Visa raised its quarterly dividend 16.4%, from $0.67 to $0.78 per share. It’s payable December 1 to holders of record on November 10. Visa’s 16.4% raise is unusually large for a mega-cap payer. The Hartford raised its common dividend 12% alongside its Q3 results. Seagate raised its quarterly payout from $0.74 to $0.76 when it reported results late Tuesday. National Grid traded about 22% below Morningstar’s fair value with a forward yield near 4.22%, as of October 9. Market Context The Fed announces its rate decision this afternoon. Futures price about a 93% chance it holds at 3.75% to 4.00%, after a September hike. Economists widely expect another hike in December, so the tone of the statement matters most for income stocks. The 10-year Treasury yield is sitting right around 5%, and the 30-year hit 5.304% on Monday. Analysts expect REITs, utilities and homebuilders to suffer most from a hawkish hold, while banks tend to hold up better.

Here’s something I keep seeing in the dividend space.tting more VALUE for my invested dollar... In January 2026, JEPQ was trading above $59 with an annualized yield around 11.9%. During the April market dip, it fell to about $53.88, and I purchased, the annualized yield rose to roughly 12.83%. Same fund, same strategy, about 9% cheaper. Every dollar you put in during the dip bought more shares, and each of those shares pays income. Why this matters for income investors: - More shares per dollar. At $53.88 you get about 9.5% more shares than at $59. - Higher yield on cost. The yield you lock in at purchase stays with you, even after the price recovers. - Option-income funds can pay more when markets are shaky. Funds like JEPQ sell options, and options usually pay more when volatility is high. Dips sometimes come with larger distributions. What to keep in mind: - Distributions vary month to month. They aren’t fixed or guaranteed. - A price that keeps falling is different from a dip. Look at total return, not just yield. - You won’t time the bottom. Many people set aside cash or add in stages when prices fall a set amount, such as 5% or 10%. My takeaway: Volatility doesn’t have to be scary. If you’re building an income stream, a market dip can be a chance to buy more income for less. How do you handle dips? Do you keep cash ready, keep buying on a schedule, or wait for the dust to settle? 👇 Not financial advice. I’m sharing how I think about it. Do your own research.

Notable moves AT&T fell sharply on October 21 even though it beat Q3 estimates and raised its 2026 profit outlook. Reports put the drop at 5% to 6.5%, with a close near $21.91. Investors were worried about wireless competition and softer postpaid phone growth. The stock bounced about 3.7% midday today. Verizon fell about 2% to 3% in sympathy, closing near $43. On ETFs, SCHD is up about 22% year to date versus roughly 11% for VYM, helped by its heavy energy weighting. SCHD’s distribution yield is about 3.2% to 3.3%, versus about 2.3% to 2.4% for VYM. Several analysts argue SCHD’s lead may fade. Procter & Gamble goes ex-dividend tomorrow at $1.0885 per share. Remarkable changes 1. AT&T’s yield jumped with the sell-off. Assuming the quarterly payout is still $0.2775 (my assumption, not checked against a current source), the yield at about $21.91 works out to roughly 5.1%. The stock is down about 13% over the past month. 2. Matador’s 17% raise lifts its yield noticeably without any change in the share price. 3. The 10-year Treasury yield fell sharply toward or below 5%. Sources disagree on the level (about 4.97% to 5.13%), but one report called it the biggest one-day drop since August 2025. That tends to support values of bond-like dividend assets. Undervalued per Morningstar’s estimates These are Morningstar’s fair value estimates, not recommendations. PepsiCo trades about 24% below its $169 estimate. Medtronic, a dividend aristocrat, trades about 16% below $112, per an October 20 piece. Pfizer trades about 10% below $32. Prices have likely moved since those articles were written. Market context In the latest session, the S&P 500 fell about 1.1% to 1.2% and the Nasdaq fell 2% to 2.6% on worries about AI spending. Rate-sensitive sectors held up: utilities, financials and real estate rose 0.3% to 1.2%, while energy and communication services fell. Bond futures put the odds of a Fed rate hike at the October 28 meeting at about 15%, down from 33% after the hot inflation report. That shift matters for yield-heavy sectors like utilities and REITs.

https://www.skool.com/empire-wealth-builder/classroom/f8ef713d?md=044132398a1c4f1ba6f405e670c31d59 Let's Talk About YOUR Financial Future! Ready to take the next step? Schedule a complimentary 1:1 introductory meeting with me to explore your financial goals and how we might work together to build a strategy that fits YOUR life. Before we meet, do a little homework! For the best experience, download the worksheets available in Resource Downloads and Tier I of the classroom. Take some time to work through your numbers. You don't need to have everything figured out, but come with a basic understanding of: - What you earn: Your income and available resources. - What you spend: Your expenses and financial obligations. - What you need: Your financial priorities, goals, and future lifestyle These numbers are the foundation of your financial plan. The more you understand where you stand today, the better we can explore where you want to go. During our meeting, we'll talk about your goals, identify opportunities, and determine whether working together is the right fit. Your financial future deserves a strategy that's built around YOU. Let's start building your empire!

CVX is the least stretched, sitting almost exactly at its 52-week high (0.1% below). Five names are within 5% of their highs: CVX, KO, ABBV, SCHD, and JEPI. Two concrete, dated items this week: JNJ reported Q3 2026 earnings on Oct 13 — sales up 5.9% and guidance raised, but GAAP net income fell 96% on a one-time $5.5B talc-litigation settlement charge, sending shares down roughly 5%. JPM also reported Q3 on Oct 13 with a clean beat-and-raise: revenue up 8.1% to $50.17B and EPS of $5.57 vs. $5.07 a year ago. Possibly undervalued: - Duke Energy (DUK) was at $113.49 with a forward yield near 3.82%, a forward P/E of 16 and a payout of about 65% of trailing EPS. - Southern Company (SO) was at $83.20 with a yield near 3.65%, a forward P/E of 17 (below its trailing 20) and a payout of about 73%. - Kinder Morgan (KMI) was at $30.42 with the highest yield of the group, near 3.91%. Its payout is about 87.5% of budgeted 2026 EPS, so coverage is tighter.