Weekend Reading – April 7, 2012

It was a rough week for the market, which may provide us value oriented investors an opportunity to deploy cash as the weakness is likely to continue. The recently released U.S. jobs report was weaker than even the most pessimistic forecasts and highlights my belief that the economy is not really “recovering”, but simply not getting worse. I think the economic weakness will continue for some time, and that’s why I also believe the stock market has gotten a little ahead of itself. There may be some drops in the market early next week, which will be most welcome. A small correction looks to be on the horizon.

This past week a group of dividend stock bloggers, including myself, provided an update to the Dividend Growth Index. If you haven’t already, check out the other bloggers involved in the project and see their picks.

Here are some excellent articles from fellow dividend growth investors, frugalists and personal finance bloggers from the past week.

What Would You Do with WAY MORE Money?
MMM penned a great piece about how not actually wanting expensive stuff is liberating not only to your wallet, but also to your psyche.

Four Key Characteristics To Look For In Dividend Stocks
Dividend Ninja posted an article about some key dividend stock characteristics. These are a good starting point, although also considering valuation, debt loads, economic moats, growth and the like is also very important.

Dividend Income Progress Update – March 2012
D4L updated us on his dividend income and the progress towards his ultimate goal of $110,000 per year in dividend income. He increased his annual dividend income by $485 during the month of March through purchases. Doing some simple math and you can see he’s investing more than $10,000 per month. He’s one of the most dedicated dividend growth investors out there, so his progress is, not surprisingly, astounding.

Monthly Review: March 2012
Deedubs gave us a review of his March and the past month treated him quite well. He received over $100 in dividends in one month for the first time ever, which is a huge milestone. He made some great purchases and saved a large portion of his net income. That’s the recipe for success that I’m following as well. Great stuff!

Quarterly Progress Update
While we’re looking at some progress updates, let’s take a look at Compounding Income’s update. He received over $800 in dividends for the first quarter of 2012, which is really astounding! He’s making great progress and it’s keeping a lot of us fellow dividend growth investors inspired.

Dividend Growth Index 2012 Q1 Update
The Dividend Guy did a tremendous roundup of the Dividend Growth Index and its progress so far.

Changing Your Life By Working Abroad: The Fun Stuff
The Stoic Investor highlighted some of the great reasons to work abroad and included some pictures that definitely makes this idea seem appealing. The picture taken at 10,000 feet says all you need to know. I’m interested in one day living overseas, not only for the cost savings but also for the cultural experiences.

April Update – 2012 Personal Finance and Investing Goals
My Own Advisor reviews his goals for 2012 and the progress thus far. He’s making some great strides toward all the goals, as difficult as they all are when you consider they’re being tackled concurrently. It seems like 2012 is, so far, treating many of us investors pretty well.

5 Dividend Payers with Very Strong Balance Sheets
Dividend Monk highlighted five dividend stocks with excellent balance sheets. His keen eye for details, especially when it comes to balance sheets, is amazing. I’m long INTC and CVX on his list, and continue to like their future prospects as I do the other stocks on his list.

Thanks for reading.

Photo Credit: Benoit Mahe