News of the Senate vote on tax reform last week buried another headline, one that could be just as momentous in remaking an entire sector of the American economy. Health insurer Aetna (NYSE: AET) has agreed to an acquisition by CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) in a $68 billion deal that could transform the healthcare industry. The addition of Aetna’s 22 million insurance customers will create one of the most vertically-integrated behemoths in the industry when added to CVS’s nation-wide pharmacy business, pharmaceutical benefits manager (PBM), and retail medical services. The ability to insure, negotiate drug prices,… Read More

News of the Senate vote on tax reform last week buried another headline, one that could be just as momentous in remaking an entire sector of the American economy. Health insurer Aetna (NYSE: AET) has agreed to an acquisition by CVS Health (NYSE: CVS) in a $68 billion deal that could transform the healthcare industry. The addition of Aetna’s 22 million insurance customers will create one of the most vertically-integrated behemoths in the industry when added to CVS’s nation-wide pharmacy business, pharmaceutical benefits manager (PBM), and retail medical services. The ability to insure, negotiate drug prices, and deliver health services and pharmaceuticals to customers could create a new standard in healthcare delivery.  This, combined with financial tailwinds from the potential tax reform package, could set off a wave of merger activity in 2018.  #-ad_banner-#And I’ve found three leaders that could be prime investment targets. How Could This $68 Billion Mega-Deal Reshape Healthcare? At $68 billion in cash and stock, the deal is more than twice the size of the next largest M&A deal so far this year. More than the size of the tie-up, the deal could have major significance for… Read More

You don’t need me to tell you that 2017 was a good year for stocks.  As I write this, the S&P 500 has advanced more than 17% for the year. As strong as this advance is, this index is a laggard compared with its peers: The Dow Jones Industrial Average… Read More

Love him or hate him, the Trump presidency has triggered a massive bull market. Investors have poured money into U.S. stocks during the first year of the Trump White House.  The latest numbers reveal a 16% asset under management (AUM) growth rate for domestic equity funds in 2017. Domestic and international equity mutual funds led the charge with nearly 22% AUM growth to a level of just over $11 trillion during Trump’s first year in office.  Trillions in cash are left on the sidelines just waiting to be deployed into equity funds in 2018. I fully anticipate the accelerated growth… Read More

Love him or hate him, the Trump presidency has triggered a massive bull market. Investors have poured money into U.S. stocks during the first year of the Trump White House.  The latest numbers reveal a 16% asset under management (AUM) growth rate for domestic equity funds in 2017. Domestic and international equity mutual funds led the charge with nearly 22% AUM growth to a level of just over $11 trillion during Trump’s first year in office.  Trillions in cash are left on the sidelines just waiting to be deployed into equity funds in 2018. I fully anticipate the accelerated growth to continue into the first half of 2018 as the bullish fever continues to attract both domestic and foreign capital.  In fact, the performance of some mutual funds reminds me of the 1980s, when mutual funds were on fire as the prime choice for equity investors. However, interest rates are dramatically lower today, making the atmosphere for long-term business growth truly ideal. #-ad_banner-#I forecast that these winners of 2017 will continue their winning ways into the first half of 2018.  3 Mutual Funds To Keep An Eye On  1. T. Rowe Price Value (TRVLX) Investors who follow the value… Read More

The Affordable Care Act (better known as “Obamacare”) has completely rearranged the healthcare chessboard and left many wanting, frustrated and confused, especially now that its future has become less clear. And I think it’s safe to say that the real beneficiaries of the ACA have been the insurance companies.  As Washington tries to remedy the problems, we are still stuck with the No. 1 problem: How can we deliver low-cost healthcare to middle income families that are being buried with high insurance premiums and a scant provider network that changes year to year?  —Sponsored Link— IRA/401(k)… Read More

