Weekend Reading Links - February 13, 2011

For your weekend reading pleasure, the articles listed below contain some of the best dividend and value investing insights found on the web. They were written by various members of the Dividend Investing and Value Network over the past week:

Articles From DIV-Net Members

• Dividends Value presented Building Yield: 15 Consumer Goods Dividend Stocks
• Dividend Growth Investor presented How to select dividend stocks?
• Barel Karsan presented Cash Levels High Or Low?
• Buy Like Buffett presented The Beginners Investing Roundup To Help You Make Money Investing
• The Dividend Guy presented ScotiaBank BNS Dividend Stock Analysis
• The Div Guy presented January Dividend Income Update
• Disciplined Approach to Investing presented Dividend Payers Underperform In January
• Triaging My Way To Financial Success presented DivG Purchases - January 2011
• 40percent 20years presented Screener, better corporate filters, latest reports!
• EPIC INVESTOR presented Why Abbott Looks Cheap
• Value Walk presented EBITDA: Warren Buffett Versus Everyone Else
• The Market Capitalist presented Becoming An Investor - Yes, You Can.
• Dividend Monk presented AGL Resources (AGL) Dividend Stock Analysis
• Wax Inc presented Waldo Thinks Ahead
• Frankly Speaking presented Small Firms Repurchase Strategically
• The Dividend Pig presented February Industry Analysis Announcement
• Dividend Ninja presented Creating Monthly Dividend Income

There are some really good articles here, please take time and read a few of them.

Disclosure None

Arlington Asset Investment Corp. Declares $0.60 per Share Dividend for the Fourth Quarter of 2010

Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE:AI - News) today announced that its Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of $0.60 per share for the fourth quarter of 2010.  The dividend will be payable on January 31, 2011 to shareholders of record on December 31, 2010.  During the fourth quarter of 2010, the Company repurchased 20,969 shares of its Class A common stock at an average price of $23.96 per share.  The Company now has remaining authorization to repurchase up to 256,185 shares of its Class A common stock under its current repurchase program.

About the Company

Arlington Asset Investment Corp. (NYSE:AI) is a principal investment firm that invests primarily in mortgage-related assets. The Company is headquartered in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. For more information, please visit www.arlingtonasset.com. Statements concerning future performance, returns, plans and steps to position the Company to realize value, and any other guidance on present or future periods, constitute forward-looking statements that are subject to a number of factors, risks and uncertainties that might cause actual results to differ materially from stated expectations or current circumstances.

These factors include, but are not limited to, changes in interest rates, increased costs and reduced availability of borrowing, decreased interest spreads, changes in default rates, preservation of our net operating loss and net capital loss carry-forwards, impacts of regulatory changes and changes to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, availability of opportunities that meet or exceed our risk adjusted return expectations, ability and willingness to make future dividends, ability to generate sufficient cash through retained earnings to satisfy capital needs, ability to grow book value, changes in mortgage pre-payment speeds, risks associated with merchant banking investments, the realization of gains and losses on principal investments, continuation or cessation of share repurchases, changes in tax rates and laws, available technologies, competition for business and personnel, and general economic, political, regulatory and market conditions.

These and other risks are described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q that are available from the Company and from the SEC and you should read and understand these risks when evaluating any forward-looking statement.

Disclosure I am long AI shares for at least a year.

7 ‘Great Recession’ Lessons for ETF Investors

Has the U.S. economy hit bottom or not? It’s too early to tell. But the markets and exchange traded funds (ETFs) are moving up, the jobless rate is improving, government programs have boosted the housing and auto markets. As things are under repair, it’s always worth looking back to see where we can learn some lessons.

Phillip Moeller for Smart Money reports that there are six major lessons to be learned from this recession:

* The experts are not the end all, be all. The trust in financial institutions and leaders will not be restored for some time. All of the kind words from banks, brokerages and real estate companies didn’t amount to much when crunch time arrived. Make sure to protect yourself with an entry and exit strategy, instead of relying on the predictions of others.

* Learn how to budget, and live within it. Make a household budget and watch where your money is going. This is a good way to get a handle on spending and to help downsize if need be.

* Learn how to negotiate. Make sure that you do not have to pay full price. For most products and services, including home improvement, the consumer is in the drivers seat.

* Actively manage your own investments. As you may have learned from the past market meltdown, buy-and-hold isn’t foolproof. Passive investing is the way of the past. To brush up on your trend following skills, educate yourself. The ETF Trend Following Playbook is a simple and effective place to begin.

* Forget about housing wealth. Even a few years of solid increases in home values could bring on mass amnesia. Do not depend upon housing wealth for a retirement or even appreciation. Housing gains are only a cushion, nothing more.

* Stay healthy, both mentally and physically. People who exercise feel better and think better. Remember that exercise is free and bad health can cost you a small fortune.

* To this we’d add: Brush Up. Brush up on what you need to know to be successful in the markets. If you’ve taken a beating, dust yourself off, pull yourself up by the bootstraps and examine where you are now, your strategy, how you’re feeling and what you can do to improve. Looking inward can only benefit you.

Disclosure I am long many ETF's