In the current low interest-rate environment, dividend-paying stocks have been getting a lot of love from yield-starved investors. However, as today’s article emphasizes, 525 companies have announced dividend cuts in the first three quarters of 2016, the largest number since the financial crisis. The author’s takeaway? “You must be more careful about picking dividend-paying stocks in today’s market” or risk the “double-whammy” of a dividend loss and a loss of principal. As such, he highlights a “secret stock weapon” that can be used to help avoid future dividend-cutters. To read more about this dividend assessment tool – as well as several ETFs that employ it – CLICK HERE.