The Affordable Care Act (better known as “Obamacare”) has completely rearranged the healthcare chessboard and left many wanting, frustrated and confused, especially now that its future has become less clear. And I think it’s safe to say that the real beneficiaries of the ACA have been the insurance companies.  As Washington tries to remedy the problems, we are still stuck with the No. 1 problem: How can we deliver low-cost healthcare to middle income families that are being buried with high insurance premiums and a scant provider network that changes year to year?  —Sponsored Link— IRA/401(k) ALERT: Secret IRS Loophole Will Save Your Life Every day the US creeps further into debt and its taking your IRA/401K along with it. At the time of this writing the national debt was $20.5 trillion. Yes, you read that right. There is a simple and legal IRS loophole that can protect your IRA/401K without spending a penny. All you have to do is request the guide below to see how this IRS Loophole works. Download your FREE IRS Loophole Guide. One solution that would make sense is for a national clinic and pharmacy to… Read More

Energy master limited partnerships (MLPs) have taken a beating over the past year or so — and for good reason. Soft energy prices have driven many MLPs to make significant cuts in their dividends. Even those that haven’t cut their dividends have had a tough time raising them. And that’s bad for business. The Alerian MLP Index (NYSE: AMZ) tracks the performance of 50 energy MLPs. The index hit a 52-week intraday low of $244.44 on November 15, as well as a 52-week closing low of $257.08 about a week later. This downward trend is confirmed by the… Read More

Energy master limited partnerships (MLPs) have taken a beating over the past year or so — and for good reason. Soft energy prices have driven many MLPs to make significant cuts in their dividends. Even those that haven’t cut their dividends have had a tough time raising them. And that’s bad for business. The Alerian MLP Index (NYSE: AMZ) tracks the performance of 50 energy MLPs. The index hit a 52-week intraday low of $244.44 on November 15, as well as a 52-week closing low of $257.08 about a week later. This downward trend is confirmed by the Alerian MLP ETF (NYSE: AMLP), which is an MLP-focused ETF with a market capitalization of $9.7 billion under management. This index currently sits just pennies above its all-time low of $10.11. The fund currently yields 6.1% annually. Despite these numbers, long-term dividend-focused investors looking to stake out a position in solid, income-generating MLPs would be wise to consider buying now despite the potential for gut-churning volatility. #-ad_banner-#Here’s why… MLP distributions are rising. Now, it’s important to remember that MLPs are pass-through entities where the company’s profits are distributed directly to the MLPs’ partners. As with any pass-through entity, rising distributions… Read More

What separates successful investors from the vast majority who can’t even match market returns?  I’ve spent a lot of time looking into this. While successful stock market investors use a variety of tactics, follow differing market philosophies, and have varying temperaments, one thing remains the same: they stick to a defined set of rules. Having the ability to develop consistent and unwavering investing rules in the face of adversity is the key to stock market success. Most investors don’t approach the stock market in a systematic rule-based way. They make investing decisions based on emotion, fear, and greed.  This is… Read More

What separates successful investors from the vast majority who can’t even match market returns?  I’ve spent a lot of time looking into this. While successful stock market investors use a variety of tactics, follow differing market philosophies, and have varying temperaments, one thing remains the same: they stick to a defined set of rules. Having the ability to develop consistent and unwavering investing rules in the face of adversity is the key to stock market success. Most investors don’t approach the stock market in a systematic rule-based way. They make investing decisions based on emotion, fear, and greed.  This is particularly true during losing streaks. Every investor, regardless of skill level, experiences losing periods. What separates successful investors is that they stick to their rules despite strong urges to deviate and shoot for short-term gains.  #-ad_banner-#Despite differences in specific methodologies, there are overriding themes that every single winning stock market investor follows. I have distilled the basis of every winning investor’s plan into five easy to understand rules. Almost All Successful Investors Do These 5 Things 1. Diversify Diversifying across multiple assets, from stocks in different sectors to other types of securities, dramatically reduces your chances of catastrophic loss. Read More

