Fast Online Cash Advance Loans - Quick No Fax Cash Advances Payday Loan

Online cash advance loan services are there when you need emergency cash fast! Getting a cash advance loan online is quick, easy, and most applications are accepted. Cash Advance Help is here to help you find the best online cash advance loan services and internet payday loan companies.

Fast Cash Loans

There are times when you need fast cash in an emergency, and an online cash advance can be the solution. It is quick, since you can apply online in about 2 minutes and have the money deposited into your account in 24 hours. Some cash advance services even offer approval in as little as 30 seconds! It sure beats going across town trying to find a payday advance store. Online cash advance payday loan services vary, but overall they are probably the best choice when you need fast cash.

No Fax Cash Advance Loan

Many of the services we list on this page provide no fax cash advance loans. This means you can get a pay day loan, without having to fax in any documents, which is useful when you don't have access to a fax machine. Some payday loan services require documents to be faxed, so if you want a no fax cash advance, read our description where we typically mention if you can get a cash advance with no faxing.

Get A Fast Cash Advance Loan

When you can't wait until payday, it is time for a fast cash advance loan. Just below you will find a listing of the top cash advance services on the Internet, complete with information, links and everything you need to get started. You may also be interested in a Free Debt Consolidation Consultation, since this is a great offer.

Fast Cash Advances and Payday Loans - Quick Online Cash Advance Loan Services

Payday OK

This cash advance company is your source for cheap payday loans. They only charge $10 per $100 borrowed and have a low-cost guarantee. No faxing is required, they offer instant application results and you can have your check cash advance tomorrow. Apply now, and enjoy 1/2 price loans from PaydayOK.

Fast Funds Online

For a no fax cash advance, go to Fast Funds Online. With no credit check, it is easy to qualify. With no faxing required, it is a source for faxless cash advance loans for anyone who doesn't have a fax machine. You can apply online in under 2 minutes, and they'll contact you within the hour! If you need fast cash loans, you can get up to $1500 at this company.

Cash Advance Network

Cash Advance Network is there for when you need a fast cash advance or instant payday loan. Approval takes just 30 seconds, no fax is needed, and the online application is very easy. Apply for an online cash advance today, and you could have up to $1000 deposited directly into your account within 24 hours.

Loan-Till-Payday

This is a great site if you need a no fax cash advance. Apply online for a cash advance loan, and you can be approved in just 30 seconds for up to $1000! If you need an instant cash advance and want fast approval, no faxing, and no hassles, this is a site to try. Apply today for a no fax cash advance loan.

123 Online Cash

Apply for a fast cash loan of up to $1,500.00 at this cash advance company. There is no faxing and no credit check, so it couldn't be easier to qualify for a paycheck advance. Apply online right now for a no fax cash advance loan, and 123OnlineCash will contact you within an hour! Fast, easy and hassle-free.

PaycheckToday.com

Hassle free rayroll loans is the goal at PaycheckToday.com. Apply over the internet now for a faxless payday loan and get approval in as little as 30 seconds. There's no faxing of documents required and you can get up to $1000 in 24 hours with no credit check.

Still looking? We list more sources for online payday loans, so you can find a service provider that suits your needs.

Instant Cash Advances

It isn't literally instant cash, but the pay day loan services we list help you get cash fast. With online approval in as little as 30 seconds, it may be the closest thing to instant cash out there. For a cash advance loan from a company on our list, the online application typically takes just 2 minutes and the money is deposited into your account within 24 hours. It is really fast cash!

Online Cash Advances

You could try to go locally for a pay check advance, but there are many advantages to getting a cash advance online. For one, there is no need to go across town to do it. Instead you can apply online in just 2 minutes. In addition, you can quickly company many different services here, which you just can't do for services that are not on line. To get the best pay roll advance, with low fees, easy applications, fast service, and more, simply browse and compare the services on our list.

From http://www.cashadvancehelp.com/

Bad Credit Loans ‘Set For Growth'

The bad credit loan industry is set to expand as more consumers struggle to make repayments on their borrowing, research has indicated.

