I finally got around to investing a portion of my stimulus check. I had a few stocks in mind for the money, but at the end of the day, I decided that I should buy shares of a high-yielding blue chip for the very long term. It really wasn't a difficult decision. The winner of my stimulus-check buy was none other than General Electric (NYSE: GE).

I've been talking about GE a lot lately, but if you're an investor, you know there's a lot to talk about this conglomerate. No, I don't mean fundamentally, necessarily, I mean that its current yield is simply amazing. GE has dropped a lot this year, and it's gotten the attention of many value investors. In fact, I purchased some GE shares not too long ago when they were trading about six bucks higher than the current price for what I hoped would be a short-term trade. I admit it, I was wrong.

I still think my reasoning at the time was correct, and I continue to hold those shares, but I also hold a long-term position of GE that I add to several times a year with the intent of holding for the next couple decades, maybe even beyond that. It is this position that received the shares acquired through the beneficence of the government. Although some might argue that I should have improved the cost basis of my trade, I decided against such action, since I think GE might be down for a while. If I wanted to use the money for a trade, there are probably better ideas out there for it than GE. But long-term, GE's current 4.7% yield will probably turn into an effective yield of better than 20%, assuming the dividend continues to rise in the future as it has in the past (I believe it will).

The only other stock that provided real competition for my stimulus windfall is Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). However, the GE yield was just too beautiful. Granted, Coke is obviously the more focused business, and its brand equity is impeccable. But a near 3% yield is no match for a 4.7% yield. I think I made the right decision, but time will tell. No matter what, though, anyone who buys GE now better be patient. Short-term traders might not be rewarded.

Disclosure: I own Coke and GE; positions can change at any time.

"Despite sharp intermediate setbacks, the bull market in energy is far from over," says Martin Weiss, editor of the Safe Money Report. Here, he looks at Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP (NYSE: KMP).

"Earlier, there was some concern that a U.S. recession would dampen worldwide demand for oil, and that could still happen. But right now, the rapidly increasing consumption of crude oil by emerging markets is actually exceeding any declines in industrial nations.

"Kinder Morgan is an energy partnership that transports more than 2 million barrels of energy products every day - gasoline, jet fuel, natural gas liquids and more. It has two additional profit centers: Mammoth oil and gas storage facilities and a business supplying carbon dioxide, which is used to boost production from aging oilfields.

"All three of these businesses can be extremely lucrative in a rising oil market like this one. That's how KMP generated a record profit of $347 million in the first quarter - a big swing from a year-earlier loss of
$150 million.

"Partnerships like Kinder pay out quarterly dividends to 'unit holders' - the equivalent of shareholders in traditional public corporations. And KMP's latest payout is 96 cents per unit, up from 92 cents in the prior quarter and 83 cents a year earlier. The indicated yield is a hefty 6.5%.

"As much as we like KMP, we recognize that energy shares may be extended and could pull back in the near term. So here's what we suggest you do: Buy a half-position in KMP this month. Then hold back an equivalent amount of cash earmarked for a possible second bite at the apple later."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

"For global income investing, I ran a screen of Chinese ADRs, and my favorite from the list is Huaneng Power (NYSE: HNP), with an indicated yield of 5.3%," says Nilus Mattive, editor of Dividend Superstars.

"Tons of power is being consumed in China, and Huaneng is right there to serve it up - the company is China's largest independent power producer. All told, Huaneng owns 17 plants outright, controls another 12, and has minority interests in five power companies.

"Profits have been rolling in at a steady clip. However, investors have recently become concerned about shrinking profit margins at Chinese utilities.

"There is certainly cause for concern: Coal is the main power source for utilities' plants, and the price of the raw material has been rising because of increased demand around the world. To make matters worse, the severe winter weather that struck China in January pushed up coal prices even further and created a
whole host of other challenges for Chinese utilities.

"However, it looks to me like investors have been far too aggressive in their selling. They're now pricing Huaneng at 10.5 times next year's earnings. The stock is so oversold that it's currently yielding 5.3%.

"What about the coal situation? Well, I think supply and demand will come back in line, and I also think this politically well-connected company will be granted price hikes to compensate for its higher input costs. I recommend income investors buy at the market."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

Investment Quality Trends -- one of the most respected newsletters in the advisory field -- uses a proprietary strategy that assesses historic level of stock price to yield; it's goal is to buy those stocks offering the best potential for downside protection and upside appreciation.

