There aren’t too many investments in existence that are truly recession-proof. And even fewer are market-proof. U.S. government bonds, especially Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) and zero-coupon bonds — the hedges I discussed in this article — come quite close to being both. #-ad_banner-#Utilities, despite their reputation for being recession-resistant investments, are not quite there in terms of their portfolio-protection abilities. For one, demand for energy isn’t always steady. Because much of it comes from industrial uses, when a recession hits, overall energy demand usually declines. Furthermore, even a regulated-utility business model — while making these stocks safer — hardly guarantees… Read More

There aren’t too many investments in existence that are truly recession-proof. And even fewer are market-proof. U.S. government bonds, especially Treasury inflation-protected securities (TIPS) and zero-coupon bonds — the hedges I discussed in this article — come quite close to being both. #-ad_banner-#Utilities, despite their reputation for being recession-resistant investments, are not quite there in terms of their portfolio-protection abilities. For one, demand for energy isn’t always steady. Because much of it comes from industrial uses, when a recession hits, overall energy demand usually declines. Furthermore, even a regulated-utility business model — while making these stocks safer — hardly guarantees growth. Power companies have to contend with regulation, capital expenditures, the costs of maintaining and upgrading our aging infrastructure, the advent of renewable energy, and the additional costs of providing enhanced cybersecurity. But they are indeed safer than much of the rest of the market. Society needs these businesses to always operate, and so the government strives to guarantee that regulated utilities have at least some certainty in their businesses. This is achieved via setting up a regulated return on investment for a regulated utility. Because utilities are largely domestic businesses, their results don’t depend on currency fluctuations. This domestic… Read More

Next time you’re walking on the beach, think about the sand beneath your feet, and how much it’s changed our world. The most common constituent of sand is silica, which is an oxide of silicon, and silicon is a crucial component in microelectronics and computer chips. Hence the name “Silicon Valley.” Before silicon, components of computer chips were made from germanium, an element from the carbon group that is chemically akin to tin. But then along came Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and a former CEO of Intel (Nasdaq: INTC).  —Recommended Link— One Teacher… Read More

Next time you’re walking on the beach, think about the sand beneath your feet, and how much it’s changed our world. The most common constituent of sand is silica, which is an oxide of silicon, and silicon is a crucial component in microelectronics and computer chips. Hence the name “Silicon Valley.” Before silicon, components of computer chips were made from germanium, an element from the carbon group that is chemically akin to tin. But then along came Gordon Moore, the co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and a former CEO of Intel (Nasdaq: INTC).  —Recommended Link— One Teacher In South Carolina Just Collected a $4,416 Check It was even approved by the government. And no, he’s not on disability, and he’s not collecting Social Security. Instead, He’s using this 1 weird trick to collect easy payouts with little to no risk. The good news is that you can use it too. Get the details on this safe, easy method for collecting extra cash right here. Moore, who in 1965 famously described a doubling every year in the number of components per integrated circuit (“Moore’s Law”), believed there was a better material, one that… Read More

Most self-storage renters intend their units to be a short-term solution. But more often than not, three months turns into six, and then six turns into twelve. Nationwide, the average lease term is approximately 15 months. #-ad_banner-#I’m getting close to that mark myself. When we put our home up for sale, the first move was to de-clutter. So, spare furniture, books, sporting goods and other seldom-used items were crammed into a nearby storage unit. A year later, there is still a “for sale” sign in the front yard – and I’m still writing a check to the storage company each… Read More

Most self-storage renters intend their units to be a short-term solution. But more often than not, three months turns into six, and then six turns into twelve. Nationwide, the average lease term is approximately 15 months. #-ad_banner-#I’m getting close to that mark myself. When we put our home up for sale, the first move was to de-clutter. So, spare furniture, books, sporting goods and other seldom-used items were crammed into a nearby storage unit. A year later, there is still a “for sale” sign in the front yard – and I’m still writing a check to the storage company each month. With 516 storage facilities containing 26 million square feet, CubeSmart (Nasdaq: CUBE) has tens of thousands of renters just like me. And all those rental checks add up. Net income last quarter jumped 28% to $49 million, although a good chunk of that increase came from gains on real estate sales. On an adjusted basis, funds from operation (FFO) climbed 7% to $81 million, or $0.42 per share. CubeSmart opened several new properties during the period, and it usually doesn’t take too long to find renters – occupancy rates continue to hover around 92%. And with monthly rental rates… Read More

As some of you may know, I’ve spent some time over the past couple weeks telling readers about how our Daily Paycheck strategy works.  At its core, the strategy is all about finding the market’s safest, strongest dividend payers and letting them pay you year after year. As I’ve mentioned before, when you look at the data, it’s obvious that dividend-paying stocks are the most reliable way to grow your money in the entire investing universe. But today, I want to go one step further by sharing just one of our 45 income-paying holdings with you. By the time you’re… Read More

