We don't like to talk about it... but minimizing losses, knowing when to sell, and risk management are a massive part of successful investing. Read More

We don't like to talk about it... but minimizing losses, knowing when to sell, and risk management are a massive part of successful investing. Read More

If you watched closely enough, Wednesday and Thursday were some of the most insane days in terms of price movement for individual stocks since the whole “meme” stock thing happened in 2020. Yet this time, instead of a rogue group of traders on Reddit causing the shenanigans, it was earnings season. To put it simply, a number of big factors are causing some incredibly volatile action in some big firms as they report fourth-quarter results. Those results (and the bonkers-level price action) have been a mixed bag: some good and some bad. Let’s start with one example of the bad…… Read More

If you watched closely enough, Wednesday and Thursday were some of the most insane days in terms of price movement for individual stocks since the whole “meme” stock thing happened in 2020. Yet this time, instead of a rogue group of traders on Reddit causing the shenanigans, it was earnings season. To put it simply, a number of big factors are causing some incredibly volatile action in some big firms as they report fourth-quarter results. Those results (and the bonkers-level price action) have been a mixed bag: some good and some bad. Let’s start with one example of the bad… Meta Platforms (Nasdaq: FB) – formerly known as Facebook – plunged by about 25% on Wednesday. The company missed analyst targets on both earnings and revenue. It also reported the first drop in total users in the company’s history. Oh, and the new Apple privacy changes will cost the company about $10 billion this year. Did I mention that they also issued guidance that fell short of analyst expectations? All told, the carnage amounted to a $230 billion loss in market cap. That’s never happened before. Seeing as how FB’s weight in the S&P 500 is about 2%, that was… Read More

Back in the summer of 1996, and I had a few months to relax before starting my senior year of college. I wasn’t really looking for work, but like most students, was a little short on funds. So when I saw a poster for a marketing intern position (this was long before internet job sites), I decided to turn in an application. A few days later, I was the newest hire at Premier Bank, a Baton-Rouge-based lender with 150 branches scattered throughout Louisiana. The position had nothing to do with my chosen fields of finance and investment management. But it… Read More

Back in the summer of 1996, and I had a few months to relax before starting my senior year of college. I wasn’t really looking for work, but like most students, was a little short on funds. So when I saw a poster for a marketing intern position (this was long before internet job sites), I decided to turn in an application. A few days later, I was the newest hire at Premier Bank, a Baton-Rouge-based lender with 150 branches scattered throughout Louisiana. The position had nothing to do with my chosen fields of finance and investment management. But it was an easy gig. My primary responsibility was to rotate from branch to branch instructing customers how to deposit checks using the ATM. How things change. Today, you can make an electronic deposit from your mobile phone without ever leaving the house. I came onboard during a time of transition. Premier Bank had been recently acquired by Bank One. So with new branding inside and new signage outside, much of my workday also consisted of informing customers of the switch and assuring them that their accounts were still in good hands. I’ve probably still got an old Bank One checkbook… Read More

One of my favorite income machines has just acquired one of its smaller cross-town neighbors. It’s a master limited partnership (MLP) that’s grown payouts year after year, not to mention serious long-term capital gains. For those who missed it, I made the case for why income-hungry investors should take a serious look at MLPs in 2022 in this article. It’s one of the few areas of the market that still offer high yields – not to mention serious upside. The thing is, the market seems to be completely uninterested in this (and other) MLPs right now. You might even… Read More

One of my favorite income machines has just acquired one of its smaller cross-town neighbors. It’s a master limited partnership (MLP) that’s grown payouts year after year, not to mention serious long-term capital gains. For those who missed it, I made the case for why income-hungry investors should take a serious look at MLPs in 2022 in this article. It’s one of the few areas of the market that still offer high yields – not to mention serious upside. The thing is, the market seems to be completely uninterested in this (and other) MLPs right now. You might even think the days of growing payouts are in the rearview mirror. But thanks to this new acquisition, the prospects for even higher dividends in the future are looking brighter than ever. I’m talking about Enterprise Products Partners (NYSE: EPD). EPD is one of the first names that come to mind when you think of the MLP space. Of course, when you own 50,000 miles of pipelines (enough to circle the planet twice) just about all other rivals will look small in comparison. These vital conduits transport crude oil, natural gas, petrochemicals, and refined products such as gasoline. EPD’s network serves… Read More

While there may be more pain ahead for overvalued stocks, you shouldn't shy away from considering quality companies trading at fair prices... Read More

While there may be more pain ahead for overvalued stocks, you shouldn't shy away from considering quality companies trading at fair prices... Read More

In previous coverage, we’ve devoted some space to tell you a little about our latest investment predictions for 2022. As you know, these come from our colleague Jimmy Butts and his research team over at Top Stock Advisor. We’ve told you just how profitable some of these predictions have been in the past. We’ve also made the case for why it makes sense to carve out a little space in your portfolio to swing for the fences with high-upside picks like these. But what we haven’t done yet is really dive into the specific predictions themselves. So today,… Read More

In previous coverage, we’ve devoted some space to tell you a little about our latest investment predictions for 2022. As you know, these come from our colleague Jimmy Butts and his research team over at Top Stock Advisor. We’ve told you just how profitable some of these predictions have been in the past. We’ve also made the case for why it makes sense to carve out a little space in your portfolio to swing for the fences with high-upside picks like these. But what we haven’t done yet is really dive into the specific predictions themselves. So today, let’s do just that. I’m going to tell you about one of our predictions that’s pretty straightforward. In fact, if you’ve been following along with us, then you know we’ve seen it coming from a mile away, beginning last year. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m talking about inflation. Our “Shocking” Prediction About Inflation (And Bonds) In 2022 So without further ado, here’s prediction #3: Interest rates will surge in 2022, slaughtering bonds, and devastating millions of unprepared income investors. If the bond market crashes, that’s bad news for everyone — even if you don’t own bonds. There… Read More