Lance,
Here is an article for you to read, he also has other good articles.
It started with $10k in 2006 and just kept the reinvesting the dividends.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/4440...ortfolio&ifp=0
What you need to focus on is
Best of Breed stock
Dividend payouts
Growth or steady charts 5-10 year
Diversify
that's basically all you need to start, do your homework and buy.
Everything else, your thinking to much sitting on the side lines while everyone else is making