It was never supposed to be this daunting. At least that’s what we were told. But according to a recent study by the National Institute on Retirement Security, 85% of Americans are either “concerned” or “very concerned” about their ability to achieve a secure retirement. My guess is you might be one of them. #-ad_banner-#In fact, we did a little internal polling among StreetAuthority readers recently. Despite the fact that nearly half of respondents who were aged 55 and older reported having investment portfolios worth $500,000 or more, only 54% of… Read More

It was never supposed to be this daunting. At least that’s what we were told. But according to a recent study by the National Institute on Retirement Security, 85% of Americans are either “concerned” or “very concerned” about their ability to achieve a secure retirement. My guess is you might be one of them. #-ad_banner-#In fact, we did a little internal polling among StreetAuthority readers recently. Despite the fact that nearly half of respondents who were aged 55 and older reported having investment portfolios worth $500,000 or more, only 54% of those surveyed answered “yes” when asked “Are you confident you will have enough money for retirement?” Now you can read into that 54% response however you would like, but I think it’s pretty good. Just not good enough. And here’s the thing: I’m willing to bet that number is actually high when compared with the general population. If you find yourself in the camp of those with portfolios of $500,000 or more, then congratulations are in order. But I wouldn’t blame you if you still felt like you were on shaky ground. After all,… Read More

Two weeks ago, I made a major announcement about StreetAuthority’s premium newsletter lineup. In short, two of our leading analysts — Amy Calistri and Jimmy Butts — have teamed up to create a new premium newsletter. As I mentioned back then, the goal of this newsletter will be to feature the absolute best stock picks for investors to hold in their core portfolio. I also mentioned that two of our former publications, Stock of the Month and Top 10 Stocks, would fold into this exciting new letter. #-ad_banner-#Today, I’m happy to pass along word… Read More

Two weeks ago, I made a major announcement about StreetAuthority’s premium newsletter lineup. In short, two of our leading analysts — Amy Calistri and Jimmy Butts — have teamed up to create a new premium newsletter. As I mentioned back then, the goal of this newsletter will be to feature the absolute best stock picks for investors to hold in their core portfolio. I also mentioned that two of our former publications, Stock of the Month and Top 10 Stocks, would fold into this exciting new letter. #-ad_banner-#Today, I’m happy to pass along word Amy and Jimmy’s first Top Stock Advisor issue is out and available to current subscribers. Those readers can find it here. Now, rather than share their first pick with you (which wouldn’t be fair to current subscribers), I’d like to touch on an important point they made in their inaugural issue that I think is far, far more valuable than any one single stock pick. You see, Amy and Jimmy are of the same opinion I am when it comes to successful investing. It doesn’t take a genius-level IQ or any sort… Read More

One of my guilty pleasures lately has been the new hit series on Showtime, “Billions.” The show is about a powerful hedge fund billionaire, Bobby Axelrod, who has more than a few dark secrets. One of them is that he and his associates are playing fast and loose with the law and raking in — you guessed it — billions of dollars in the process. The show is full of high-tension moments, of course. But there are a few of us around the StreetAuthority office who can’t help but snicker when characters on the show describe the actual… Read More

One of my guilty pleasures lately has been the new hit series on Showtime, “Billions.” The show is about a powerful hedge fund billionaire, Bobby Axelrod, who has more than a few dark secrets. One of them is that he and his associates are playing fast and loose with the law and raking in — you guessed it — billions of dollars in the process. The show is full of high-tension moments, of course. But there are a few of us around the StreetAuthority office who can’t help but snicker when characters on the show describe the actual trades made by the fictional hedge fund, and why they place them. The show’s writers, as well as the rest of the financial media it seems, would have you believe that it takes some sort of “insider information” or “hot tip” to truly make the big bucks on Wall Street. #-ad_banner-#But in my experience, that just ain’t so. That’s not to say, however, that whenever a big fish makes a bet on a particular stock we shouldn’t investigate further and possibly go along for the ride My colleague Jared Levy agrees. Read More

The British newspaper The Economist recently released its updated ranking of threats to the global economy, and number one on the list isn’t what you might think. It’s not ISIS, Russia or even low energy prices. #-ad_banner-#It’s China. Specifically, the Global Forecasting Service at The Economist says that the likelihood of China experiencing a “hard landing” within the next five years is the top threat to the global economy. The culprits: deterioration in the manufacturing sector, sky-high debt levels, ongoing currency depreciation and ill-conceived interventions into the country’s stock market. The… Read More

