You can't have a retirement plan until you have a retirement vision. It would seem to me that there are a lot or retirement plans out there but very few retirement visions. Here are a few select companies that have recently provided their shareholders positive feedback by raising their cash dividends:

Despite all the record volatility and record price whipsaws up and down, there were several stocks that showed enough confidence in their future earnings ability to declare modest dividend increases.

Most investors were scared from the severe drops in global stock markets last week, caused by the freezing of the debt markets and the global recession fears which the tightening of the credit markets might cause. Most stocks have suffered double digit percentage losses since the start of the year, even after yesterdays record rally. It’s no place to panic however.

V.F. Corp is a global apparel company with leading shares in denim and daypacks. The company is transforming into a designer and marketer of lifestyle apparel brands. Linked here is a detailed stock analysis and commentary.

The typical dividend aristocrat is a mature company with wide moat that has weathered the storms of many boom and bust cycles while continuing to increase dividend payments to shareholders. These companies as well as the dividend champions are the cornerstone to my dividend strategy.

Ever since the broad market indexes entered into bear market territory, I have been checking the dividend champions list for bargains. I came up with a list, using the follwoing screen criteria:

Fortune lists 40 stocks on which a person can retire. The list includes eight stocks they label as "deep value."

VF Corp is a dividend aristocrat as well as a component of the S&P 500 index. It has been increasing its dividends for the past 34 consecutive years. From 1998 up until 2007 this dividend growth stock has delivered an annual average total return of 7.10 % to its shareholders.

An update on the lastest stock's to be added to Joel Greenblatt's Magic Formula Investing list.