If I buy stocks in oil companies, would I get some of their profits in dividends?
455046
Not necessarily.\n\nCompanies are not required to pay out any retained earnings as a dividend.  You can go to any fianacial website (yahoo finance for example) and see the recent dividends they have paid.  Keep in mind that just because a company has record profits, does not mean that the dividend will increase\n\nI would not recommend this as a strategy, but if you're only worried about pulling in dividends, watch for them to declare one, buy it before the ex dividend date and hold it through the date of record.
1019109
Of course it's possible.  If options are part of your compensation, it should be easy to suppliment your income in this way -- if the stock rises in value.  However, if options are not part of your regular compensation, then trying to play options is fairly difficult and rather risky.
9902
Yes, you can own a percentage of a stock share with divident reinvestment.  It is up to the individual companies, but no major companies will allow you to buy partial shares, however with dividents, you can have them.
337047
Stock dividends would not impact cash or liabilities.  I imagine it would just increase paid in capital and decrease retained earnings.  Just rearranging things.\n\nCash dividends are different, but you didn't ask about that.  Are you sure you're not referring to these?  Because cash dividends would decrease cash and retained earnings.\n\nIf you really have to pick just one, the question is wrong.  Go with decrease cash because there might some filing fees involved or something garbage like that.  Liabilities would be unchanged.\n\nThey really aren't related.  If you can "write-in" no change, do that.  If it's a multiple choice thing, just pick one at random.  It's pretty much a toss-up.  Maybe decrease cash as mentioned above and decrease liabilities.  No real idea.
469794
The practical side of dividend adjustment is that charts on the Internet don't adjust for dividends and capital gains reinvestment. For many mutual funds, the distributions can account for very big chunk of the return. \n\nHence, you cannot do meaningful analysis of dividend-paying stocks and mutual funds unless you get adjusted data. Best source (maybe only source) for daily, distribution-adjusted data is http://www.fasttrack.net
709063
Assuming you sell the stock for a gain and you hold the stock in your own name (not an IRA, 401k, etc.), yes you do.  You can't do a like kind exchange as you can with assets like real property.
229063
Share investments are essentially purchasing and selling company shares with the goal of making a profit. By buying shares, you can make a profit in two ways:\na. Dividends (income earned from owning a part of a company)\nb. Capital growth (increases in share prices)\n\nThe major benefit in investing in shares is that it gives, on average, higher returns than most other forms of investments such as property and fix interest. Another benefit of shares would be the biannual payments of dividends, which are usually franked. This means that you don't need to pay tax on your dividends, which offers benefits to people in high tax brackets. \nThe downside of shares is that it is extremely risky and susceptible to economic movements. For this reason, most people diversify and buy a portfolio of good performing shares or invest in managed funds.
747349
No.  But they may attempt  to eliminate the reduced taxes on dividends.  I doubt that though.
971703
I wouldn't. An indictment could come out any day which would send the stock down. Haliburton should be OK for another year or so though because they have contracts to fill that cannot be transferred to anyone else, regardless of what sort of politicking goes on between now and then. As long as their accounting is correct the company is still solid even if the hold board is removed for wrong-doing. This stock is a "sell" in my book.
600132
Why arn't gas companies allowed to make a profit? There are other industries that make more than the oil industry.  They have to make money for their stockholders just like every other company out there.
773453
One place to look can be found in the Dow Jones dividend ETF DVY.  Go to the list of the holdings and take a look.  Currently the full basket pays something like 3.3 percent dividend, which is an average of what the stocks included pay.  As with averages, there are those above it an those below it.  With the Dow Jones Dividend index they are steady paying stocks, which sounds like good dividend experience to me.  You can buy DVY for something around $68 a share, or pick out something you like from the list of those included.
69495
You have a point about oil revenues from Iraq paying for the war.  So far, production has not made this possible.  The government doesn't sell gas, oil companies do.  They sell their products at the price the market will bear, just like Home Depot, American Airlines, and Wendy's.  Exxon-Mobil made about 9.7 cents per dollar of revenue during their biggest quarter last year, which was their biggest quarter ever.  Want to know what your bank made?  Probably around 25 cents!! Wonder no more why interest rates are so low....the banks are pocketing the change, but you don't hear any uproar about that.   Oil companies typically make around 5.7 cents per dollar, lower than most industries.  If you want to live in a country that has price controls, try China, Cuba, or the former Soviet Union.  Didn't work out too well for them.
850765
The company you bought 10,000 shares in at .05 per share just discovered oil in North Dakota and the stock has gone to $175 per share.
586611
If the shares you own pay dividend, remain calm and ride it out... they'll recover eventually.\n\nIf the shares you own don't pay dividend, but still worth more than you bought them for, then sell them if the commission fee to sell them doesn't cancel out the profits.\n\nIF the shares you own have got to less than what you paid for them (or the commission fee cancels out the profit).... hold tight until they recover.
401586
Wouldn't we all like to know the answer to this question? If indeed you had $10 million, there are a lot less risky ways to make lots of money, because you have quoted such a large sum. This is the fantasy that most people get caught in. They pose a valid question on an invalid premise.\n\nPeople with $10 million don't need to make more than 3-5% a year to get rich. They already are. You, on the other hand, will never get anywhere at the current interest rate on a CD of 3%.Thus the question concerning stocks.\n\nFirst, you would not put your entire investment into one basket. It was about this time seven years ago when I last owned Exxon stock. I'm a Petroleum Engineer, and know quite a bit about oil companies, and they had just discovered some big fields on the North Slope of Alaska. I woke up one morning, and found my IRA cut in half, when they spilled oil in the Port of Valdez.\n\nNow, I trade Index Futures on the stock market for a living. In my opinion, the Top in the stock market is already in, and direction is now down for several months. \n\nSome would tell you to diversify, but not by buying five different oil companies, you have to diversify across industries. But I would tell you that all ships rise and fall on the tide, unless you are an exceptional stock picker and fast enough to maneuver your boat to gain headway.\n\nThere are times when cash is King, and this is probably one of those times. If you're in a mutual fund, switch to the money market fund or a CD or Treasury Bill; just park it for now. The name of the game is preservation of capital.\n\nIf you really do have $10 million, lets start our own mutual fund. Write me at  dredude52@yahoo.com
102310
It depends on what you're trying buy.  Some have a minimum amount.  Others don't.  My cousin bought his new baby daughter one share in a blue chip stock.  So it is possible.
416971
I had long term gains in one of mine, so I took them. I may regret the move, but too many eggs in one basket is not the smartest consideration. I don't think I would sell VLO. It is better than gold. Actually, they all are but our congress is quite capable of doing really stupid things and they are painting big oil as the big boogy man. Keep that in mind, too.