When we look around the world today, there are many wonders, the best are and will are made by nature. Others are man made, and the book Dreams of Iron and Steel by Deborah Cadbury, Perennial, NY, 2004. celebrates 7 industrial wonders which we today we call infrastructure. The 7 are The Great Eastern (ship), The Bell Rock Lighthouse (to save lives in the shipping industry in Scotland), the Brooklyn Bridge, the London sewer system, the Transcontinental railroad, the Panama Canal, and the Hoover Dam. The interesting thing about all of them is although there has been updates, except for the ship all still exist and are used extensively.

Each of the wonders have many characteristics which include for very good reasons a solution was needed but how and at what cost? and who should pay for the costs? In the end, government guarantees were needed, because although people could see the reasons why something needed to be done – it was beyond their abilities to do. Each of the wonders has its dreamer who brought dreams to reality, and the journey was a long one with many trials and tribulations. With every dreamer, there are many possible solutions, how the one that can leads to the solution is a great story. Another aspect is for each wonder, new methods had to be developed, adapted, devised, brought forward to ensure the completion. The solving of the puzzle took the efforts of many people.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, dreaming of the solution and bringing forth of the solution is not where you will often find dividend paying companies. As the solutions are solved and need for ongoing operations. that is where the role of dividend companies operate. In the case of the railroads, after consolidation of the lines to reduce the competition, but not too much, is the preferred space. Dreamers are needed to solve the puzzles that we are faced with, it is good to know about them and watch them, but unless they have a monopoly like position, cheer on the sidelines and takeover when they are done.

There are more questions than answers, till the next time – to raising questions