Author Archive: Brett Owens

Today I’m going to expose a major mistake way too many folks make. Then I’m going to reveal 3 totally ignored stocks whose dividends are soaring. They yield up to 5.8% now and are poised for 50%+ gains in short order!

More on those in a moment. First, we need to talk about that classic wealth-killing blunder.

Funny thing is, it’s one of those moves that seems like the safe thing to do, but if you fall into this trap, you’ll leave a fortune in gains—and income—on the table!

I’m talking about limiting your portfolio to the household names of the S&P 500.… Read more

Dividend and growth fanatics have argued tooth-and-nail about who backs the superior strategy for decades. But time and time again, deep research shows that investors like you and I that prefer collecting quarterly checks come out on top.

The formula is simple: Plow your money into healthy-yielding dividend stocks – like the three no-brainer buy-and-hold equities I have on tap for you today – and let the outperformance roll in.

However, time and time again I stress the importance of substantial dividend yield. Low, begrudging payouts simply won’t do.

A study published by C. Mitchell Conover, CFA, CIPM, Gerald R. Jensen, CFA, and Marc W.… Read more

Preferred stocks often pay high-single-digit yields, with far less risk than their similar-yielding “common” stock cousins. While many 5% and 6% common payers are yield traps with broken business models, it is possible to find preferred payouts at these levels that are perfectly secure.

Not yet familiar with preferred stocks? With “common” shares paying so little, it’s time to get acquainted.

Most dividend darlings don’t pay much on their own common shares today. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a dividend aristocrat with a yield above 3% or a P/E ratio below 20.

On the other hand, a company will issue preferred shares to raise capital.… Read more

When the “Bond God” Jeffrey Gundlach speaks, we income seekers listen. And recently,  the preeminent yield guru on the planet shared his favorite stock idea with a private audience.

I’ll share the specifics on his recommendation in a moment, including the exact “pair trade” that Gundlach likes. But first, let’s recap why we care what he says.

His Profitable Contrarian Calls

When Gundlach speaks, he often takes heat from his peers and the media because his calls run contrary to popular belief. But he’s usually right – and profitable:

• In 2007, he warned investors to get out of subprime mortgages just before the credit markets melted down.

Let’s face it: brands are dead—and that’s terrible news for the 4 household names (and their landlords) we need to talk about today.

Research from Scott Galloway, founder of digital-research firm L2, tells the tale.

Galloway looked at the 13 S&P 500 stocks that have beaten the market for five straight years and found something shocking: just one, Under Armour (UA), is a consumer brand.

And as Galloway points out, there’s no way UA will keep that run going.

UA: The Last Brand Standing—for Now

The other 12 names on the list are mostly innovators that have sliced into old-school businesses and flipped them on their heads—think Facebook (FB), Salesforce.com… Read more

The stock market may be expensive today, but there are still bargains available in the REIT (real estate investment trust) world. Thanks to political, interest rate and even Amazon (AMZN) worries, you can add 7%+ real estate yields to your portfolio from the convenience of your brokerage account.

That said, there’s no reason to pay top dollar for REITs – not now, not ever. Today we’ll highlight three expensive REITs to avoid, and lead you toward some of the best bargains in the sector.

Price matters. Consider General Electric (GE), which has been a merely OK performer over the past few years, but has really punished investors who buy in during valuation peaks.… Read more

Junk bonds can be a great source of retirement income, or a terrible idea altogether. It depends what you buy, and really, which managers and vehicles you entrust to find value in the bargain bin.

There’s a right way to do it, and a wrong way. Let’s start with the latter, led by the popular iShares iBoxx $ High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) and SPDR Barclays High Yield Bond ETF (JNK) – the two largest junk bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and both top-10 fixed-income ETFs by assets under management.

You and I can do better than these dumb ETFs. They are popular thanks to their low fees.… Read more

Many retirement experts pitch real estate as the best way to bank monthly income. But do you really want to chase down rent checks and fix broken light bulbs?

I don’t. And I imagine, since you’re reading this, that you prefer your passive income to actually be passive as well.

Fortunately there’s an easier, and better, way to invest in real estate without actually playing the role of landlord. From the convenience of our brokerage accounts, we can buy real estate investment trusts (REITs) and collect truly passive income of 7%, 8% or better.

How to Collect 7%+ Rent Checks Without Playing Landlord

REITs trade like stocks, which means buying them is as easy as punching in a ticker symbol.… Read more

If you put your portfolio on autopilot over the summer, you need to dial back in yesterday.

Because you’ll need a sharp eye and a quick hand to dodge two pitfalls that could swamp regular folks now—this month!—and in the long run.

For the first one, look no further than the calendar.

I’m talking about seasonality, and the fact that September is typically the worst month for stocks.

The truth is, the market’s steady grind higher has stalled: through the first 5 trading days (and with 15 more to go), the Dow is off 0.8% and the S&P 500 is down 0.4%.… Read more

A bull market that’s already long in the tooth is staring political and even natural headwinds right in the eyes. Valuations are stretched. And even some of Wall Street’s biggest names – three of which I’ll warn you about today – are increasingly looking vulnerable to massive pullbacks should the market buckle under pressure.

(I’ll also give you seven dividend growers with 100%+ upside to buy instead later on.)

Mother Nature is pulling the emergency brake on Hurricane Harvey, which hovered over Texas for days, delivered what some experts estimate is between $150 billion and $180 billion in damages. One estimate of $190 billion would translate into a -1% hit to the U.S.… Read more