During the past half decade, few industries have suffered as much as the for-profit education industry.#-ad_banner-# Congress took these companies to task when it became apparent that their students had poor graduation rates and many of those students were unable to find jobs and repay government-backed… Read More

After reading through hundreds of press releases in the just-completed earnings season, I’m not surprised that CEOs are quite excited about their company’s prospects. However, with every company putting a positive spin on its operations and outlook, it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. One distinguishing factor: the executives and directors who back up their words with actual insider buying. Committing thousands of dollars to buy company stock is a huge… Read More

After reading through hundreds of press releases in the just-completed earnings season, I’m not surprised that CEOs are quite excited about their company’s prospects. However, with every company putting a positive spin on its operations and outlook, it can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff. One distinguishing factor: the executives and directors who back up their words with actual insider buying. Committing thousands of dollars to buy company stock is a huge vote of confidence. Throughout the past winter, insider buying activity was relatively dormant as an ever-rising market led most insiders to think about cashing in options rather than buying fresh shares. Yet in the past month, we’ve seen a notable upturn in insider buying activity. Here are three stocks that have seen renewed interest from insiders. (Credit to InsiderInsights.com for data on insider activity.) 1. Read More

In fits and starts, the U.S. economy appears to be gaining steam. Recent economic reports have been giving mixed signals — the consumer is feeling better while manufacturers retrench a bit — but on balance, the recent trends hint at… Read More

Real estate is one of the hottest investment stories on the Street. That’s because for the first time in six years, home prices logged an annual gain in 2012. That momentum has carried into 2013, with the S&P/Case Schiller House Price Index showing prices on the upswing. But while there is consensus that real estate is rebounding, how to profit is a different story. Read More

Real estate is one of the hottest investment stories on the Street. That’s because for the first time in six years, home prices logged an annual gain in 2012. That momentum has carried into 2013, with the S&P/Case Schiller House Price Index showing prices on the upswing. But while there is consensus that real estate is rebounding, how to profit is a different story. My colleague Carla Pasternak has covered a few of these, mentioning private-equity firms such as the Blackstone Group (NYSE: BX) as popular destinations because the group has been making huge investments in commercial and residential real estate. Homebuilders have also been popular, with industry leaders such as Lennar (NYSE: LEN) and Toll Brothers (NYSE: TOL) each up more than 50% in the past six months. [Related: Renter Nation: The Incredible Housing Story Nobody Is Talking About] Although these are great ways to cash in on the real-estate… Read More

The first-quarter earnings season is almost over, with more than 90% of the S&P 500 reporting. Although the results have been far from terrible, there hasn’t been a lot to get excited about. Earnings are… Read More

Innovation is a wonderful thing. Without it, products would never get better. Services would never improve. That’s exactly what Henry Ford was talking about in one of his most famous quotes: “If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses.”… Read More

Around our research office in Austin, Texas, we just call them our “Forever” stocks. Put simply, this is the set of stocks so reliable that you can buy today and hold for the rest of your life. They have beaten the market for decades… because they share a few key traits. This sort of “worry-free” performance is why many of the world’s richest investors, politicians, and businessmen have owned… Read More

Around our research office in Austin, Texas, we just call them our “Forever” stocks. Put simply, this is the set of stocks so reliable that you can buy today and hold for the rest of your life. They have beaten the market for decades… because they share a few key traits. This sort of “worry-free” performance is why many of the world’s richest investors, politicians, and businessmen have owned shares of these stocks for decades, using them to profit in any sort of market. When you own them, you no longer need to worry about inflation or deflation… bear markets or recessions… flash-crashes or fiscal cliffs. Read on to learn more about “Forever” stocks: ‘Forever’ Funds: The Safest High-Yield Funds On The Planet (Part I) What investor wouldn’t want the safety… Read More

A few years ago, StreetAuthority sent a report to readers of my Top 10 Stocks advisory covering the 10 Best Stocks to Hold Forever. It quickly became one of the most popular pieces of research in StreetAuthority’s history. Read More

A few years ago, StreetAuthority sent a report to readers of my Top 10 Stocks advisory covering the 10 Best Stocks to Hold Forever. It quickly became one of the most popular pieces of research in StreetAuthority’s history. Simply put, these are the 10 stocks that we think you can buy today and basically hold for the rest of your life. When you own them, you don’t have to worry about events such as inflation or deflation, bear markets or recessions, “flash crashes” or rising interest rates. But… Read More

A few years ago, StreetAuthority sent a report to readers of my Top 10 Stocks advisory covering the 10 Best Stocks to Hold Forever. It quickly became one of the most popular pieces of research in StreetAuthority’s history. Simply put, these are the 10 stocks that we think you can buy today and basically hold for the rest of your life. When you own them, you don’t have to worry about events such as inflation or deflation, bear markets or recessions, “flash crashes” or rising interest rates. But don’t just take my word for it — the numbers speak for themselves. Here’s how the 10 “Forever” stocks have done since first being released in mid-July 2011: — They’ve returned 36.7% on average, compared with a 28% gain in the S&P 500. — Our biggest winner is up 81%, with three others posting gains above 50%. — Six have announced dividend increases. I’m not telling you this to brag about our success. My job is to help investors make money, so I want to show you why… Read More

For those that don’t know, in addition to being the Chief Strategist behind StreetAuthority’s Stock of the Month newsletter, I’m also an avid poker player. I first picked up poker about a decade ago, well before it was all over television. But I wasn’t… Read More