Here, editor Kelley Wright explains his methodology and highlights his current "Timely Ten" stocks that best match his time-tested criteria.

"Investors who wished to hold every stock in that we currently rank in the 'Undervalued and Rising Trend' categories, would need to hold one hundred twenty six stocks as of March; clearly too many positions to be practical.

"Our Timely Ten, therefore, is our reasoned expectation based on our methodology and experience for what we believe will perform best over the next five years.

"Do we believe that all 10 will go up simultaneously or immediately? Of course not. Our four decades of research and experience, however, leads us to believe that these stocks, purchased at current Undervalued levels, are well positioned for appreciation.

"In bear markets, a traditional safe haven for investors has been to seek out stocks with high dividend yields and ideally the potential for share-price appreciation," notes Bill Martin.

In his exceptional trading and investing service, BullMarket.com, he notes, "One of our favorites for income is Hospitality Properties Trust (NYSE: HPT), a real estate investment trust, which offers an 8.5% yield.

"Hospitality Properties Trust invests in hotels and travel centers, the latter being otherwise known as truck stops. If it doesn't sound very glamorous, this REIT nonetheless currently pays a $3.08 a share annual dividend, good for a pre-tax 8.5% yield with the stock trading in the mid-$30s range.

"It buys hotels principally for income and secondarily for appreciation potential. All of its properties are run under long-term combination agreements that usually require the operators to pay the company minimum returns or rent plus a share of the increased cash flows realized over time.

"It doesn't favor any one hotel brand, operating under such names as Hyatt Place, Spring Hill Suites, Marriott Residence Inn, Radisson, Staybridge Suites, Crowne Plaza, and Courtyard hotels.

"The indiscriminate sell-off in the financial sector has left some banks at valuations that haven't been seen in 20 years," says value investor Nathan Slaughter.

In his Half-Priced Stocks newsletter, the advisors looks to one out-of-favor favorite among banks: Minneapolis-based U.S. Bancorp (NYSE: USB). Incidentally, he notes that Warren Buffett recently added to his position in the banking stock.

"US Bancorp is the nation's sixth-largest bank in terms of assets, with nearly $238 billion at last count. The firm operates over 2,500 branches in 24 states, mostly in the western and midwestern parts of the country, including an established presence in key markets such as St. Louis, Denver and Seattle.

"Over the past year, the company has seen solid increases in both loans and deposits. More importantly, it paid out just 3.8% on those interest-bearing liabilities, far below what it earned on loans and other investments -- with the net interest margin expanding to 3.91%.

"And, that rate could move even higher in the coming months thanks to a more favorable interest rate environment. And as for credit quality, U.S. Bank remains at the very top of its peer group.

"Although a slow-growing company, World Wrestling Entertainment (NYSE: WWE) offers a steady dividend close to 8%," says Harry Domash, editor of Winning Investing. Here's his "take down" on the stock.

"World Wrestling is the company behind the professional wrestling that you see on TV. It also produces live wrestling exhibitions worldwide, licenses its characters for merchandise and sells videos and DVDs showcasing its stars.

"WWE is a slow grower. Its yearly sales, currently running around $500 million, are only expected grow in the 5% to 10% range. However, WWE is very profitable, has plenty of cash in the bank, little
debt, and is generating more than $1 per share in excess cash annually.

"Even better, WWE seems eager to let its shareholders in on the action. In February, it hiked its quarterly dividend by 50% to $0.36 per share. We expect only modest share price appreciation. However, with a steady 8% or so dividend yield, WWE is a perfect holding for this turbulent market.

"WWE reported December quarter earnings of $0.30 per share, $0.13 above analysts' forecasts and 36% above year-ago. Sales rose 22% to $133 million. Buy to hold 6 to 12 months. Its next dividend payment -- $1.44 per share -- is expected in June for a yield of 7.9%."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com offers the latest market commentary and favorite investment ideas from the nation's leading financial newsletter advisors.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average is down about 150 points as I peck away on my laptop. I was looking to see what stocks were holding up on a down day, and sure enough one of my favorites showed up -- Precision Drilling Services TR (NYSE: PDS), a stock I recommended two months ago.

