STOCK MARKET DROP, DISASTER OR OPPORTUNITY?

We had a wild ride in the stock market last week, to say the least. While the U.S. government and others try to figure out exactly what caused the big plunge on Thursday, investors are left to wonder whether they should stick with stocks or sell, sell, sell. My personal investments ended the week down by 10%. While I don't like to see lower balances in my investment accounts, I do like to see lower stock prices on some of my favorite dividend stocks. So I'm looking for buying opportunities.

I've put in orders to buy more shares of AFLAC (AFL) and Astrazeneca (AZN) for my IRA account. Also put in an order to buy more shares of AZN for my regular investment account. I currently hold 27 different dividend paying stocks in my regular investment account and am looking to take that back up to 30. Haven't found any new stocks that I'm interested in yet, but when I do, I'll be sure to keep my readers informed.

Got a great dividend payout from CPL the Brazilian utility company! Will probably add to my stake in this great company. I've done very well with them since my initial investment. Also looking forward to the big payout this coming week from my holdings in energy limited partnerships. Haven't decided what to do with the money yet, so I'll leave it in my money market account for the time being.

Had dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant the other night and my fortune cookie said, "You can look forward to many rich rewards in the coming year." I took it as a sign, I'm looking forward to a prosperous year ahead.