In a study conducted by Datamonitor, the sub-prime mortgage market increased by 28 per cent to £24.6 billion over the course of last year. Meanwhile, the sector is estimated to be worth some £31.5 billion by 2011 as it grows at an annual rate of about five per cent. According to the market analyst firm, the bad credit industry is set to grow twice as fast as its mainstream mortgage counterpart as a result of Britain's increasing debt problems and a "difficult" economic environment.

Author of the Datamonitor report Maya Imberg said: "More consumers are unable to cope with meeting their financial commitments. High levels of consumer debt coupled with more difficult economic conditions will drive the sub-prime mortgage market forward over the next five years. With more defaulting or meeting payments late, more consumers will fall into the sub-prime population."

She added that recent economic growth, low interest rates and property price rises have made consumers more willing to borrow and spend money. However, Ms Imberg pointed out that the sub-prime mortgage sector is set to see a slow down in growth.

Meanwhile, lenders were warned that their sector could be at risk from borrowers defaulting on their bad credit payments. According to Datamonitor, higher levels of indebtedness and rising interest rates provide a danger for credit suppliers as they offer consumers loans at higher multiples of their annual income and become "more comfortable" with assessing how borrowers will be able to make repayments.

"Despite the argument that they have sophisticated underwriting models in place, UK sub-prime lenders should take the US sub-prime mortgage crisis as a warning and ensure they are not over-exposing themselves to highly-risky loans," the author claimed. Consequently, the company claimed that it was "essential" in the current financial climate that credit providers do not allow Britons to borrow more money than they can afford to pay back.

Earlier this month, research carried out by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) indicated that a number of bad credit lenders offer "poor practice" to their customers. According to the FSA, findings about half of respondents investigated were unable to prove if their loan products were actually suitable for borrowers. The study also revealed that about one in three companies failed to judge borrowers sufficiently in terms of their ability to make repayments.

Meanwhile, the majority of lenders were said to not be checking information applicants provide them with such as salary details as they fail to put the polices they created into place. However, the authority warned those borrowers who lie that their income is actually higher than it is in reality are committing a criminal offence. Consumers were also advised by the FSA to make sure that they are fully aware of the terms of borrowing and any subsequent risks and charges when applying for a sub-prime mortgage.

According to financial charity Credit Action, some 330 Britons are declared insolvent or bankrupt every day as they struggle to make loan repayments.

Loan Arrangers providing you with breaking bad credit loan news.

from http://news.loan-arrangers.co.uk/bad_credit_loans_set_for_growth_18208592.html

Bad credit report gives a negative repercussion on your financial standing. Several agencies would be monitoring your conduct of handling credit. Even a single failure recorded against you leads to vulnerability when you plan to open a new transaction account.

It is very important to maintain your credibility because it is the only key that you can hold on to win the approval of your creditors. It will be easier for you to execute business with them if you have a clean record.

Credit reporting gives protection to the financial institutions and merchants against fraudulency. If they will keep on entertaining clients that will just deceive them, it may lead them to bankruptcy.

Most of the people who have bad credit record are blacklisted on several companies. This is the reason why they are not given opportunity anymore to make transaction with the said companies.

There are several ways to get your bad credit report to do a 180. This may include making purchases through credit and paying them off consistently and on time. The problem though is you may have to pay higher rates than what a person with a good credit report may be obliged to pay.

But his is a small matter if you consider that you will be getting back your good credit rating and report. Once you get it back, you can purchase products on credit once again without any worries.

It is also imperative that you update your credit report to see how bad it is and how far you have progressed in turning it around. Any errors in there could do a lot of damage so make sure that they are completely updated and truthful.

Yes you can buy a home with bad credit. But should you? That is the question you should answer before you ask the other questions about the best ways to go about it.

As I write this (spring 2007), the payments are coming in late on one out of eight sub-prime mortgage loans (the loans most likely to go to those with credit problems). As many more of these loans have their interest rates adjusted upwards, the problem will only get worse. At the moment tens of thousands of families are losing their homes each month.

It does you no good to be able to buy a home if you can't afford to keep it. Since the primary way in which you buy a home with bad credit is to pay higher interest rates and other costs, be sure you can afford it. Buying a home, by the way, does not always make sense even if you can afford it.

