Although 2012 isn’t quite over yet, we’re now close enough to 2013 to start thinking about the bigger themes that are going to make for investment-worthy stocks in the coming year. Five of them are apt to become particularly strong trends. Here they are… 1. Mobile payments   The idea… Read More

There’s nothing like a visit to a foreign country to give you a sense of how well, or how poorly, that country is doing economically. Speaking with the “man on the street,” reading the local newspapers, and getting a feel for how citizens perceive their economic situation usually is much… Read More

In the buildup to Hurricane Sandy, I was wondering if there could be significant impacts on shipping. In my research, I was surprised to learn that ports in the Great Lakes can also launch ships bound for Europe. There are even a few instances where ports in the Great Lakes… Read More

I’ve been glued to the news this entire election season, but one heated exchange at the second presidential debate between President Barack Obama and Gov. Mitt Romney piqued my curiosity. Here it is from the Washington Post’s full transcript, edited to show concisely a portion of their conversation about… Read More

I’ve found what I think is one of the safest dividend-paying stocks on the planet.  In the past year, this company earned $8.1 billion dollars in profits and only distributed $4.5 billion in dividends. In other words, it could see its earnings… Read More

As investors woke up after the day of the Presidential election, seemingly nothing had changed. The incumbent President, Barack Obama, stayed in office, the GOP maintained leadership of the House of Representatives while Democrats controlled the Senate. Does that mean four more years… Read More

Dividend-growth stocks can do wonders for an investor’s portfolio over time. The power of compounding can turn today’s ho-hum yield into a stellar return if the growth rate of the dividend is high. … Read More

There is a big difference between a great company and a great stock. And nowhere is it more apparent than in the high-growth cloud-computing sector. Companies that specialize in cloud services and infrastructure have seen big gains in sales and earnings in the past… 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

Scoring profits in the stock market isn’t just about finding winning investments. It’s also about avoiding the little landmines that tend to explode on those gains. And sadly, there are many hurdles that you need to be aware of as you… Read More