the trouble with the tenant and not get the necessary help from the attorney. As of the end of December, we had to wait for another court hearing date and the attorney said that they would notify me once they have the date of the court hearing.

The saga continues in the next monthly update, Rental Property Update January 2009.

My Coke Rewards Codes

Jan 10th, 2009
by Sean.
133 comments

My Coke Rewards

Free Coke Rewards codes has permanently moved to:

Free My Coke Rewards Codes

Carnival of Personal Finance #186

Jan 6th, 2009
by Sean.
No comments yet

Clever Dude opens 2009 with a fairy tale Carnival of Personal Finance, organizing a large number of submissions into a story. Read through the fairy tale and visit the articles linked within the story.

Goals for Year 2009

Jan 5th, 2009
by Sean.
4 comments

Welcome all to the year 2009. I hope you had a great New Year’s Day.

This is the time of the year where I will post my goals for this year. Here is a list of things I want to achieve by the end of 2009.

Rental Property

Evict My Bad Tenant. I expect my eviction process to be completed by early 2009. I will have to inspect the house for the severity of the damages the bad tenant has done.
Rent Out the House. After I received possession of my property back and repairing any damages, I will put the house up for rent again. In the future, I will screen my tenants more carefully.

Financial Blog

Write More Posts. I have many articles in mind, but I need to find the time to write them.
Increase Traffic for Blog. I will have to do some research and find ways to increase traffic to this blog.
Find New Template for Blog. Even though I have switched to this (Architectural Digest) blog template recently, there are some limitations. I will either look for a more dynamic template or create my own.
Stock Portfolio
Rebuild Portfolio. My stock portfolio took a huge hit during last year. It’s time to pick out good investments again.

MBA Program

Take GMAT exam. I would like to enroll in an MBA program. The first step would be to study and take the exam. I would have to do some research on the schools and decide which specific program I want to join. Then I would have to fill out all the paperwork for all the schools.

Travel

Go on vacation. My current consultant project is expected to end during the late summer/ early fall. I plan to take some time off, and probably go on a vacation before committing to another job/project.

Career

Update My Resume. I have to tweak my resume and add update my current skill sets. It is always a good your resume up-to-date.
Social Networking. I will expose myself to more business people. First thing I will do is sign up with LinkedIn.
Find New Job/Project. I will search for a new job/project during late spring. The job market is very limited and competitive now, however I will try different ways to land a job / project.

Entrepreneurship
This year looks like a good year to work on the things I want to do, especially if I do not find a new job/project. There are also many business ideas I want to explore. Here are some of my options:

1. Dedicate more time to updating financial blog or become a pro blogger.
2. Trade in the stock market or become a day trader.
3. Create an e-store and sell things online.
4. Freelance. Find odd jobs that I can do at home.
5. Create YouTube videos and aim to be a YouTube Celebrity.
6. Join ventures with my business contacts.

Reduce Expenses

Minimize Monthly ExpensesI will review my recurring monthly expenses and see what I can eliminate.
Cut Back On SpendingsBecause of financial uncertainty, I will have to be conservative during this year and think twice before making purchases.

Build Savings

Short Term Savings Goal. I lost most of my money in the stock market last year and expenses in my rental property. I plan to rebuild my savings again. My target is $50,000 by the end of this year.

What are your goals for this year?

Happy New Year

Jan 1st, 2009
by Sean.
1 comment
Photo credit: About.com

Photo credit: About.com

Happy New Year!!

I wish you a fun and prosperous new year.