When rents are low relative to home prices, you are often better off renting, especially if you invest the money you save. Suppose small homes in your area rent for $750 per month, but sell for $190,000, as is the case in Tucson, Arizona, for example. With your mortgage payment, taxes, insurance and maintenance it can cost twice as much to buy versus renting. Rent and bank that $750 you save each month, and you may be further ahead in a few years, especially now that the price appreciation has slowed.

How To Buy A Home With Bad Credit

If you decide that owning a home is the right way to go, the first thing you should do is fix that credit report. A better credit score means a lower interest rate. Paying 2% less will save you more than $70,000 in interest over the years (based on a 30-year $140,000 loan). Some ways to fix that bad credit report follow.

You need to see what's on your credit report. Search for "free credit report" online and you might still be able to get one for free. If you've been denied credit based on a report from a local credit reporting agency, you can request a free credit report from that agency within 30 days.

Any inaccuracies on the report? Write a letter to the agency explaining exactly what is incorrect. Include copies of canceled checks or any other documentation, and send it all by certified mail. By law, the agency must contact the source of the disputed information, and if they don't receive confirmation of the debt within 14 days, they must delete the item, and send you an updated report. If asked, they must send a corrected report to all creditors who received your credit report in the previous six months. It won't be done automatically, so be sure to demand it.

Often, if the item is only a few hundred dollars, or over a year old, creditors often won't even bother to respond. Since the item must then be removed, "fixing" a credit report is possible even if it is correct to begin with. You can also dispute the item again after 30 days.

Even if you have to buy a home with bad credit now, you might be able to refinance at better terms in a couple years if you start working on long-term fixes as well. Pay off credit cards each month if possible. Limit yourself to five credit cards or less. Keep the balances at less than half the limits on the cards, transferring debt from one card to another if necessary. If you stop doing things that lower your credit score, time alone will help raise it. In fact, many items will be automatically removed if they are seven years old.

Buy A Home With Bad Credit - Part Two

The obvious way to buy a home with bad credit is to just keep looking until you find a bank or finance company that makes these high-risk loans. Unfortunately, high-risk to them means high interest and fees to you. To avoid that, consider the following ways you can buy a home.

Buy on a lease option. Some sellers will lease their house to you with an option to buy. A portion of the lease payment should apply towards the down payment for the home. If $250 of the rent applies towards the down payment, after two years you'll have a $6,000 credit to help you with the down payment. Two years might also be enough time to correct your credit, and so get a better mortgage loan.

Look for or ask for seller financing. Sometimes a seller is willing to provide the financing you need. This could be in the form of a "contract for sale" or an owner-carried mortgage. Bottom line? You can make payments to the seller instead of the bank - with no lending fees and lower interest.

Think creatively. I know of a case where the landlord was anxious to sell his four-plex, so the buyer offered him full price if he would carry the financing, and take a low down payment. Closing was arranged for the first days of the month, so the buyer's small down payment came from the rents that were credited to him. He then moved into one of the units the following month when a tenant moved out. There are many other creative ways people have found to buy a home with bad credit or even with no provable income.

By Steve Gillman from http://www.HousesUnderFiftyThousand.com

Boost Your Portfolio Returns with Stable, Above-Average Dividends

From http://www.StreetAuthority.com

In today's fast-paced investing world, speculators often look to make a quick fortune on "the next Microsoft" or some other fast-growing company that operates in an exciting new industry. However, it would be shortsighted to focus entirely on volatile, unproven firms, while overlooking the numerous benefits offered by well-established, dividend-paying companies.

Although many investors consider the sub-2% yield offered by the S&P 500 to be trivial, it would be a huge mistake to dismiss dividends. In fact, a look back at statistical data over the past 75 years shows that nearly half of the market's total returns have come in the form of dividends. Between 1926 and 2004, dividends represented approximately 42% of the total return delivered by the S&P 500. Over that same span, it's been calculated that $1,000 invested in the S&P would have grown to $2.3 million if reinvested dividends are included, but only $90,000 without the dividends.

