Dow 30 - 5 Highest Yielding Stocks

5 highest yielding stock of the Dow Jones Industrial Average

Prices are of the closing of 2/23/2006 and are rounded off a bit, in no standard or scientific fashion, just to make my life easier.

SYMBOL	COMPANY	CURRENT PRICE	CURRENT YIELD
VZ	Veizon Comm.	$33.92	4.70%
T	AT&T	$27.94	4.70%
GM	General Motors	$20.59	4.60%
MO	Altria Group Inc	$73.38	4.40%
MRK	Merck & Co.	$35.41	4.20%

10 Highest Yielding REITs

Prices are of the closing of 2/17/2006 and are rounded off, in no standard or scientific fashion, just to make my life easier.

SYMBOL	COMPANY	CURRENT PRICE	CURRENT YIELD
CNVLZ	City Invest Co. Liquid Tr	$.12	1818.20%
WRP	Wellsford Real Property	$5.90	238.10%
AIC	Aames Investments	$6.06	22.90%
NFI	Novastar Financial	$26.37	20.20%
FICC	Fieldstone Investment	$11.86	18.30%
SAX	Saxon Capital Inc	$10.20	18.20%
NEW	New Century Financial	$40	17.70%
NTR	New York Mortgage	$5.70	15.60%
MHL	Mortgageit Holdings	$12.97	14.70%
HCM	Hanover Capital	$6.50	14.60%

10 Highest Yielding Stocks - Entire US Market

Here are the top 10 Highest yielding securities. These are stocks or companies, REITS, Energy Trusts, and Closed-End Funds.

Prices are of the closing of 2/13/2006 and are rounded off, in no standard or scientific fashion, just to make my life easier.

SYMBOL	COMPANY	CURRENT PRICE	CURRENT YIELD
CNVLZ	City Invest Co LIquid Tr	$0.12	1818%
WRP	Wellsford Real Prop.	$5.86	238%
AFCE	AFC Enterprises Inc	$15	76.5%
ECR	ECC Capital Corp	$1.99	33.6%
FUND	Royce Focus Trust	$10.37	32%
HSVLY	Highveld Steel & Vanadi	$14	30.80%
ELRN	Elron Electronics Ind LTD	$10.74	27.60%
EDF	Sal Brothers emerging Mrkts	$13.64	27.20%
FRO	Frontline Ltd ADR	$37.70	26.80%
RNE	Morgan Stanley DW Eastern Europe	$40.90	25.70%

Why do Stocks Pay Dividends?

When a company earns a profit the money is typically reinvested in the business (this is called retained earnings). Some companies, often large established corporations and others in high earning industries. When a company has more cash then they need for running the business it can be paid to its shareholders as a dividend. Paying dividends reduces the amount of cash available to the business, but the distribution of profit to the owners is, after all, the purpose of the business.

There are three ways a company can pay a dividend:
1.) Cash Dividend - These are most common and are the ones that in which we are most interested!
2.) Stock Dividends - The company can issue and distribute additional shares of stock.
3.) Property Dividends - Very Rare These are usually paid in the form of products or services provided by the company; often in the form of securities of other companies owned by the issuer.

S&P 500 - 10 Highest Stock Yield

Prices are of the closing of 2/11/2006 and are rounded off, in no standard or scientific fashion, just to make my life easier.

SYMBOL	COMPANY	CURRENT PRICE	CURRENT YIELD
GM	General Motors	$22	8.6%
CZN	Citizens Comm.	$12	8.2%
EOP	Equity Office Property	$30	6.5%
PGL	Peoples Energy	$36	6%
UST	UST Inc.	$39	5.7%
AIV	Apartment Investments	$43	5.7%
PGN	Progress Energy	$43	5.6%
CAG	Conagra Foods	$20	5.2%
KSE	Keyspan Corp.	$36	5.2%
AEE	Ameren Corp.	$51	5.1%