If you search Google for Attila the Hun you will find great amount of information and if you search You Tube for movies and documentaries you will find different viewpoints of the leader. In History, the victor writes what happen and ensures that it is published and since it is a victory – there will likely be some embellishments on the part of the victors. It could be the losers made a mistake and it was taken advantage of, but that will likely be glossed over. In the written word and many documentaries, Attila was the leader of the Huns who were the nomadic tribes in the Eastern Asia (think European half of the USSR) which he ruled from 434 to 453 CE. Attila had a scorched earth policy – kill the men, burn the village and take the women and child as slaves, nomads were not farmers. Sometimes the Huns lined the men up and a knife reached their throats, sometimes he placed the men on stakes. Part of the strategy was to enforce no resistance and in the town or city, bribes or tribute not to do the same were the norm of the day. For those who live in many parts of the world, bribes are common to this day and will be far into the future. In the Hollywood idealized movie there is a movie called Attila staring Gerald Butler, the warfare is toned down with more emphasis on the person and their domestic life.

Linking to dividend paying stocks, for all companies there are the stories the company tells and the story in real life. Once in a while they meet, most of the time one is said to be better than the other. For the company, there are a multitude ways to describe how things are doing better, but in investing you often make more money if you have rather simple metrics. For example if the company is making a profit is the dividend sustainable? how often does the number increase. If the number has been increasing and the company is still making a profit, the other metrics while very important can be seen as secondary. For you investments, there was a reason why you bought, keep the reason simple and you will know to keep or look for other alternatives.

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