The beaches were closed here in the New York City area this past Labor Day weekend as the slow-moving and dangerous tropical storm Hermine approached the area. People were told to expect stormy conditions, strong winds and rain, and to prepare for flash floods.  After the devastation of Superstorm Sandy nearly four years ago, nobody wanted to take any chances. Fortunately, this time, the storm took a slightly different path than was predicted, and its effects on the city were more or less contained to the beaches.  So even though the sun was shining and the winds were calm, there… Read More

The beaches were closed here in the New York City area this past Labor Day weekend as the slow-moving and dangerous tropical storm Hermine approached the area. People were told to expect stormy conditions, strong winds and rain, and to prepare for flash floods.  After the devastation of Superstorm Sandy nearly four years ago, nobody wanted to take any chances. Fortunately, this time, the storm took a slightly different path than was predicted, and its effects on the city were more or less contained to the beaches.  So even though the sun was shining and the winds were calm, there weren’t many complaints about the extra steps that officials took in response to the National Weather Service’s (NWC) warnings. It’s still prudent to be prepared for all eventualities rather than ignore the clear signs of an impending danger — even if it might not materialize.  These days, it feels like it’s the Federal Reserve that serves as some kind of National Weather Service for the stock market. The Fed does not know if there will be a storm — but what Fed governors do know is that the market conditions might be changing, and they keep telling us as much. … Read More

Yesterday, I told you about a select group of stocks we’ve come to refer to around the StreetAuthority office as “Forever Stocks.”  For those of you aren’t familiar, these are the companies that have rewarded shareholders for generations. They outlast (and in some cases outperform) during even the worst economic and market conditions. That’s because not only do these companies often sport durable brand names and impenetrable economic moats, but they have strong competitive advantages that help them consistently outperform the market for decades. — Recommended Link — 10 Top ‘Buys’ With Political Backing What better way to get on the… Read More

Yesterday, I told you about a select group of stocks we’ve come to refer to around the StreetAuthority office as “Forever Stocks.”  For those of you aren’t familiar, these are the companies that have rewarded shareholders for generations. They outlast (and in some cases outperform) during even the worst economic and market conditions. That’s because not only do these companies often sport durable brand names and impenetrable economic moats, but they have strong competitive advantages that help them consistently outperform the market for decades. — Recommended Link — 10 Top ‘Buys’ With Political Backing What better way to get on the “millionaire track” than investing in companies owned by millionaires who also happen to write the law? In this special presentation, you’ll get the names and tickers of several of congress’ favorite stocks. Details here. In my previous essay, I went into further detail about Forever Stocks and even gave away the name and ticker symbol of one company you could consider holding “forever.” (To read that issue, go here.) #-ad_banner-# I also mentioned that my colleague Jimmy Butts recently identified seven of his absolute favorite Forever Stocks his latest report. And while I won’t give those names away out of… Read More

What do Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Campbell’s Soup (NYSE: CPB) and Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) all have in common? In short, they’ve all survived some of the biggest economic catastrophes the world has ever seen. While thousands of business have come and gone since the early 1900s, these companies have managed to prosper through more than a century of political and economic turbulence. So what’s allowed these companies to continually generate wealth for shareholders despite two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless bull markets and recessions? It’s simple: They all belong to a select group of investments that we… Read More

What do Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO), Campbell’s Soup (NYSE: CPB) and Deere & Co. (NYSE: DE) all have in common? In short, they’ve all survived some of the biggest economic catastrophes the world has ever seen. While thousands of business have come and gone since the early 1900s, these companies have managed to prosper through more than a century of political and economic turbulence. So what’s allowed these companies to continually generate wealth for shareholders despite two world wars, the Great Depression, and countless bull markets and recessions? It’s simple: They all belong to a select group of investments that we like to call Forever Stocks. — Sponsored Link — Grab Fast 290% Profit With ORRP The lithium industry just tripled in value as demand is reaching epic proportions. As the world races to buy as much as possible, early shareholders in ORRP could be the biggest benefactors. Read this report before your chance at 290% profits is gone. For those of you aren’t familiar, Forever Stocks is a distinction we’ve come up with at StreetAuthority for companies that have rewarded shareholders for generations. Not only do these companies often sport durable brand… Read More

With more than a third of the global sovereign bonds market offering negative yields, it’s no surprise that investors have flocked to any source for cash yield.  The global hunt for yield has pushed prices up and rates down for everything from bonds to dividend stocks. You see it in the yield on the 10-year Treasury, which has fallen 1.26% over the last three years despite the fact that the Fed is aggressively trying to prepare investors for an increase in the Fed Funds Rate. You also see it in valuations for traditional dividend-paying sectors.  #-ad_banner-#Traditional dividend picks in consumer… Read More