I apologize if I seem like a cheerleader, or a play-by-play announcer, but it was only two weeks ago that I posted on what were already strong gains, and this one keeps going up (even though its business is to drill down...). From my original December recommendation at $15.47 per share, PDS has moved up to $22.61 by midday today and climbing, for a 46% gain. This is when the Dow industrials are down almost 7%.

"Harvest Energy Trust (NYSE: HTE) is exactly what we love – a company with incredible upside and hefty 'dividends' that's being ignored byWall Street," says Keith Fitz-Gerald.

The editor of Money Morning explains, "But the stock is not being ignored by the company's executives. In fact, insiders are buying like crazy. And while this by itself doesn't guarantee higher prices, it's an important indicator of things to come, especially when oil prices are destined to increase in the coming years.

"Harvest Energy is located in Calgary and functions as a Canadian royalty trust, which means its profits are funneled back to investors in the form of 'distributions.' Harvest engages in the exploration, development, production, and sale of petroleum, natural gas, and natural gas liquids in western Canada.

"And the best part is, it's been tamped down in the last two quarters. You see, management has reduced its distribution by 21%, citing volatile energy prices and the new tax rules set to take effect in Canada in 2012. It also carries a lot of debt after having consolidated purchases of other oil and gas trusts and large private producers over the last two years. The company also purchased a refinery complex – and that didn't come cheap.

"Now here's where things get really good: Plain and simple, Harvest is sitting on oil – a lot of it. Large multi-million barrel reserves, with an estimated 9.3 years of proven and probable reserves using conventional extraction techniques. It's also sitting on over 1 billion barrels of untapped oil sands.

In a recent post, Luck of the Irish, we cited the favorable tax treatment in Ireland (among the lowest of all industrialized countries) as a key competitive advantage for Irish companies competing on a global basis.

Continuing that theme, Nick Lanyi suggests, "Genesis Lease Ltd. (NYSE: GLS) is an Irish-based aircraft-leasing company that is benefiting from a global boom in demand for commercial airplanes -- even as the U.S. economy slows."

The editor of High-Yield International states, "Airlines increasingly lease a portion of their aircraft fleet, rather than owning them." Here's look at a company with a double-digit dividend yield that is benefiting from this trend.

"Airplanes are very expensive, and they need to be replaced every few years. Especially for smaller airlines, it makes more financial sense to pay a regular monthly fee as part of a long-term lease than to shell out the money to buy an airplane.

"In addition, the leasing company is responsible for maintaining the plane -- relieving the airline of the need to recruit, retain and pay for a maintenance staff. Also, demand for air travel fluctuates over time, and leases give airlines more ability to limit excess capacity.

"Aircraft leasing is in a strong long-term growth trend. There are currently about 18,000 commercial aircraft operating worldwide, and that number is expected to double over the next 20-25 years. Why? Because China, India, Brazil, Russia and other emerging markets are growing so rapidly. As economies expand, so does airline traffic.

For the two latest buys in his Winning Stocks newsletter, editor Harry Domash looks towards oil. His first pick, deep sea drilling Transocean (NYSE: RIG) is chosen for growth, while his second play, crude tanker operator, Frontline (NYSE: FRO) is selected for income.

The advisor explains, ""In my view, Transocean dominates an industry sector that can only grow from here. The company is a global provider of deepwater oil and gas well drilling services. Its newest equipment is able to go 10,000 feet below the ocean surface to reach oil."

Already the biggest deepwater driller, he observes, Transocean has agreed to buy competitor GlobalSantaFe. The deal, he notes, is expected to close by the end of the year.

Meanwhile, since the consumption of crude oil is growing around 2% annually, and the easily accessible oil reserves are being depleted, the advisor concludes that demand for deepwater drilling services is growing rapidly.

Meanwhile, he adds, "Transocean reported June quarter earnings of $1.84 per share vs. year ago $0.42. Revenues rose 68% to $1.43 billion. Analysts expect Transocean's revenues to climb 50% this year to $5.9 billion. They forecast earnings for the year of $7.96 per share, up 166% over '06. He rates the stock a buy for those willing to hold the shares for 12 to 24 months.

"Bank of America (NYSE: BAC) should be a primary beneficiary of the government's 'bailout'," says Mark Skousen. The editor of The High Income Alert notes, "The credit crunch in real estate has taken its toll on Wall Street, but it is clear to me that the Fed and central banks are making a concerted effort to bail out the major financial players."