If history is any guide, then dividend-paying stocks should also perform better than their non-paying counterparts over the long haul. Contrary to conventional wisdom, studies have shown dividend payers handily outperformed non-payers from 1970 to 2000. At the same time, those same dividend-paying stocks experienced far less volatility -- they could also be counted on to deliver stronger relative returns in difficult market environments. What's more, according to the latest data from Standard & Poor's, dividend-payers are still outpacing non-payers in today's volatile marketplace.

Tax Changes Favor Dividends

Better still, thanks to tax changes, investors are now getting more bang for their buck from most dividend-paying stocks. Until 2003, dividends were taxed as ordinary income -- up to a staggeringly high 38.6% maximum tax rate. By contrast, capital gains were taxed at a much lower 20% rate. That advantageous tax treatment, combined with a roaring bull market, led many investors to gravitate toward high-growth, non-dividend-paying stocks in the late 1990s.

However, thanks to legislation that took effect in 2003, the playing field has now been leveled, and a uniform 15% tax rate applies equally to both dividends and capital gains. As such, income-oriented stock investors are now able to retain a much larger chunk of their gains.

Over the past several years, thousands of companies have taken advantage of the favorable new tax law. Instead of buying back shares to boost stock prices, an increasing number of firms have opted to return excess cash to shareholders in the form of dividends. Over 1,700 companies announced dividend increases in 2004, and many firms -- including a number of formerly tight-fisted technology companies -- initiated new corporate dividend policies for the first time. This trend, which has continued throughout 2005 and 2006, has not only lifted the payouts that most income investors receive, but has also expanded the pool of quality income-paying candidates to choose from.

The Importance of Compounding

The dividend payments generated by a modest investment might seem to be inconsequential initially, but through the magic of compounding, it won't take long before they begin to make a dramatic impact on your portfolio. After all, dividends can be reinvested and used to purchase more shares, leading to even larger dividend checks. These larger checks can then be used to buy even more shares . . . and so on. In time, thanks to the power of dividend reinvestment, even a small stake in such stocks can grow into a tidy sum.

Investing in high-quality stocks for the long term and then reinvesting the dividends is one of the best ways to build wealth. For this reason, many investors choose to enroll their securities in dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs), which automatically use all dividends paid by a stock to buy more shares.

DRIPs are powerful wealth-builders. By pouring your dividends back into more shares, DRIPs make it easy to harness the miraculous power of compounding. The beauty of compounding is that any little smidgen of money you can put to work now -- no matter how small -- can have an extraordinary effect on your wealth down the road.

Take a look at this example: Let's assume you purchase 1,000 shares of a stock with a share price of $10 (for a total initial investment of $10,000). Let's also assume that this stock offers a 6.5% annual dividend and steady +10% share price appreciation each and every year. Because this stock's growth rate (10%) exceeds its dividend yield (6.5%), it's only natural to assume that capital appreciation would play a more important role in the stock's total returns over the long haul -- right?

Well, if you thought this way, then you'd be dead wrong. Without dividends reinvested, after 30 years this $10K would turn into $292,107. That's a respectable gain, but you'd still end up with just 1,000 shares. With dividends reinvested for 30 years, however, that initial $10K would be worth over $1.15 million. Best of all, you'd now own 6,614 shares of stock. At year #31, those 6,614 shares would be generating more than $75,000 in annual dividend payments alone!

The bottom line is that dividends matter big time. And reinvesting the dividends earned from high-yield stocks matters even more. As you can see from our example, when you invest in companies with abnormally high dividend yields, you can make staggering profits. In fact, your dividend check can eventually grow so large that it surpasses the original price you paid for the stock. The exhilaration of "lapping" your stock that way is a feeling you'll never forget.

What to Look for in a Solid Dividend-Paying Investment

While it might be tempting to invest exclusively in the market's highest-yielding securities, this shortcut approach usually leads to mediocre returns. To begin, off-the-charts dividend yields are typically the result of very depressed share prices. In many cases, the companies that offer such high yields are in poor financial shape.

In addition, poorly-performing companies often see their share prices decline even further, leading to dismal overall returns. Remember: income securities offer returns from two sources -- dividends AND capital gains. With this in mind, although you can hold a stock that offers an exceptional 15% dividend yield, if the underlying shares lose -20% in a year, then your investment will end up losing money.