With more than a third of the global sovereign bonds market offering negative yields, it’s no surprise that investors have flocked to any source for cash yield.  The global hunt for yield has pushed prices up and rates down for everything from bonds to dividend stocks. You see it in the yield on the 10-year Treasury, which has fallen 1.26% over the last three years despite the fact that the Fed is aggressively trying to prepare investors for an increase in the Fed Funds Rate. You also see it in valuations for traditional dividend-paying sectors.  #-ad_banner-#Traditional dividend picks in consumer staples and utilities are trading well above historic valuation multiples, creating a bubble that is destroying conventional views on safety sectors. The consumer staples sector is trading for almost 21-times expected earnings over the next year, a premium of 25% over its 10-year average, while utilities are trading 22% over their average at 17.8-times forward earnings. Those safety sectors offered no shelter in Friday’s 2.45% selloff in the S&P 500. Utilities fell more than any other sector with a 3.75% plunge on rate fears, and consumer staples underperformed the market with a 2.71% loss on the day.  In fact, the… Read More

Bill Gates walks up to you in a bar. He sits down and says he wants you to make an important financial decision. “Would you rather accept a check for one million dollars right now, or a penny today that will double in value every day for the next 30 days?” Without pulling out a calculator, what would you do? #-ad_banner-#According to my own personal survey, most people would take the million dollars. However, this option leaves quite a bit of money on the table. By quite a bit I mean about $4 million. After 30 days, that one penny… Read More

Bill Gates walks up to you in a bar. He sits down and says he wants you to make an important financial decision. “Would you rather accept a check for one million dollars right now, or a penny today that will double in value every day for the next 30 days?” Without pulling out a calculator, what would you do? #-ad_banner-#According to my own personal survey, most people would take the million dollars. However, this option leaves quite a bit of money on the table. By quite a bit I mean about $4 million. After 30 days, that one penny doubling every day would be worth $5 million. This financial brain teaser is the reason the dividend aristocrats are enriching so many investors. Let me explain. The dividend aristocrats is the small group of S&P 500 companies that have raised their dividend every year for 20 years. In 2016, just 53 of the S&P 500 qualified for this elite distinction — a little more than 10% of the index. On the surface, most investors go for the higher yield, just like the lure of taking the $1 million from Bill Gates. I know because as an investment advisor, my clients… Read More

As you might expect, I get lots of requests from StreetAuthority readers looking to supercharge their income with payouts that are three to four times higher than the market average. I think one of my recent recommendations in my premium newsletter, High-Yield Investing, fits the bill (the stock has a yield of 8%).  #-ad_banner-#But I also receive letters from retirees willing to accept half of that in exchange for lower volatility and reliable “all-weather” performance. With capital preservation as the foremost goal, they don’t want to take risks with their nest egg. As such, these readers are mostly interested in… Read More

As you might expect, I get lots of requests from StreetAuthority readers looking to supercharge their income with payouts that are three to four times higher than the market average. I think one of my recent recommendations in my premium newsletter, High-Yield Investing, fits the bill (the stock has a yield of 8%).  #-ad_banner-#But I also receive letters from retirees willing to accept half of that in exchange for lower volatility and reliable “all-weather” performance. With capital preservation as the foremost goal, they don’t want to take risks with their nest egg. As such, these readers are mostly interested in rock-solid companies built to deliver consistent profit and dividend growth even in tough conditions.  We have a diverse audience in High-Yield Investing, so I try to provide a mix of recommendations that will speak to everybody. And the stock screen I’d like to share with you today is primarily aimed at more conservative investors. However, even younger subscribers with aggressive goals should tune in — because we’re looking at blue-chips that can help anchor your portfolio.  Why Consumer-Staple Stocks Belong In Your Portfolio There are many wild cards that could rattle the market in the weeks and months ahead…… Read More

There’s no arguing that utility stocks have knocked it out of the park this year. Year to date, the Dow Jones Utility Average is up better than 18%. Utility stocks are always attractive to income oriented investors because of their dividend yields. But is now the time to buy?  Probably not. In fact, I recently recommend taking profits in utility bellwether Southern Company (NYSE: SO). But it looks like investors will get an opportunity relatively soon to pick up some high quality names in this dependable, dividend paying sector. It’s been quite… Read More

