Many of you know I like talking about “the next big thing.” Rather than waste my time weighing in on where Facebook (NYSE: FB), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) or Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is headed next, I’d much rather spend it looking for “the next Facebook,” “the next Google,” or “the next… Read More

It’s one of the most overlooked aspects of income investing. In fact, I’m willing to bet that the majority of income investors don’t even consider it when they’re buying a dividend stock. #-ad_banner-#That’s a shame because what I’m about to tell… Read More

In the curious ways of Washington, the biggest action comes from inaction.#-ad_banner-# Politicians have spent years telling you that they will never raise taxes. What they don’t admit is that your taxes can rise anyway, simply by letting current tax laws expire. Read More

If you’re a commercial real estate enthusiast, then you know the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector has been hot. Even with a simple index fund like Vanguard’s REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), you could’ve made nearly 23% annually on the sector during the past three years, including fund expenses.#-ad_banner-# Many individual REITS have done even better. General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), a large rental property… Read More

If you’re a commercial real estate enthusiast, then you know the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector has been hot. Even with a simple index fund like Vanguard’s REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), you could’ve made nearly 23% annually on the sector during the past three years, including fund expenses.#-ad_banner-# Many individual REITS have done even better. General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), a large rental property and shopping center owner, for instance, has delivered an astounding three-year annualized return of 64%. Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE: EXR), the nation’s second-largest owner and operator of storage facilities, has returned 51% a year for the past three years. That’s wonderful, and it’s exactly the sort of performance we all hope for. But it also means you should be extra careful about generally sky-high REIT valuations. The MSCI U.S. REIT Index, a commonly used proxy for the entire U.S. commercial real estate industry and the benchmark… Read More

Just 14 months ago, the U.S. economic outlook appeared fairly dire, leading stocks to plunge in late July and early August 2011. As it turns out, it was a false alarm: The S&P 500 has risen 29% since then. This kind of move is all the more remarkable when you… Read More

It’s certainly not the sexiest stock on Wall Street, but Sonoco Products Co. (NYSE: SON), a manufacturer of industrial and consumer packaging solutions, could be setting up for a nice move higher. Down more than 6% year-to-date, Sonoco has been underperforming its… Read More

Many analysts on CNBC wonder what the Federal Reserve will do next, even though it has already clearly told us it will continue with a quantitative easing policy for years to come. In official policy statements, the Fed has vowed to keep interest… Read More

To the casual observer, it must seem as if the market has been trending in only one direction — up –since bottoming out in March 2009. A gain of more than 100% in the S&P 500 since that bottom surely gives… Read More

About 10 years ago, an investor could have purchased 100 shares of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) for $1,200. Today, those same shares are worth an extraordinary $675,000. Not counting dividends, that’s a better than 56-fold return on your investment in just 10 years. Read More