Note From The Editor: Today’s issue is written by Amber Hestla, a former military intelligence operative. She’s spent the last few years using an income-producing strategy she first began developing while serving in Iraq. But before we get to today’s issue, we want to take just a quick second to share something with you first. Amber just released a brand-new report where she spills all of her secrets on an income-producing strategy that rakes in an average of $568 every week. That’s $29,577 a year. Even more, it boasts a success rate of 90.5% — something you’d be hard-pressed to… Read More

Note From The Editor: Today’s issue is written by Amber Hestla, a former military intelligence operative. She’s spent the last few years using an income-producing strategy she first began developing while serving in Iraq. But before we get to today’s issue, we want to take just a quick second to share something with you first. Amber just released a brand-new report where she spills all of her secrets on an income-producing strategy that rakes in an average of $568 every week. That’s $29,577 a year. Even more, it boasts a success rate of 90.5% — something you’d be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. At the very least, you need to check out this incredible chart. It perfectly illustrates just how much income this can produce for you. You can access the report right here. Sincerely, The StreetAuthority team Many years ago, I had time to kill waiting for a flight in Denver. I called a friend who said he was nearby and could be there in a few minutes. He’d been teaching me about the markets and I was looking forward to another lesson. As he sat down, he handed me a… Read More

With tax reform zooming through Congress, bitcoin reaching historic heights and the markets continuing one of the longest bull-runs in history, one extremely important headline went largely unnoticed in November. The potential change in the law isn’t as sexy as the 10-fold increase in Bitcoin or the changes to taxes. In fact, many consumers probably don’t even know what the existing law does. That doesn’t mean the coming change won’t have huge consequences for a group of companies, with some on the winning side as well as a few losers.  Surprisingly, shares of the companies on both sides haven’t moved… Read More

With tax reform zooming through Congress, bitcoin reaching historic heights and the markets continuing one of the longest bull-runs in history, one extremely important headline went largely unnoticed in November. The potential change in the law isn’t as sexy as the 10-fold increase in Bitcoin or the changes to taxes. In fact, many consumers probably don’t even know what the existing law does. That doesn’t mean the coming change won’t have huge consequences for a group of companies, with some on the winning side as well as a few losers.  Surprisingly, shares of the companies on both sides haven’t moved much since the announcement that the government would seek to change the law.  #-ad_banner-#That sets the stage to front-run the change, giving you a chance to align your portfolio with the winning side. I’m talking about net neutrality. What Is Net Neutrality And Why Should Investors Care? Net neutrality can seem like a confusing legal and technical topic, but the basic idea and implications are simple. Laws passed in 2015 reclassified broadband internet as a public utility under the Communications Act of 1934. This was important because it prohibited internet service providers (ISPs) from discriminating how they delivered the… Read More

Investing takes patience.  I was reminded of this over the Thanksgiving break as I impatiently waited for that derby-winning fish to bite. As I sat there bobbing in the boat trying to stay warm in the sub-30 degree temperatures in the panhandle of northern Idaho, I realized that fishing is similar to investing in the stock market.  —Sponsored Link— Will This Be The Apple Of Cannabis? As of July 2018, Marijuana will be fully legal in Canada and cannabis stocks are starting to fire back up as a result. But which will emerge as the… Read More

Investing takes patience.  I was reminded of this over the Thanksgiving break as I impatiently waited for that derby-winning fish to bite. As I sat there bobbing in the boat trying to stay warm in the sub-30 degree temperatures in the panhandle of northern Idaho, I realized that fishing is similar to investing in the stock market.  —Sponsored Link— Will This Be The Apple Of Cannabis? As of July 2018, Marijuana will be fully legal in Canada and cannabis stocks are starting to fire back up as a result. But which will emerge as the giants of industry and which will be flash in the pan stocks that are left behind in the bubble? Read this special report to learn more. You only hear about the big catches, just as you similarly hear only about how an investor made a killing on XYZ stock. What you don’t hear about is all the time in between… whether it’s catching that big fish or how long it took to finally bag that big winner (and how many losers it took to get there). To bag the derby-winning fish, you have to put in… Read More