Florida summers are hot and humid, so we take a lot of family trips to our community's pool. It's a nice way to cool off, relax, and chat with our neighbors. I've met all kinds of interesting people over there, and had plenty of great conversations. But one particular exchange is permanently seared into my brain. And I think it holds a great lesson for investors. So today, I want to tell you the story. It all started when my neighbor said ... "The Only Reason Companies Pay Dividends Is Because They Are No Longer Growing!" Given my line of work, I expect financial debates. In fact, I welcome them. But I would have never expected to find one in a hot tub. It was a Friday night, and Disha and I decided ...

Thank you Barry L. Ritholtz at THE BIG PICTURE for putting today's 260+ decline in the DOW in perspective. This morning's data may have made things appear worse. Providing a glimmer of hope that the U-3 unemployment rate isn't as bad as it appears, an unexpected surge in teenagers and 20-25 year olds is responsible for a chunk of the unemployment jump. More from Barry: Also possible -- a seasonal adjustment that was expected in June failed to pick up more teens applying for jobs in May "The government cautioned that the scope of the increase in the unemployment rate in May could be a statistical distortion. Month-to-month changes from April ...