Furthermore, corporate dividends are by no means guaranteed -- companies can reduce their dividend payouts -- or even eliminate them altogether -- whenever they like. As such, a fat dividend yield alone does not guarantee investment success.

With this in mind, we prefer to focus our research on companies and funds with a proven ability to not only pay dividends year after year, but also to increase their payouts. We also examine a number of other factors to ensure that our investment ideas are fundamentally sound. Before investing in any dividend-paying stock, we carefully evaluate each of the following items:

Yield -- A company's dividend yield indicates the annual return a stock delivers in the form of dividend payments. In an effort to hone in on investment ideas with the most impressive dividend yields, in today's report we'll focus exclusively on securities with yields of 7% or more.

Cash Flows -- When searching for high-quality income stocks, we pay particularly close attention to each firm's cash flow. After all, that is what a company uses to pay out dividends. Cash flow often provides a better picture of a firm's profitability, especially when compared to earnings, which incorporate the impact of non-cash items such as depreciation and amortization. As cash flows grow, so does the pool of assets used to fund dividend payments.

Reliability -- Companies are under no legal obligation to continue paying dividends. Therefore, we want to find companies that we can count on to maintain -- and even increase -- their regular dividend payments. When searching for income investing ideas, we usually look for companies that have paid consistent dividends for at least several years. We also look for firms with strong track records of increasing those dividend payments. A lengthy history of stable (and rising) dividend payments is often convincing evidence of a company's commitment to its shareholders.

Total Return -- Although dividends are certainly an important part of the picture, they don't represent the whole story. In the end, the total return that a stock delivers is really a combination of its dividend yield and capital appreciation. A stock may pay a decent annual dividend, but if its share price declines year after year, then the net effect could be a flat -- or possibly even money-losing -- investment. So, when searching for quality income stocks, we're careful to examine far more than just dividend yields -- we look for high-quality, growing companies with the best total return potential.

Taxes -- Income investors should always be mindful of the after-tax rate of return they earn on any investment. A stock may pay a solid dividend and its shares may outperform the market, but if those gains are taxed at a stiff rate, then this may neutralize some of the returns. As mentioned earlier, several years ago the tax rate imposed on most dividend distributions was reduced to 15%. One notable exception, however, is real estate investment trusts (REITs) -- their distributions are still taxed as ordinary income at rates as high as 35%. On the other hand, despite the higher tax rate, many REITs still generate after-tax returns that are far superior to other income stocks. Therefore, investors may want to consider shielding REIT dividends by placing those stocks in qualified, tax-advantaged accounts -- such as IRAs.

With the analysis above in mind, we believe all investors need to have exposure to dividend-paying stocks. Along those lines, below we'll introduce you to several income stocks and funds that not only offer dividend yields of at least 7%, but that also appear poised to deliver market-beating total returns in the years ahead . . .

Centerline Holdings (NYSE: CHC)

Business Overview: Centerline (formerly known as CharterMac) is a finance company that lends, invests, and manages capital, with a focus on the real estate industry. The firm's business can be divided into four main segments: portfolio investing, mortgage banking, credit enhancement, and fund management. Of these, portfolio investing accounts for the largest chunk of overall revenues. This business is actually rather simple -- CHC buys revenue-backed bonds from state and local governments that are issued to finance the construction of multi-family housing for lower-income families.

For the most part, interest income on these government bonds is exempt from federal tax. Currently, CHC holds a diversified portfolio comprised of over 350 revenue bonds worth roughly $3 billion spread throughout metropolitan areas in the U.S.

While Centerline was still known as CharterMac, the firm took steps to diversify its business significantly. In 2006, CHC purchased Dallas-based ARCap, a company specializing in commercial mortgage-backed securities and debt. While the residential mortgage market has been under some pressure, the commercial market remains red-hot -- demand for office buildings and retail locations is strong and rents paid for such space are on the rise. Since residential and commercial markets often don't move in tandem, this is a valuable diversification for CHC.

Fund management has also become an integral part of CHC's business, and it now accounts for a significant portion of total revenues. In short, the company raises money from institutional investors (or high net-worth individuals) to form investment funds, which it then invests. This is a fee business -- investors pay CHC to manage their money for them.