The British newspaper The Economist recently released its updated ranking of threats to the global economy, and number one on the list isn’t what you might think. It’s not ISIS, Russia or even low energy prices. #-ad_banner-#It’s China. Specifically, the Global Forecasting Service at The Economist says that the likelihood of China experiencing a “hard landing” within the next five years is the top threat to the global economy. The culprits: deterioration in the manufacturing sector, sky-high debt levels, ongoing currency depreciation and ill-conceived interventions into the country’s stock market. The backdrop for this turmoil is the need for policymakers to guide China’s maturation from a largely manufacturing-based economy to a consumer and services-based economy. From the report:       This month we are raising our risk of China experiencing a hard landing at some point in the next five years to 40%, from one in three previously. There are many conceivable routes to such an outcome, varying from a house price crash to the state sector crowding out investment, but we are particularly concerned by the rapid build-up of debt in the economy. At more than 200% of GDP,… Read More

Here’s a random question… Do you remember the Virtual Boy? #-ad_banner-#I’d be surprised if you do. Launched by Nintendo in 1995, the Virtual Boy was meant to be a great leap forward — a portable video game console that displayed “true 3D graphics” for users. The New York Times previewed the console in 1994, saying it would “totally immerse players into their own private universe.”  Sounds pretty cool, right? Unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype. Gunpei Yokoi, creator of Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld system (which sold 118 million… Read More

Here’s a random question… Do you remember the Virtual Boy? #-ad_banner-#I’d be surprised if you do. Launched by Nintendo in 1995, the Virtual Boy was meant to be a great leap forward — a portable video game console that displayed “true 3D graphics” for users. The New York Times previewed the console in 1994, saying it would “totally immerse players into their own private universe.”  Sounds pretty cool, right? Unfortunately it didn’t live up to the hype. Gunpei Yokoi, creator of Nintendo’s Game Boy handheld system (which sold 118 million units over its lifespan) was tasked with bringing Virtual Boy to life, so he began experimenting with the technology Nintendo had licensed to create the 3D experience. While he touted the tech as a game-changer, he also realized that it would be prohibitively expensive (in the neighborhood of $500) to feature a full color LCD display system in the console. The result was a still-expensive (for the time) $149 gaming system with a red-only 3D visual display that, to be kind, was less than fulfilling. To put it bluntly: it irritated users. Some even complained of… Read More

I have some exciting news to share with StreetAuthority readers… As a StreetAuthority veteran, I can personally attest that we’re always looking to make improvements to our product line-up. Whether it’s tweaking the mission of one of our newsletters, fine-tuning our portfolios or merely making cosmetic changes to the layout of the issues, we’ve strived to always think of ways to upgrade the experience for our loyal premium subscribers. #-ad_banner-#So after careful deliberation over the past few months, we’ve decided to make a big change… Starting with the April issue, our Top 10 Stocks premium newsletter will be incorporated into… Read More

I have some exciting news to share with StreetAuthority readers… As a StreetAuthority veteran, I can personally attest that we’re always looking to make improvements to our product line-up. Whether it’s tweaking the mission of one of our newsletters, fine-tuning our portfolios or merely making cosmetic changes to the layout of the issues, we’ve strived to always think of ways to upgrade the experience for our loyal premium subscribers. #-ad_banner-#So after careful deliberation over the past few months, we’ve decided to make a big change… Starting with the April issue, our Top 10 Stocks premium newsletter will be incorporated into an exciting new premium advisory authored by two of StreetAuthority’s finest analysts: Amy Calistri and Jimmy Butts. This new premium newsletter offering is called Top Stock Advisor. It will bring our premium readers the same investments that prompted many of them to join Top 10 Stocks in the first place — but it will also offer much, much more.  In short, this new advisory will feature investments designed to function as core holdings for any investor’s portfolio. It will feature companies with a fantastic record of rising dividend payments, and they’ll have the ability to consistently outperform the market without… Read More

Editor’s Note: Here at StreetAuthority we occasionally like to feature one of our “Hall of Fame” issues to readers as a reminder of some of the classic investing advice and analysis our experts have offered over the years.  What follows is an interview I did with options expert Michael Vodicka back in October of last year. Keep in mind, some of the numbers and dates referenced may be different now, but the wisdom still holds true. I hope you enjoy. StreetAuthority Daily: Before we get to the details of your strategy, let’s start off by first telling readers a little… Read More

Editor’s Note: Here at StreetAuthority we occasionally like to feature one of our “Hall of Fame” issues to readers as a reminder of some of the classic investing advice and analysis our experts have offered over the years.  What follows is an interview I did with options expert Michael Vodicka back in October of last year. Keep in mind, some of the numbers and dates referenced may be different now, but the wisdom still holds true. I hope you enjoy. StreetAuthority Daily: Before we get to the details of your strategy, let’s start off by first telling readers a little bit about you… Mike: Sure. I like to call myself a “reformed day trader.” By that I mean I started my career as a day trader at a multibillion-dollar trading firm. #-ad_banner-#I saw lots of day traders taking huge risks and making big gambles on market-moving news with their money. They would win big one day, only to lose it all the next. I learned a valuable lesson: trading is no quick path to riches. After spending years fully entrenched in the markets and learning from the sharpest minds in the business, I finally decided… Read More

