Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money.

From full global headquarters, this is Motley Fool Money.

Welcome to Motley Fool Money. Thanks for being here.

I'm your host, Chris Hill, and joining me in studio this week for Motley Fool

Inside Value Joe Mega for Motley Fool income investor James Early

and for a million dollar portfolio run gross.

Gentlemen, good to see you. Good to see you, Chris.

Nokia is working on a tablet computer. Yahoo!

Is working on a lawsuit against Facebook and Goldman Sachs is working on its own image.

We will get into all of that. Plus, as always, we've got a few stocks on our radar.

But we are going to begin today not with the big macro, but with dividends.

Bloomberg reporting this week that the dividends being paid by companies

in the S&P 500 have reached a record level. James, did you throw a party when this news broke?

Chris, I am not above being predictable. So yes, I am very giddy about this.

Obviously, more dividends are great. This is so exciting though really

because companies are somewhere between lottery winners and professional athletes

in their use of prudent use of cash. In other words, they tend to waste cash all the time.

It's only under the guise of capital budgeting and spreadsheets and frankly ego.

So the fact that they're actually giving this cash back is really inspiring.

Ron, I know you're not quite the dividend guy.

The James is, but none of us are.

But to James's point, I mean, is this really the best way you like to see companies allocating capital

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