When you receive dividend information from a company, you can get to work and make those dividends work for you. There are several ways you may receive dividends from a company. Certain companies provide dividends as a benefit to shareholders, usually in cash. However, companies may occasionally provide you with dividends in the form of stocks or property. No matter how you receive your dividend, you can turn it around and make it a dividend investment.

Choosing how and where to place your dividend investment takes a great deal of strategy. Consider these options to help you out.

1. Find dividend paying stocks.
2. Use expert advice to help you invest your dividends.
3. Stay up to date with your dividend investment through newsletters and blogs.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Identify dividend paying stocks

As an investor, the best way make a dividend investment is to earn dividends in the first place. Rely on reputable sources to identify these stocks so you can cash in.

I recommend: The DividendInvestor from Morningstar offers long term and short term advice to help you find and keep dividend paying stocks. Investor's Business Daily is also a great resource to help you identify dividend paying stocks.

Rely on dividend expert advice when you make a dividend investment

Once you receive dividends from your dividend paying stocks, it's time to make your dividend investment. There are companies set up to provide you with the stock dividends information you are looking for.

I recommend: The experts at DividendInvestor.com maintain an up-to-date list of some great dividend paying stocks you should consider using your dividend investment towards. TheStreet.com offers a dividend RSS feed you can subscribe to so you can receive up to date advice about dividend investments. Or check for updated dividend-stock picks at Dividend.com.

Stay up-to-date with your dividend investment

Once you start investing in dividends, you'll want to keep track of which ones to keep investing in, and which ones to stop investing in. Track stock dividends on the Internet to earn the best dividends possible.

I recommend: Investor's Daily Edge provides you with up-to-date dividend information on what to invest in, and what not to. Dividends Watch.com provides you with the latest data on dividend and stock investing.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Pay attention to the 'ex-dividend date' when buying or selling stocks for dividends. The owner of the stock on the ex-dividend date receives the dividend, not the current owner. After the ex-dividend date is announced, the stock typically drops in value.