In January I warned StreetAuthority’s premium newsletter subscribers against overreacting. The markets were in a tailspin, officially crossing into correction territory just two weeks into the year.  However, I also said in a follow-up that it would be prudent to begin making a shopping list. #-ad_banner-#Today, we find ourselves in a market that has shown some signs of strength. Oil prices have rallied about 31% since mid-February, propelling the Dow Jones Industrial Average on a 1366-point rally. The S&P 500, meanwhile, is up roughly 8.8% since then. Aside from firming oil prices, there are other developments I’ve… Read More

In January I warned StreetAuthority’s premium newsletter subscribers against overreacting. The markets were in a tailspin, officially crossing into correction territory just two weeks into the year.  However, I also said in a follow-up that it would be prudent to begin making a shopping list. #-ad_banner-#Today, we find ourselves in a market that has shown some signs of strength. Oil prices have rallied about 31% since mid-February, propelling the Dow Jones Industrial Average on a 1366-point rally. The S&P 500, meanwhile, is up roughly 8.8% since then. Aside from firming oil prices, there are other developments I’ve seen that lead me to believe that the rampant selling is beginning to abate. Back on January 15 (the very same day I warned readers to not overreact to the market by panic), my colleague Jimmy Butts noticed that his Maximum Profit system was throwing up some major warning flags. (I’ve covered how Jimmy and his readers use the Maximum Profit system to identify fundamentally-sound stocks with momentum to deliver quick gains. I won’t recap the mechanics of the entire system today. But for more, read this or this.) When he… Read More

My colleague Andy Obermueller has been telling readers of his premium newsletter, Game-Changing Stocks, to target a number of well-known, high-quality stocks for months now. In case you’re not familiar, Andy advocates for his readers to take an “80/20” approach to investing. This means 80% of your portfolio is allocated to safer investments with a fairly predictable rate of return (think: index funds, blue chips, etc.). The other 20% is reserved for picks that can really move the needle on your portfolio — the kinds of innovative, world-changing companies he regularly recommends in his premium newsletter. #-ad_banner-#As he puts it,… Read More

My colleague Andy Obermueller has been telling readers of his premium newsletter, Game-Changing Stocks, to target a number of well-known, high-quality stocks for months now. In case you’re not familiar, Andy advocates for his readers to take an “80/20” approach to investing. This means 80% of your portfolio is allocated to safer investments with a fairly predictable rate of return (think: index funds, blue chips, etc.). The other 20% is reserved for picks that can really move the needle on your portfolio — the kinds of innovative, world-changing companies he regularly recommends in his premium newsletter. #-ad_banner-#As he puts it, the market’s volatility and global uncertainty make it tricky to recommend the aggressive-growth stocks he usually does. But on the flip-side, it also gives investors a chance to scoop up high-quality stocks at steep discounts that hold the kind of triple-digit “home-run” potential he and his readers usually target. I’d like to briefly run through a few of the high-quality names Andy has been recommending to his readers. For the sake of space, I won’t be able to give you Andy’s full thesis. To get a full rundown, you’ll need a subscription to Game-Changing Stocks. But as… Read More

Many investors are familiar with Buffett’s famous holding of Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). He began buying shares in 1988. At the time, Buffett said he expected to hang on to this “outstanding business” for “a long time.” And over the ensuing years, he continued to build his position in the iconic company. Today, Coca-Cola is one of Buffett’s largest holdings. As of February 19, Berkshire Hathaway owned 400 million shares of Coca-Cola, valued at roughly $17.2 billion. That’s nearly a fifth of the company’s equity portfolio. #-ad_banner-#But what many investors don’t know is the story… Read More

Many investors are familiar with Buffett’s famous holding of Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO). He began buying shares in 1988. At the time, Buffett said he expected to hang on to this “outstanding business” for “a long time.” And over the ensuing years, he continued to build his position in the iconic company. Today, Coca-Cola is one of Buffett’s largest holdings. As of February 19, Berkshire Hathaway owned 400 million shares of Coca-Cola, valued at roughly $17.2 billion. That’s nearly a fifth of the company’s equity portfolio. #-ad_banner-#But what many investors don’t know is the story about when Buffett used options on Coca-Cola. That’s right. The king of buy-and-hold uses options. More importantly, it’s the way Buffett used options in the case of Coca-Cola — which happens to be a safe, conservative way — that too many investors often ignore… In 1993, Coca-Cola was trading around $39 per share. Buffett, always the bargain hunter, believed that was too pricey. But the billionaire wasn’t content to passively wait for the stock to fall to his preferred price. Instead, he decided to use a simple options strategy that eventually… Read More