Investors often turn to recommendations made by Wall Street analysts before making a Buy, Sell, or Hold decision about a stock. While media reports about rating changes by these brokerage-firm employed (or sell-side) analysts often affect a stock's price, do they really matter?

Dividend stocks are a blessing to investors because they provide income and don't rely on stock price appreciation to reward shareholders. You can't go wrong with dividend payouts at any time, but they're especially helpful when there's a lot of uncertainty in the stock market.

In January 1967, Berkshire Hathaway did something it's done only once in the company's history: It paid a cash dividend. Warren Buffett wrote to Berkshire shareholders earlier this year: "I can't remember why I suggested this action to Berkshire's board of directors.

With enough time and persistence, anyone can build a stock portfolio that pays thousands of dollars in dividend income every year. Dividend investing may not be the most efficient way to build wealth in the stock market, but there's no other style of investing that can compete with the warm feeling of having cash automatically deposited into your account every year from some of the strongest companies in the world.

Shares of Coca-Cola ( NYSE: KO ) remained mostly flat over the past month, experiencing a -0.39% loss compared to the S&P 500's loss of -5.76% over the same period.

Oceana's new report “Coca-Cola's World With Waste” exposes the beverage giant's increasing plastic use amid growing health and environmental concerns Oceana's new report “Coca-Cola's World With Waste” exposes the beverage giant's increasing plastic use amid growing health and environmental concerns

Coca-Cola (KO) reachead $68.81 at the closing of the latest trading day, reflecting a -0.2% change compared to its last close.

The recall began on March 6, when a Milwaukee-based bottling company alerted authorities that plastic fragments might have entered certain cans.

If I were Warren Buffett, I probably wouldn't be able to wipe the smile off my face. While the overall stock market has fallen this year, his beloved Berkshire Hathaway has delivered an impressive gain of around 17%.

For investors who are old enough to remember, the latter half of 1990s was an incredible time. The advent of the internet and the subsequent proliferation of personal computers was going strong, yet conventional cable television and broadcast radio were still the chief way people consumed live media.