Growth Drivers: Much of Centerline's business is fee-based in nature. As long as institutional investors see promise in the company's management skills, they'll continue to pay fees to Centerline. Meanwhile, the firm's portfolio management business should benefit from a continued expansion in the firm's bond holdings and a resurgence in the multi-family housing market.

Occupancy rates in the type of low-income housing developments that CHC works with are now rebounding from 10-year lows. As interest rates have risen in recent years, many prospective low-income home buyers have found themselves back in the rental market. Even better, there's been little growth in the amount of affordable housing in the U.S. over the past few years.

Therefore, if demand continues to rise, then we're likely to see another round of new construction to meet demand. This will have two main effects. First, the company's investing business should benefit from increased issuance of bonds to finance new multi-family housing construction. Second, and more importantly, a firming up in the rental market would cause occupancy rates and rents to rise.

Dividends: For tax purposes, Centerline is treated like a partnership. However, because the company's main business is financing multi-family housing bonds for low-income families, much of its income is tax exempt. In fact, roughly 90% of all income passed through to shareholders in recent years was deemed tax exempt. As a result, the bulk of CHC's dividends can be excluded from federal (though not state or local) income tax -- this significantly boosts the actual value of CHC's dividend yield.

We're also very impressed with CHC's track record of steadily raising dividends over time. With a hefty annual payout of $1.68 per share, CHC offers a roughly 9% dividend yield. Better still, an investor in the 35% tax bracket would be receiving a compelling taxable equivalent yield (assuming 90% of the income will be tax-exempt) of about 12%. This tax savings provides investors -- particularly those in high tax brackets -- with an enormous advantage.

Valuation & Outlook: Based on projected earnings of nearly $2.00 per share in the coming year, CHC now trades at a forward P/E of around nine -- a fairly reasonable level for a steadily-growing firm with a sizable dividend payout. Going forward, as the residential rental market improves, both rental rates and occupancy should rise, leading to stronger results for Centerline. The company is also exploring ways of lowering its cost of capital, which should help more money flow to the bottom line -- and to shareholders.

However, one concern are interest rates. Basically, rising Federal funds rates spells rising short-term interest rates. Since many mortgage firms use a large amount of debt to finance their purchases, rising short-term rates means rising financing costs. At the same time, rising rates tend to raise credit risks -- some borrowers have been struggling to pay loans in the current environment and default rates are on the rise.

But asset management is typically a fee-based business. Thus, it's not exposed as heavily to the spread. And by developing sophisticated models to track credit risk, CHC can add value for its customers by spotting and avoiding credit risk issues before they occur. The company has even formed a unit that buys and sells default swaps -- a derivative instrument that allows CHC to sell credit risk to third-party buyers.

All this diversification adds up to a far more stable stream of revenues and fees. And because CHC has carefully targeted ways of limiting its risk, the company is well-placed to thrive even if the residential housing market continues to be weak.

American Capital Strategies (Nasdaq: ACAS)

Business Overview: American Capital is one of the largest business development companies (aka "venture capital" firms) in the U.S. The firm operates as a closed-end fund that provides capital to emerging businesses with promising growth prospects.

ACAS maintains a well-diversified investment portfolio comprised primarily of mid-sized private businesses. Since going public in 1997, the company has invested over $13 billion in more than 250 firms. And by investing in a diverse portfolio of well over 200 private firms in over 20 separate industries, ACAS has managed to mitigate much of its company- and industry-specific risks.

Growth Drivers: American Capital makes its money predominately by extending loans to mid-sized companies with solid growth prospects. ACAS has grown to become one of the leading players in the industry, and in in recent years the firm has climbed to the top spot by capturing a 5% market share. Management is aggressive, but also quite selective in the companies it finances.

In addition to the 13% interest rate the fund receives from its average loan, American Capital often gets an equity perk from its deals. More specifically, the firm receives warrants that allow it to buy shares at a discount and potentially sell them at a higher price on the open market.

ACAS has been firing on all cylinders, expanding its presence in Europe with offices in Paris and London. The largely untapped European market is expected to drive future growth, increasing the fund's target market by about 50%. The company has also expanded the range of its business operations. For example, ACAS now generates additional fees and financing sources by heading up syndicated groups of venture capital firms.

