Let’s speculate for a moment and say you could go back to 2009 and invest $10,000 in the stock market. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the U.S. stock market went on to post year after year gains. In fact, after a relatively short five years, you’d be sitting on just over $28,400 today. Unfortunately, we don’t have a time machine. But we may have found the next best thing. All we have to do is look to Europe. The exact same conditions that led to the furious bull market in the U.S. are setting up across the pond… Read More

Let’s speculate for a moment and say you could go back to 2009 and invest $10,000 in the stock market. In the aftermath of the financial crisis, the U.S. stock market went on to post year after year gains. In fact, after a relatively short five years, you’d be sitting on just over $28,400 today. Unfortunately, we don’t have a time machine. But we may have found the next best thing. All we have to do is look to Europe. The exact same conditions that led to the furious bull market in the U.S. are setting up across the pond today. #-ad_banner-#Let me explain… The financial crisis of 2008-2009 turned out to be the worst recession in nearly 80 years. We saw the collapse of banks, the bursting of a real estate bubble and plummeting stock prices around the world. Nothing was spared. In the U.S., the Federal Reserve acted quickly. The central bank cut the federal funds rate to zero and  rolled out the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP), designed to step in and save the banking sector by doling out $700 billion in taxpayer dollars. It also began purchasing billions of dollars in mortgage-backed securities and treasuries. And… Read More

Earlier this month, over 35,000 people flocked to the “Woodstock for Capitalists” just for a chance to sit in on a six-hour Q&A with the world’s greatest investor — Warren Buffett. To give you an idea of what kind of spectacle this is, just look at sales for Berkshire-owned Nebraska Furniture Mart located in Omaha where the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting takes place every year. In the week surrounding the prestigious shareholder meeting, Nebraska Furniture Mart did over $40 million in sales… which is typically what they do in one month. #-ad_banner-#The shareholder meeting is one of the greatest financial-education… Read More

Earlier this month, over 35,000 people flocked to the “Woodstock for Capitalists” just for a chance to sit in on a six-hour Q&A with the world’s greatest investor — Warren Buffett. To give you an idea of what kind of spectacle this is, just look at sales for Berkshire-owned Nebraska Furniture Mart located in Omaha where the Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting takes place every year. In the week surrounding the prestigious shareholder meeting, Nebraska Furniture Mart did over $40 million in sales… which is typically what they do in one month. #-ad_banner-#The shareholder meeting is one of the greatest financial-education experiences in the world. Attendees get peppered with useful financial information about not only Berkshire, but investing and the economy as a whole. Here are a few great tips that he shared at his recent shareholder meeting. Using Insurance “Float” For Success “Our investment in the insurance companies reflects a first major step in our efforts to achieve a more diversified base of earning power.” — 1967 Annual Report Insurance is Berkshire’s core operation and the engine that has consistently propelled their expansion since 1967. Its first insurance endeavor began with the purchase of National Indemnity for $8.6 million… Read More

When it comes to the stock market, we’re all sheep quietly marching to get slaughtered… At least that’s what the alarmists are saying when it comes to Michael Lewis’ new book, “Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt.” His analysis has roiled commentators the world over by shedding light on the unsung world of high-frequency trading (HFT). You’re probably familiar with Michael Lewis, even if you aren’t readily aware of it. Lewis, a former bond trader with Salomon Brothers in the 1980s, used his experiences to write the best-selling book Liar’s Poker and has since written multiple best-sellers such as Moneyball,… Read More

When it comes to the stock market, we’re all sheep quietly marching to get slaughtered… At least that’s what the alarmists are saying when it comes to Michael Lewis’ new book, “Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt.” His analysis has roiled commentators the world over by shedding light on the unsung world of high-frequency trading (HFT). You’re probably familiar with Michael Lewis, even if you aren’t readily aware of it. Lewis, a former bond trader with Salomon Brothers in the 1980s, used his experiences to write the best-selling book Liar’s Poker and has since written multiple best-sellers such as Moneyball, The Blind Side and The Big Short. In Flash Boys, Lewis paints a picture of Wall Street’s dark underbelly, where complex computer algorithms make lightning-fast investment decisions normal humans are simply incapable of. #-ad_banner-#In the simplest of explanations, this sensitive information allows traders to work about two to three nanoseconds ahead of the rest of the market (to give you an idea of how fast that is, it takes roughly 100 nanoseconds to blink your eye). Most experts have no idea what’s in these algorithms, but they do know that Wall Street traders can profit from them by executing buy… Read More

What do Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Campbell’s Soup (NYSE: CPB) and Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) all have in common? In short, they’ve all survived some of the biggest economic catastrophes the world has ever seen. While thousands of business have come and gone since the early 1900s, these companies have managed to prosper through more than a century of political and economic turbulence. So what’s allowed these companies to continually generate shareholder wealth despite two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless bear markets and recessions? It’s simple: They all belong to a select group of investments that we like… Read More

