MONTHLY INCOME FROM DIVIDEND STOCKS

Interest rates are, for all practical purposes, zero. That means anyone who needs an income from their savings and investments can't get the job done by buying bank CD's or Treasury bills. It seems there is no safe way to make money from your money in 2012 and unfortunately that isn't going to change for a while.

So what are your options if you do need to turn that cash into a monthly revenue stream? Right now, dividend stocks are just about the only thing around. I came upon this article that details a plan of buying six different stocks that pay regular quarterly dividends that are spread out during the year. If you buy a stock from each of the six groups listed below, you will be getting a dividend check twice a month.



















Depending on what stocks you buy you might be able to get between a 2% and 4% return through dividends and that sounds great, especially when considering the half a percent you will get via a CD.

It sounds like a wonderful strategy but you really need to beware! Even though each of the stocks listed pays a decent dividend and is considered a relatively "safe" stock, there is REAL RISK here. You shouldn't go out putting all your money in dividend stocks just because they pay a dividend unless you are prepared to lose money if the stock market goes down.

Right now with all the trouble in Europe and the high debt that we are drowning in, I feel there is a real chance the market will go down from here. Putting all, most, or some of your money in any dividend stocks just because they pay a dividend might not be your best option.

Yes, you can get a monthly income by choosing a variety of stocks that pay dividends at different times of the year. Lots of people are doing it but if the market goes down violently (or even steadily), those stocks will probably lose value. "Safe" is a relative word in the stock market and all investors should fully understand the risk they are taking on to get that small dividend payout.