Forget making a profit; instead focus on the income provided

from your stock portfolio. That? right! Forget making a

profit. The burden is now lifted - no more pressure on making a

buck in the stock market. (Instead of trying to bend the spoon,

that is impossible, instead just think of the spoon as?

omigosh! - I? in the Matrix!) When you focus on the amount of

money your holdings are providing in dividends? and when those

companies selected have a history of raising their dividends

each year? a lower stock price allows the dividends that are

being rolled back into the stock to accelerate your income. The

total value of your portfolio may go lower, but your income

from that lower priced portfolio would increase dramatically.

Profit by income!To demonstrate this tip, I? going to take you back in time,

but the strategy of that time is just as viable today, as it

was in the past. The year is 1990, the stock for the

demonstration is Comerica, and the amount of money invested was

$3,333. 34. Comerica (CMA) was selected for one simple reason?

in 1990 CMA had a historical record of raising their dividend

for the past 21 years. Today? CMA has a 36 year history of

raising their dividend every year. In January 1990 Comerica was selling at $48. 38 a share, paid a

quarterly dividend of 65 cents a share, with a dividend yield

of 5. 37% (. 65 divided by 48. 38 x 4 x 100 = 5. 37%). The result

of just holding this stock through the years, never taking a

profit, and simply having the dividends reinvested each quarter

(commission-free) back into the stock is chronicled below:

These are the actual returns based on the closing prices of the

stock on the company? dividend payout date (the date a company

purchases their stock on the open market for investors enrolled

in their stock dividend reinvestment plan; The figures were

taken from the research I did, and is from an excerpt from my

book The Stockopoly Plan? Investing for Retirement. )Comerica: (with the dividend each quarter rolled back into the

stock) $3,333. 34 into CMA in January, 1990 at $48. 38 a share:

Shares purchased, 68. 90 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1990: 72. 92 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1991: 115. 01 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1992: 118. 85 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1993: 245. 78 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1994: 256. 96 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1995: 268. 78 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1996: 277. 83 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1997: 285. 32 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1998: 436. 65 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 1999: 446. 04 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 2000: 463. 82 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 2001: 474. 47 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 2002: 490. 23 shares. Total Amount of shares at the end of 2003: 512. 60 shares. Total Amount of shares as of April 1, 2004: 522. 23 shares. On April 1, 2004 Comerica closed at $54. 65, for the total

market value of $28,539. 87 for 522. 23 shares of stock. To put

the total $28,539. 87 into perspective, an interest rate of 15

percent a year on $3,333. 34, compounded annually for fourteen

and a quarter years would return $28,282. 15. Since this excerpt from my book Comerica has raised their

dividend again, from 52 cents a share per quarter, to the

current 55 cents a share per quarter, payable to shareholders

of record on March 15, 2005. I own Comerica stock and I have no intention of ever taking a

profit! I will continue being a buyer, as long as the company

continues its program of raising their dividend every year. However, I also understand that in the stock market there are

no guarantees! It is for this reason and this reason alone,

that diversity is a necessity. If I knew for certain that CMA

would continue its program of raising their dividend every

year, and that the next 14 years would provide better than 15

percent return on my money, I would only own CMA stock. It is

because of this? isk of no guarantees?in the stock market

that the rewards for investing in the stock market are much

higher than a passbook savings account, CD? or Bonds. So, to beat the? isk of no guarantees? and to reap the

benefits of a better return, I diversify into other companies

with the same historical performance. Through a systematic

approach of dollar-cost averaging into my stock positions every

quarter, along with my quarterly dividend reinvestment, I

increase the amount of dividends paid to me each quarter, from

every company that I own. My measurement for success in the

stock market is not measured by the amount my portfolio

is worth. It is measured by the amount of ever-increasing cash

dividends received from every stock that I own. As a matter of

fact, when my portfolio dips in net-worth, my dividend income

accelerates. The reason for this is simple. The lower my port-

folio? net-worth, the higher the dividend yields of the stocks

in my portfolio. All my personal holdings in the stock market have the same

basic theme. They are all purchased commission-free, have a

long-term history of raising their dividend every year, and are

purchased with the intent of supplying ever-increasing dividend

income for my retirement years. The Stockopoly Plan was written

with this purpose or goal in mind. The Plan itself uses a

timing approach for purchases of more shares each quarter,

along with the dividend reinvestments. For more excerpts from the book? he Stockopoly Plan?

Investing for Retirement?visit:

http://www. thestockopolyplan. comCharles M. O?elia is an individual investor with almost 40

years of experience and passion for the stock market. The

author of the book? he Stockopoly Plan? Investing for

Retirement? published by American-Book Publishing. The book

can be purchased at

http://www. pdbookstore. com/comfiles/pages/CharlesMOMelia. shtml

Author:
Charles O'Melia