I love to kick off the new trading week by taking a quick peek at companies that have just raised their dividends. It's not just about the money. A company that is easing up on its pocketbook probably has improving fundamentals to back up that generosity.

Readers of the Motley Fool Income Investor newsletter can certainly appreciate that kind of thinking. Let's take a closer look at four of the companies that inched their payouts higher over the past week.

Let's start with Disney (NYSE:DIS). The family-entertainment giant's Peter Pan may never want to grow up, but its dividend has other plans. Disney's annual dividend is getting a 13% boost, up to $0.35 a share this year.

J&J Snack Foods (NASDAQ:JJSF) is also sweetening the pot. The company behind SuperPretzel soft pretzels, Icee frozen treats, and Tio Pepe churros is boosting its quarterly payout by 9% to $0.0925 per share.

Raymond James Financial (NYSE:RJF) is another one whose dividend is on the rise. The brokerage firm is marking up its yield by 10% with its new quarterly dividend of $0.11 a share. That's a refreshing sight in an industry that has been volatile lately. There have been high-profile executive sackings at Merrill Lynch (NYSE:MER), E*Trade (NASDAQ:ETFC), and Morgan Stanley (NYSE:MS) in recent weeks, so it's good to find a company comfortable enough in its niche to loosen up with its greenbacks.

Finally, we have McCormick (NYSE:MKC) spicing things up. The seasoning titan's new quarterly distribution rate of $0.22 a share is a 10% improvement. McCormick's move is welcome, but it's not exactly a surprise to its shareholders. The company has increased its dividend in each of the past 21 years.

Subscribers to the Income Investor newsletter can appreciate the companies sending more and more money to their investors. The newsletter singles out companies that are committed to growing their distributions with market-thumping results.

Want to see what's being recommended these days? Go ahead and give the newsletter service a shot with a 30-day free trial subscription. Who knows? Maybe the next thing to get raised will be your interest.