This could well be one of the simplest traits to look for in a company. It could also be one of the most important to your investing success. It’s one of the oldest practices a business can use to make more and more… Read More

When it comes to investing, I want to have my cake and eat it too.  While I love to find companies that rise when the markets do, I especially love stocks that buck the… Read More

My colleague Amy Calistri loves stocks that grow their dividends quickly.#-ad_banner-# One need only look at her track record to see why. Last month, her portfolio of Fast Dividend Growers in her Daily Paycheck newsletter posted average total returns of 55% while… Read More

We’re so used to the idea that we need $1 million or $2 million to retire that we forget about the real issue when it comes to our retirement spending. There’s something more important than just amassing millions of dollars in… Read More

I was listening to a business talk show in my car the other day. The show’s host made an important point. “Stop talking about the dividend trade,” he implored. And he’s right.#-ad_banner-# The “dividend trade” has become shorthand for the mania… Read More

The last time you could get a 7% yield from a CD was in the 1980s. Today, you’d be lucky to find a CD that pays more than 1.5%. Stocks yield a bit more — the typical… Read More

Almost a year ago, it was all over the headlines. You couldn’t turn on CNBC or open an issue of The Wall Street Journal without hearing about it.  Then, May 18, 2012 came around — the day Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) went public.  It was the biggest Internet IPO in history — even bigger than Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), with a peak market capitalization of more than $104 billion. But as soon… Read More

Almost a year ago, it was all over the headlines. You couldn’t turn on CNBC or open an issue of The Wall Street Journal without hearing about it.  Then, May 18, 2012 came around — the day Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) went public.  It was the biggest Internet IPO in history — even bigger than Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), with a peak market capitalization of more than $104 billion. But as soon as the stock went public, it became clear that the party was over.  Thanks to a malfunction in the way Nasdaq‘s computers handled millions of dollars in trades, as well as allegations that the company and its underwriters were involved in everything from inflating share prices, issuing too many shares and even overstating earnings, the stock eventually went into a tailspin.  All told, Facebook shares lost more than a quarter of their IPO value in less… Read More

As the markets were hitting new highs last week, poker player and investor Amy Calistri was contemplating the odds and plotting her course of action. Her main questions were: “What are the chances these gains will reverse… Read More

All industries are dominated by the biggest and most successful companies. In technology, there is Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN). In energy, companies such as ExxonMobil (NYSE: XOM) and Conoco Phillips (NYSE: COP) reign supreme. But every once in a while, a new guy comes along and shakes… Read More

In light of a slow economy in recent years, it’s remarkable when you can find a company that has delivered strong dividends and impressive returns. It’s even more impressive when that company is building on a winning streak of more than… Read More