If you have been in an airport then you might have seen books such as The Quest by Nelson DeMillo published by Centre Street, Hachette Books, NY, 2013. In the Quest the characters – 3 people in the news gathering industry meet a priest in the jungles of Ethiopia. The priest, an Italian, tells them a story which leads to a Quest. The reason the priest is an Italian is Italy in War World II had invaded Ethopia. Among the reasons was the Vatican was looking for the cup or the Holy Grail and it was supposed to be in Ethopia. The Quest jumps 40 years, in some ways the country is not better off as various groups battle for control of the country. Included in the group is a nasty general who likes torture; horsemen who kill and maime the enemies and others. If you were thinking not a pleasant place, you were correct. In the past, the country was a mix of a three thousand year old monarchy, which means all kinds of conventions are changing.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, to find the place where the cup is suppose to be, takes knowledge of the land; trying to figure out the clues the Priest gave and luck or wisdom from God. In the end, the people do the right thing. The wonderful writing ties all the above and it is a wonderful ride. You can do the same in investing your money, study the lay of the land; look for the best opportunities and have some luck. You can also make it easier by starting with dividend paying companies because they earn profits. With the profits, the company distributes dividends to its shareholders and reads the teas leaves to invest in the company. The Quest makes a wonderful read and it is filled with hits and misses; leaving those to reading while make it easy for your investments.

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