What do Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Campbell’s Soup (NYSE: CPB) and Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) all have in common? In short, they’ve all survived some of the biggest economic catastrophes the world has ever seen. While thousands of business have come and gone since the early 1900s, these companies have managed to prosper through more than a century of political and economic turbulence. So what’s allowed these companies to continually generate shareholder wealth despite two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless bear markets and recessions? It’s simple: They all belong to a select group of investments that we like to call “Legacy Assets.” #-ad_banner-#For those of you aren’t familiar, “Legacy Assets” is a distinction my colleague David Forest has reserved for companies that have rewarded shareholders for generations. Not only do these companies often sport durable brand names and impenetrable economic moats, their strong competitive advantages have led them to consistently outperform the market for decades. But it’s not just the companies themselves that have stood the test of time. The products they make have remained virtually unchanged. In some cases, the same products have been generating wealth for more than 200 years. While tech companies like Apple and… Read More

Recently, one of StreetAuthority’s most popular newsletter personalities, Nathan Slaughter, sat down for an exclusive interview with one of the brightest up-and-coming minds in finance — Mebane Faber. If you haven’t heard of Meb before, chances are you will be hearing a lot more about him soon. That’s because Meb has been taking the financial world by storm with his groundbreaking research into an investing concept that is so compelling — yet so simple — that we can’t believe this hasn’t been widely talked about before. #-ad_banner-#Later in today’s issue, we’re going to share excerpts of that interview with you. You’re… Read More

Recently, one of StreetAuthority’s most popular newsletter personalities, Nathan Slaughter, sat down for an exclusive interview with one of the brightest up-and-coming minds in finance — Mebane Faber. If you haven’t heard of Meb before, chances are you will be hearing a lot more about him soon. That’s because Meb has been taking the financial world by storm with his groundbreaking research into an investing concept that is so compelling — yet so simple — that we can’t believe this hasn’t been widely talked about before. #-ad_banner-#Later in today’s issue, we’re going to share excerpts of that interview with you. You’re sure to find it as fascinating as we have, and with any luck, it might make you a better, smarter investor. See, both Meb and Nathan are no strangers to the virtues of income investing. Many of you are likely already familiar with Nathan — he’s been with StreetAuthority for over 10 years and heads up one of the most successful income-oriented newsletters in the country — High-Yield Investing. Meb has written several bestselling financial books, including The Ivy Portfolio and Shareholder Yield, and was classmates with StreetAuthority co-founder Paul Tracy nearly 20 years ago at the University of Virginia. Read More

As this heated election nears conclusion, one thing is for certain: It’s hard to separate the lies from the truth. However, one truth remains undeniable… The challenges our country faces also present challenges for individual investors. Whether we’re talking about the “fiscal cliff,” corporate… Read More

In 2012, with interest rates at record lows, the savings accounts of old just don’t make sense. That’s especially true if you’re going to rely on them as income when you get older. That’s where “dividend aristocrats” come in. To earn this… Read More

If you haven’t heard about the “North Dakota phenomenon” yet, you will soon. The state is quickly becoming known as a modern-day version of California during the gold rush. People are flocking to the state, seeking their fortune (or at least a decent-paying job), and formerly sleepy farming towns are… Read More

It’s been a roller-coaster year for stocks, but one that will ultimately end well. Barring any unforeseen events, the S&P 500 will end the year with a gain of about 15.0%. This year brought with it a myriad of opportunities for profits and losses, from the commodities boom and M&A… Read More

This is the time of year when investors typically rebalance their portfolios and begin preparing for the year ahead. In preparation for the coming year, it helps to look back and think about the lessons learned from the previous year and how they can be applied for a profitable future. With that in mind, we asked some of StreetAuthority’s top experts what they learned in 2010 and how they hope to apply it in 2011. Here’s what they learned…  ———————————— Here’s what I learned this year: “It’s the economy, stupid.”… Read More

This is the time of year when investors typically rebalance their portfolios and begin preparing for the year ahead. In preparation for the coming year, it helps to look back and think about the lessons learned from the previous year and how they can be applied for a profitable future. With that in mind, we asked some of StreetAuthority’s top experts what they learned in 2010 and how they hope to apply it in 2011. Here’s what they learned…  ———————————— Here’s what I learned this year: “It’s the economy, stupid.” The market isn’t going to charge ahead no matter how good earnings look or how optimistic the Street may be when so many people remain out of work. Uncertainty over the tax code and health care hasn’t helped. But it’s one thing for the market to sputter or stall, it’s another thing entirely for such conditions to keep the best companies down. So while the S&P 500 didn’t blow up anyone’s skirt, there were plenty of big winners in 2010, despite the tough business climate. Cutting-edge technologies and products will always create value, and those companies’ shareholders will be… Read More