Defensive Investing: Seven Signs Your Dividend is in Trouble

Both the U.S. stock market and the U.S. economy are navigating rough waters right now. U.S. employment, which had appeared to be moving into rapid expansion, suffered a setback in May, with the economy creating only 41,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the stock market - even with the recent rebound that brought it back to the 10,000 level - remains more than 15% below its cyclical high. That"s been the uncomfortable pattern: One economic report points toward a continued U.S. recovery; the next one points toward recession. Sometimes the contradictory research is separated by a single day, other times they are just hours apart. The resultant uncertainty is whipsawing U.S. stock prices - and is leaving investors feeling shaky. Fortunately, there is a ready remedy, not to mention a place of refuge, from this kind of grinding uncertainty - high-yielding dividend stocks . To discover the seven signs that a dividend isn"t secure, please read on...