Dividends: Since the beginning of 2002, ACAS has increased its quarterly dividend payment nearly 20 times. With an annual dividend payment of over $3.50 per share, ACAS offers a yield of about 8.0%.

Valuation & Outlook: ACAS has been a steady performer since going public in 1997. Over the past five years, the stock has gained about +20% annually (both dividends and capital gains).

ACAS trades at just 12 times projected earnings, and going forward analysts expect the firm to deliver steady annualized bottom-line growth of around +9%. Even better, that 9% figure is likely to prove conservative given ACAS' recent expansion into the fast-growing European market. Furthermore, the company also launched a new commercial real estate asset management division -- a unit that should generate a steady stream of recurring, fee-based income. Assuming that ACAS can deliver earnings growth of about +10% per year, its annual earnings should exceed $5.00 per share by the end of the decade. Most of that will be paid out to shareholders in the form of rising annual dividends.

Municipal Mortgage & Equity (NYSE: MMA)

Business Overview: This Maryland-based company invests primarily in bonds used to finance low-income housing projects. Founded in 1995, Municipal Mortgage and Equity (commonly referred to as MuniMae) currently has more than $16 billion in assets under management secured by a portfolio of 3,000 properties located throughout the country.

Growth Drivers: MuniMae generates the bulk of its income from the spread between its borrowing costs and the interest it earns on loans to help developers construct affordable multi-family housing. In addition, thanks to its purchase of Housing and Community Investing a few years ago, MMA is now also a leader in the tax credit syndication business.

This new growth avenue involves buying tax credits, which are extended by the federal government to developers as an incentive to build low-income housing. These credits are then bundled and sold to investors -- for a sizeable fee, of course. Following the acquisition, MuniMae has now raised more than $1 billion of tax credit equity capital for several consecutive years. This new business has helped diversify MMA's revenue base and has made the company less sensitive to interest rate changes. More importantly, MMA now generates regular fee-based income that is expected to rise at a healthy +10% annual clip over the next five years.

Dividends: Structured as an LLP, MuniMae typically returns at least 80% of its income to shareholders in the form of dividends. And since MMA generates most of its profits from tax-exempt municipal bond income, a large percentage of that dividend stream is also free from federal taxes.

With the company's cash available for distribution (CAD) on the rise, management has steadily boosted its quarterly payout over the past decade. Based on its annual dividend payout of over $2.00 per share, MMA offers a dividend yield of 7.5%. And since a large portion of the firm's dividends are tax-free at the federal level, the stock's taxable-equivalent yield is considerably higher.

Valuation & Outlook: Priced around 14 times earnings, MMA trades at a slight premium to the industry average. However, given the company's past performance and future outlook, this premium seems warranted. The company completed the acquisitions of MONY Realty Capital and Glaser Financial in 200574 and has increased dividends for 41 consecutive quarters. All of this bodes well for MuniMae's future. Acquisitions and increased gains in tax-credit equity should grow cash available for distribuion (CAD) and will likely pave the way for continued distribution increases for MuniMae.

Alpine Dynamic Dividend Fund (ADVDX)

Fund Overview: Although we generally prefer to invest in funds with extensive track records, this relatively new offering holds tremendous promise. Unlike most stodgy large-cap value funds, which tend to be filled with companies from the same industries -- like banks, pharmaceuticals, and utilities -- ADVDX provides exposure to a little of everything, including growth and value, large cap and small cap, domestic and international. At the same time, the fund's core growth and income strategy is spruced up with a sprinkling of turnaround plays and special situations.

So far, the results speak for themselves. Alpine Dynamic Dividend Fund has produced 3-year annualized total returns of about +20%. During that stretch, the fund has easily outperformed the S&P 500, as well as over 70% of its peer group.

Portfolio: Though ADVDX is classified as mid-cap value fund, manager Jill Evans has shown a willingness to go anywhere in search of quality companies with attractive yields. While roughly 15% of the fund's assets are invested in blue-chip, mega-cap giants like PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP) and Bank of America (NYSE: BAC), it also invests in a large number of smaller stocks to help boost returns.