As some of you may know, I’ve spent some time over the past couple weeks telling readers about how our Daily Paycheck strategy works.  At its core, the strategy is all about finding the market’s safest, strongest dividend payers and letting them pay you year after year. As I’ve mentioned before, when you look at the data, it’s obvious that dividend-paying stocks are the most reliable way to grow your money in the entire investing universe. But today, I want to go one step further by sharing just one of our 45 income-paying holdings with you. By the time you’re finished reading about it, you’ll not only see why a bigger yield isn’t always necessarily better — but you’ll also see just how rewarding it can be when a company produces a bundle of cash flow and uses a chunk of it to aggressively buy back its own shares… —Recommended Link— Trump Blows Up Twitter… Sends This 5G Stock On The Ride Of Its Life President Trump sent this warning to U.S. telcoms: “Step up your 5G efforts, or get left behind.” Right now, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and others are racing to rollout their 5G… Read More

Once again, our local meteorologists were a little wide of the mark with their forecast last weekend. Waking up to predictions of wind and thunderstorms, I decided to cancel my fishing trip. You can probably guess the rest. There were about four or five raindrops, after which the clouds parted and the sun emerged. So I spent much of the day doing yard work instead. It’s nobody’s fault. Even with the latest instruments and computer models, weather forecasting is still somewhat of a guessing game. The same could be said for financial forecasts involving a company’s future earnings. Numerous capricious… Read More

Once again, our local meteorologists were a little wide of the mark with their forecast last weekend. Waking up to predictions of wind and thunderstorms, I decided to cancel my fishing trip. You can probably guess the rest. There were about four or five raindrops, after which the clouds parted and the sun emerged. So I spent much of the day doing yard work instead. It’s nobody’s fault. Even with the latest instruments and computer models, weather forecasting is still somewhat of a guessing game. The same could be said for financial forecasts involving a company’s future earnings. Numerous capricious variables play into the bottom line, so trying to nail down a forecast with any degree of precision is often a difficult task. Even management (which is in constant discussion with customers and has a birds-eye view of the entire organization) is often a little vague on the details. —Recommended Link— 5G Flaw Exposed: $5 Stock Holds Key To $12 Trillion Opportunity A devastating technical glitch could crush the next generation of wireless technology before it even launches. With trillions of dollars and millions of jobs at stake, one company with the “5G fix” could… Read More

Record-low unemployment and improving workforce participation are the economic drivers for one of my most recent stock picks. But it also has structural winds at its back: the cloud. #-ad_banner-#The “cloud” basically eliminates the need for a company-run server, making storing and accessing data and programs over the internet (versus the server or a personal computer) a breeze. This way, a company saves money on the computing resources and software, which are now “rented” as opposed to licensed or bought. Users can access the same program from almost anywhere, and their updates or changes will be saved for the rest… Read More

Record-low unemployment and improving workforce participation are the economic drivers for one of my most recent stock picks. But it also has structural winds at its back: the cloud. #-ad_banner-#The “cloud” basically eliminates the need for a company-run server, making storing and accessing data and programs over the internet (versus the server or a personal computer) a breeze. This way, a company saves money on the computing resources and software, which are now “rented” as opposed to licensed or bought. Users can access the same program from almost anywhere, and their updates or changes will be saved for the rest of the team members to see in real time. Plus, with the cloud, software and services are delivered on demand, and the user typically pays for a recurring subscription to the software-based service — in other words, users pay only for as much of the services as they need. These positives of the cloud model are especially useful for small- and midsize firms where resources are often limited. No wonder businesses are actively investing in and switching to the cloud-computing model. The best cloud providers — including my most recent pick — are able to ride the wave of this… Read More

Tariffs and the trade war are still in the news. But they will be for some time. The uncertainty of trade is now the new normal.  That’s important because uncertainty is often associated with market declines. However, when uncertainty becomes certain, as it is now, traders tend to look past that news.  So, trade will be in the headlines for some time. Those headlines could lead to occasional blips in the market action, but it no longer seems likely that a trade war will be the catalyst for a bear market.  I know that sounds a little confusing. And I… Read More

Tariffs and the trade war are still in the news. But they will be for some time. The uncertainty of trade is now the new normal.  That’s important because uncertainty is often associated with market declines. However, when uncertainty becomes certain, as it is now, traders tend to look past that news.  So, trade will be in the headlines for some time. Those headlines could lead to occasional blips in the market action, but it no longer seems likely that a trade war will be the catalyst for a bear market.  I know that sounds a little confusing. And I know I often turn to parenting analogies to understand the market. I hope you’ll indulge me with another one…  —Recommended Link— Professional Investor Reveals Shocking New Pot Opportunity If you’ve ever thought about investing in a penny pot stock. don’t! I’ve discovered a unique marijuana profit-sharing plan backed by a U.S. Federal Law. And it’s paying a small group of regular people up to $55,563 a year. The next check run is just days away. I’ll show you how to sign up here. First children are the most stressful. Every time the… Read More