i did a search and found a thread from 2006 but that wasn't what i wanted so i'm making a new one.

i am currently set up with Southern Company in a DRIP and i'm looking to expand my portfolio of DRIPs. what companies do you guys recommend? are there any that are better than others? i have the money to invest and want to have a diversified portfolio. also, ideally, i'd like to go through the companies directly rather than needing an agent or 3rd party to take care of the initial purchase and any subsequent purchases. any helpful info would be great!

7/6/2010 12:04:13 PM

i have DRPs with XOM, CAT, and UPS that i started when i graduated HS. they're company-sponsored plans, but i think they're all run by mellon. i've never really had a problem with them, but if i were doing it today, i'd prolly set up an account with one of the brokerages that offers dividend reinvestment like sharebuilder or ameritrade

[Edited on July 6, 2010 at 6:51 PM. Reason : -FykalJpn]

7/6/2010 6:51:23 PM

why would you go with one of the brokerages that offer the DRIPs versus what you had done previously? what would be the benefit to that? i mean my options are completely open so i'm trying to gain as much as info as i can.

7/7/2010 9:17:46 AM

I'm guessing that consolidating as much as you can into one account is the benefit?

I'd be on board with that. I have to keep a spreadsheet of all of the hundreds of various accounts I have with various vendors, and it's a pain. The fewer the accounts I have to deal with, the better.

[Edited on July 7, 2010 at 9:33 AM. Reason : .]

7/7/2010 9:32:53 AM

^that's part of it, the other part is that there are times that i want to more actively manage my investments and that's a lot easier dealing with ameritrade than through the DRPs.

7/7/2010 7:03:32 PM