Making Cents Sense

In a market defined by inflation fears, interest rate anxiety, and global political volatility, investors are running out of places to hide. The Nasdaq is unpredictable, the S&P is limping after a sugar high of AI speculation, and bonds are offering the excitement of a snail race. If you’re tired of checking your portfolio and seeing red, it might be time to shift your focus to something far more stable: Super SWANs . What’s a SWAN ? No, not the bird, and not a reference to ballet. It’s an acronym that stands for Sleep Well At Night —a term for companies so rock-solid, so financially pristine, and so time-tested that they let you rest easy, even when the market’s on fire. A Super SWAN is the platinum tier. These are companies with fortress balance sheets, wide moats, elite credit ratings, long histories of dividend growth, and business models built to survive (and thrive) in chaos. Below, we’ll dive deep into three Super SWANs that not only offer stability but also look like sc...

The 1990s were a golden era for dividend investors, with many companies offering consistent and growing payouts. Investors who focused on dividend stocks during this period often benefited from strong compounding returns, thanks to a combination of steady earnings growth and reinvested dividends. But how have these companies fared in the decades since? Have they continued to be reliable dividend payers, or have they faltered? In this article, we take a deep dive into some of the best dividend stocks of the 1990s, analyzing their performance, dividend history, and current status. We’ll explore whether these companies have remained great investments or if they’ve been overtaken by newer opportunities. 1. Coca-Cola (KO) Then: Coca-Cola was one of the most popular dividend stocks of the 1990s. As a global leader in the beverage industry, KO had a strong track record of increasing dividends, making it a favorite among income investors. The company benefited from global expansion and strong ...