At the same time, Evans isn't afraid to look overseas either, as nearly 40% of the fund's assets are invested abroad. In all, Alpine Dynamic's portfolio contains nearly 100 stocks representing a broad cross section of asset classes. The fund is nicely diversified, with the top ten positions accounting for less than 20% of total assets.

Dividends & Returns: Although ADVDX sports a brief track record, it has quickly proven itself to be one of the highest yielding funds in the mid-cap value category. The fund's management team has used a three-pronged attack to scoop up stocks with impressive yields and attractive long-term growth prospects. First, they target companies like Textron (NYSE: TXT) that have shown a reliable ability to consistently raise dividends as well as earnings. Next, they lock in high-yields on turnaround candidates that are poised for improvement.

Finally, about one-third of the portfolio is dedicated to a "dividend capture" strategy. This portion is allocated to companies like Regal Cinemas (NYSE: RGC) that are fond of dishing out special one-time dividend distributions. It takes precise timing to execute this tactic, which involves purchasing the stocks of cash-rich firms, collecting a hefty dividend, selling the shares, and then reinvesting the proceeds in another company that is primed to do the same thing. And ADVDX holds the shares for just 61 days around the ex-dividend date (the minimum required to qualify for the reduced 15% tax rate). This way, the fund can collect up to six dividend payments per year on the same assets -- rather than the usual four. The fund generates approximately two-thirds of its yield from this portion of its portfolio.

So, what does all this add up to? Well, ADVDX currently offers a robust yield of 13.0% based on dividend payments of nearly $1.75 per share.

Outlook: If you're looking for a well rounded, "all weather" equity income fund that should perform well under a variety of market conditions, then ADVDX certainly fits the bill. Given the fund's "dividend capture" strategy, it's not surprising that portfolio turnover is relatively high and can approach 200% per year. However, the fund's management team has done a good job of harvesting losses to limit the fund's tax liability. Throw in a below-average annual expense ratio of just 1.18%, and it's easy to see why this fund is quickly making a name for itself.

Macquarie/First Trust Global Infrastructure/Utilities Dividend & Income Fund (NYSE: MFD)

Fund Overview: Launched in March 2004 by Macquarie, one of Australia's largest banks, MFD is a closed-end fund managed by First Trust Advisors. This specialty utility fund invests primarily in stocks involved in the utility and energy sectors.

Portfolio: MFD is heavily weighted towards utilities, which account for most of the fund's portfolio. Management has allocated the remainder of the fund's assets to the energy and financial industries. The committee that handles managerial duties has constructed a very concentrated portfolio, with the top five positions soaking up more than 25% of assets.

Stocks represent nearly two-thirds of the fund's assets. Major holdings are Italy's largest power provider Enel, Canada's Pembina Pipelines, and England's AWG plc. Though the fund owns companies of all sizes, with a median market cap of $5 billion, MFD falls into the mid-cap category.

In addition to its utility holdings, MFD invests about 40% of its portfolio in floating rate loans. You'll want to note that the fund's total asset allocation adds up to well above 100% (this is due to the fact that MFD is quite leveraged and attempts to boost yields by borrowing money at low rates and then lending it out at higher rates). Due to the floating rate nature of these loans, the fund's portfolio is somewhat protected from rising interest rates.

Dividends & Returns: With a variety of high-yielding stocks and considerable interest income, MFD distributed dividends of more than $3.00 per share in the last 12 months. Based on the fund's market price, that equates to a yield of about 10%. (Please note that this fund typically pays a large special dividend toward the end of each year, which boosts its yield considerably.)

Outlook: We like MFD's focus on utility and infrastructure stocks, which should deliver safe dividends and perform well over the long run, particularly in difficult market environments. At the same time, the floating-rate portion of the fund's portfolio is not as rate-sensitive as government or corporate bonds and should throw off a higher income stream now that rates have risen substantially from record lows.

Over the last year, MFD has posted total returns of over +50%, easily outpacing the S&P 500. It's also worth pointing out that even with the large returns over the past year, the fund still trades at a slight discount to its net asset value (NAV). Despite its pricey 1.8% expense ratio, MFD is a solid choice for investors in search of low volatility and high yields.