Author Archive: Brett Owens

Congressional Republicans are closer than ever to passing wide changes to America’s tax code. From 10,000 feet, they largely feature:

• Varying levels of tax cuts for individuals,
• A massive tax cut for businesses, and they
• Weaken (or negate) the estate tax.

There’s debate regarding how much individuals will actually benefit, but there’s little debate that certain public companies will gain. Both the Senate and the House are looking to cut the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%. Plus, companies will be allowed to pay a low, one-time repatriation tax on profits already sheltered overseas.

The idea is that U.S. corporations will use this windfall to hire more people, and many likely will … but that’s not the only place that money is going.… Read more

As income investors react to the new tax plan, it’s a good bet that some are overreacting to certain aspects of it. They always do.

There’s confusion between high yielding fixed income, and pure junk. There’s also a flood of tax-advantaged paper about to hit the market, creating bargains for smart buyers.

The result? Yields up to 10%, with some price upside to boot!

Bargain #1: “Smart” High-Yield Bond Funds for 7.5%+

If you hold high-yield (often called junk) bonds, you may have noticed they’ve sold off as the Republicans’ tax talk became serious. They’ve taken down other assets, too – some for good reason, some not.… Read more

It’s the biggest demographic tidal wave ever to sweep the US. And today I’m going to give you 3 quick ways to profit from it.

I’m talking about the retirement of the baby boomers—10,000 of whom are clocking out of the workforce every day.

And if you’ve been reading my columns, you know I’ve been banging the drum on the most obvious way to cash in: by investing in real estate investment trusts (REITs) that own senior-care facilities.

But that’s not the only way.

Today I want to show you 3 other investments that are turning the surge in America’s senior population into soaring dividends and double-digit annual gains.… Read more

Let’s discuss 13 funds that offer substantial, retirement-fueling payouts, as well as diversification that will serve you well in most market conditions.

The second-longest bull market in history is long in the tooth, and Wall Street has baked in more than its fair share of the corporate tax cuts likely coming to the U.S. at some point. Diversification and dividends are the proverbial tortoise versus the high-growth hare – so it will pay to turtle up, especially if this go-go market goes sour next year.

You could dive into individual blue chips with long-standing payouts, but even some of the market’s most conservative, defensive names have swelled to outrageous valuations, putting them at risk for a reckoning should the bears take the wheel.… Read more

Today we’re going to rank the longest-lasting dividends on the planet – five stocks that have written checks to shareholders for at least a century.

Dividends don’t get more secure than that.

Think about what the world was like in 1917. The United States was in the midst of World War I. Girl Scout cookies and Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars were in their infancy. And the Dow Jones Industrial Average made several attempts on the 100 mark.

Yes, 100.

Since then, the United States has suffered 16 recessions and a pair of depressions, including the granddaddy of them all, the Great Depression of 1929-1933.… Read more

Don’t be cheap when you buy bonds this holiday season (or ever, for that matter). Bargain shoppers, sadly, tend to be the most at-risk of outliving their fixed income portfolios!

But it’s easy for you and me to double up “regular” bond returns simply by swapping out popularity for quality.

Let’s walk through some of the most popular fixed-income plays today – and replace each with something that yields more (with superior price upside to boot).

The obsession with fees is understandable. Most investors are conditioned by their experience with stock-based mutual funds and ETFs to search out the lowest fees, almost to a fault.… Read more

Today I’m going to reveal my personal strategy for outperforming the market over the long haul.

It’s simple. All you have to do is buy dividend stocks—but not in the way most people think.

I’ll also name 4 terrific dividend growers you can buy now and safely tuck away in your retirement portfolio forever. More on those in a moment. First, we need to talk about…

The Wrong Way to Buy Dividend Stocks

When picking stocks for the long haul, many folks put too much emphasis on the current dividend yield.

Trouble is, the high yielders that could really make a difference to your retirement—I’m talking payouts of 6%, 8% and up—are getting scarce as the S&P 500 grinds upward:

Few Trophies for Dividend Hunters

Worse, a high yield can easily lead you onto the rocks, something many people learned the hard way with telecom operator Frontier Communications (FTR).… Read more

Everybody likes a sale, but there’s a significant difference between something that’s a value, and something that’s merely cheap – a good value can last you years and even decades, where something cheap can leave you in the lurch within a few months.

The same can be said for several enticing double-digit yields right now. I’m about to introduce you to five 10%-yielding dividend stocks, all of which boast low prices in the single digits. But that doesn’t make them all good deals.

Far from it.

We all know that nominal share price typically doesn’t mean much – what makes a stock “cheap” is its price compared to metrics such as earnings, sales, free cash flow and other operational measures.… Read more

Who’s cooking Thanksgiving dinner for you tomorrow?

Specifically, I want to know if your family is doing the cooking – or if you’re outsourcing the meal prep to a robot.

If it sounds like a silly question, well, let’s frame it with respect to our usual beat – generating safe 7% and 8% yields in your retirement portfolio. Would you blindly buy and sell dividend payers based on the “insights” of a computer?

I often hear from readers who catch a “robo rating” on one of our holdings and worry. Even when the analysis is mere inches deep, like this one:

(Your stock) appears to be not be meeting its earnings expectations for past 6 quarters, the profitability of the company is poor which affects its valuation, and its ability to maintain its dividend.… Read more

Let’s dive into the General Electric (GE) dividend massacre that sent the market reeling last week. When the dust settled, the payout took a 50% haircut, and the stock had plunged about 11%.

Before I go on, I should tell you that GE isn’t the only household name I’m worried about. Further on, I’ll show you another investor “sacred cow” that’s showing some eerily similar signs. Then we’ll look at an unloved pharma play that’s more than worth your attention now.

First, let’s pick through the GE wreckage and see what we can learn, and where the stock could go from here.… Read more