There’s no arguing that utility stocks have knocked it out of the park this year. Year to date, the Dow Jones Utility Average is up better than 18%. Utility stocks are always attractive to income oriented investors because of their dividend yields. But is now the time to buy?  Probably not. In fact, I recently recommend taking profits in utility bellwether Southern Company (NYSE: SO). But it looks like investors will get an opportunity relatively soon to pick up some high quality names in this dependable, dividend paying sector. It’s been quite a run for the average. Utility stocks have returned more than twice the S&P 500 year to date; 18.1% versus 8.29%. However, it looks as if the utility rally is running out of gas. The average is down 4.1% since its July peak. #-ad_banner-#Why? Interest rates, maybe? Probably not. Typically, as rates rise, utility stock prices soften. Utility companies are heavily dependent on the debt markets for operational financing. Usually, utility stock holders become nervous when interest rates rise. Higher borrowing costs can put the squeeze on margins, earnings and eventually the beloved dividends utility companies are known for paying. Read More

When it comes to income, I’m a fan of real estate investment trusts (REITs). After all, what’s not to like? This sector was almost custom-made for dividend investors.  It’s still a relatively young asset class, with main legislative documents regulating its functioning only signed in 1960. The general idea: allow individuals with smaller capital an opportunity to invest in commercial real estate and benefit from its income generation and other opportunities without actually buying properties.  This income has the potential to grow — as does the value of the properties. By law, REITs are required to pay out at least… Read More

When it comes to income, I’m a fan of real estate investment trusts (REITs). After all, what’s not to like? This sector was almost custom-made for dividend investors.  It’s still a relatively young asset class, with main legislative documents regulating its functioning only signed in 1960. The general idea: allow individuals with smaller capital an opportunity to invest in commercial real estate and benefit from its income generation and other opportunities without actually buying properties.  This income has the potential to grow — as does the value of the properties. By law, REITs are required to pay out at least 90% of their annual taxable income to investors. This too is attractive, especially today, as bond yields continue to slide.  —Sponsored Link— 6% Yields On Stocks That Doubled Only the strongest stocks pay regular 4% to 6% yields while growing your savings, too. Discover 9 stocks with a solid record of raising dividends on a regular basis — and each one passed tests with flying colors. Get the list, free. REITs are also excellent portfolio diversifiers. This asset class has relatively low correlation with other financial assets, which is unique. This… Read More

Around our research office, we just call them our “Forever” stocks. We’ve talked about them so much over the past few years, the nickname is just easier. Everyone here knows exactly what we’re talking about. Put simply, this is the set of stocks you could buy today and hold for the long haul. With these stocks in your portfolio, you will worry less about things like inflation or deflation… bear markets or recessions… flash-crashes or rising interest rates.  —Sponsored Link— JFK Predecessor’s Chilling Warning Right before JFK took office, General Eisenhower warned him about a… Read More

Around our research office, we just call them our “Forever” stocks. We’ve talked about them so much over the past few years, the nickname is just easier. Everyone here knows exactly what we’re talking about. Put simply, this is the set of stocks you could buy today and hold for the long haul. With these stocks in your portfolio, you will worry less about things like inflation or deflation… bear markets or recessions… flash-crashes or rising interest rates.  —Sponsored Link— JFK Predecessor’s Chilling Warning Right before JFK took office, General Eisenhower warned him about a secretive segment of the U.S. government. Kennedy tried to take them on…and failed. Today, this hidden branch has only grown in power, threatening your wealth and access to your savings. Here’s the whole story… For example…  “Forever” Stock #8 owns the world’s most valuable brand for the fifth consecutive year, according to the latest rankings published by Forbes. In fact, this brand is so iconic, it is worth more than twice as much as the runner-up — Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) — according to Forbes.  “Forever” Stock #3 is nearly two times more profitable than some of… Read More

In the world of income investing, dividends reign supreme. Treasuries and CDs are offering historically low yields and are no longer considered the ultra-safe cash generators that they once were.  —Sponsored Link— Meet The Man Who Could Soon Put 2,800% In Your Pocket Imagine the type of money you could make with a powerful CEO in your hip pocket. Imagine a man with over 100 IPOs behind him and an almost half-billion dollar revenue stream working for you — see how to profit here. There’s a little-known… Read More

In the world of income investing, dividends reign supreme. Treasuries and CDs are offering historically low yields and are no longer considered the ultra-safe cash generators that they once were.  —Sponsored Link— Meet The Man Who Could Soon Put 2,800% In Your Pocket Imagine the type of money you could make with a powerful CEO in your hip pocket. Imagine a man with over 100 IPOs behind him and an almost half-billion dollar revenue stream working for you — see how to profit here. There’s a little-known group of stocks that offer huge dividend payouts, but their yields are not displayed to the public on financial websites like Yahoo! Finance or Morningstar. This phenomenon is due to a glitch in the way the financial media reports certain companies’ financial information.  I call this group of stocks “Hidden High Yielders.” And if you know where to look, you can find companies yielding three, six, even seven times more than the yield posted on financial websites.  #-ad_banner-#​ For Hidden High Yielders, their true payout is actually much higher because there are dozens… Read More