He explains, "Bank of America is one of the largest banks in the U.S. BAC has more than $360 billion in cash right now, as well as plenty of funds to continue its expansion plans in banking, credit cards, and mortgages. Its profit margins exceed 30%, its revenues are rising at a 15% rate and its earnings were up in the most recent quarter by 5% to $21 billion."

In addition, Skousen notes, BAC has a rising dividend strategy and currently pays a 5.4% dividend yield -- one of the highest among the premier banks. He suggests, "BAC also is cheap, since it now is selling at only nine times next year's earnings. The stock is off 11% this year, making it a bargain."

If that isn't enough, he adds, Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway is buying more shares of Bank of America, and for good reason. He concludes, "Let's do the same. Buy BAC and set a protective stop of $40. For those willing to take greater risks, consider buying the January $55 calls."

Each day, Steven Halpern's TheStockAdvisors.com features the latest investment ideas and market commentary from the financial newsletter community.

Earlier this week, I looked at Citigroup Inc. (NYSE: C) as a value and income play in the banking sector. Now, Bill Martin sees similar opportunity for both growth and dividends from Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), which he has added to his "Long Term Growth" model portfolio.

The editor of FindProfit newsletter explains, "To increase our exposure to the financial services industry, we're going to step up and purchase shares of Bank of America."

He notes that his bullish thesis on financials is driven by the view that the yield curve is poised to "normalize." He explains, "For two-plus years, we have seen margin and valuation compression due to the Federal Reserve's rate hikes and flat yield curve. This increased BAC's cost of capital while limiting its pricing power on lending."

Now, however, he believes that margin pressure at BAC is "poised to ease over the next 2-4 quarters" as the yield curve begins to normalize. This, in turn, should lead to improved earnings prospects, notes the advisor, and potentially lead to an expansion in the stock's earnings multiple.

I've just returned from the World Money Show, where some 10,000+ investors gathered to learn about global investing. I had a chance to meet with many of the advisors who were featured at the show, and I am highlighting some of their favorite investment ideas. To view all of the stocks featured in this special global report, click here.

"One of the fastest-growing investment vehicles in the history of the financial markets is the exchange-traded fund," notes Chuck Carlson, editor of The DRIP Investor.

"And the company behind iShares exchange-traded funds is not an American company. It is a United Kingdom-based company. That company is Barclays PLC (NYSE:BCS), which operates in more than 60 countries and manages more than $1 trillion of the world's money.

"ETFs are still very much in their fast-growth phase. While assets have grown sharply, many investors still are not familiar with these investments. That will change over the next few years. With a strong brand and big first-mover advantage, Barclays has positioned itself to be the major beneficiary of this huge expected growth.

"Meanwhile, takeovers are occurring on almost a daily basis. The takeover mania is being fueled by a tidal wave of liquidity. Private equity firms, hedge funds, and corporate America are awash in cash, and they are putting that cash to work by buying firms. And Barclay's is one stock that has reportedly been in the cross-hairs of a buyer.

Several weeks ago, I wrote a piece about how I feel about dividends as a matter of principle: I strongly believe that share buybacks and paying down debt are much better ways for companies to increase shareholder value. However, some investors cling to the (illusion of) safety created by dividends, and so I'm going to provide a few pointers on how to evaluate dividend-paying stocks. When evaluating stocks for income, we want to examine the size of the yield, the sustainability of the yield, and potential for capital appreciation. Generally, it's very hard to find stocks with large sustainable yields and the potential for capital appreciation, so you will probably have to settle for two of the three.

For the purpose of this tutorial, we will be evaluating three stocks: The Altria Group (NYSE: MO), The Boulder Growth and Income Fund (NYSE: BIF), and Diana Shipping (NYSE: DSX).

Evaluating the Size of the Dividend: This is the easiest part. This consists of dividing the total value of the dividends each year by the current share price. This gives you a percentage. MO has a yield of 3.91%. DSX has a yield of 10.03%, and BIF has a yield of 11.85%. So the Boulder Growth and Income Fund is offering the largest dividend, but all three are solidly above the 1.52% yield of the average S&P 500 stock. (Source: indexarb.com.)