Author Archive: Brett Owens

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

Business development companies (BDCs) are dividend powerhouses that typically yield anywhere from high single digits to low double digits. And in fact, the group of three BDCs I’m going to show you today each throws off a yield of more than 10%!

But most investors – even income-seeking folks – aren’t familiar with them. If that includes you, or you’re just looking for safe 10% yields or better, read on.

BDCs were created in the 1980s by the U.S. government to help small- and midsize businesses finance their growth – via debt, equity and other financing. And by doing so, they also help create American jobs.… Read more

These shareholder-spoiling stocks regularly double or triple their investors’ money. They’re a bit underappreciated, but not often on sale – unless you buy them this time of year.

And on cue, right now they’re as cheap as they’ve been in 12 months.

If insurance is a great business, then reinsurance is a fantastic one. (Reinsurance is insurance purchased by insurance companies to manage their own risk exposure.)

Insurance itself, when done responsibly, is a cash cow. Firms collect payments up front from their customers but may not have to pay it out in claims for a long time, if ever. The companies then invest that money – called “float” – and pocket the income they earn.… Read more

Don’t let the pundits deceive you. Despite their endless bleating about an overheated market and an imminent crash, now is a great time to buy.

But you need to look beyond the breathless reporting about the S&P 500’s daily push higher—or its ratchet-tight P/E ratio.

Because the real winning stocks are cloaked behind something most folks don’t pay nearly enough attention to: dividends—particularly dividend growth!

Let me explain.

Dividends Are Great Again

A quietly released report from investment manager Janus Henderson Group (JHG) tells the tale—and it’s a happy one for American investors.

According to Janus, global dividends jumped 5.4% year-over-year in the second quarter.… Read more

Dividends or growth? Why choose when you can have both.

Take these firms with broad business moats and sustainable competitive advantages. They’ve showered their shareholders with raises over the past five years, delivering dividend growth from 100% to 1000% or better!

High Growth Dividends…

Yet these stocks still have modest current yields. Why? Because their share prices have soared along with their payouts:

… Power High Growth Stock Prices!

Everyone loves the dividend, but as you can see, investors usually don’t give enough love to the dividend hike. Not only do these raises increase the yield on your initial capital, but also they often are reflected in a price increase for the stock.… Read more

Wall Street’s supposedly elite group of stocks that have increased their annual payouts every year for at least a quarter-century – the “Dividend Aristocrats” – are peddled by advisers and pundits alike as supreme plays for income portfolios. And sure, a select few of them are. We’ll discuss two later today.

But a whole lot more of them are simply “dead money.”

The ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF (NOBL), which invests in the whole lot of dividend royalty, yields 1.9% as I write this. Even a million dollars parked in this fund is generating less than $20,000 in investment income annually.… Read more

Let’s talk about five big payouts that are so flimsy, they’re just asking for the ultimate sign of dividend disrespect:

Paying money to short them.

It’s one thing to turn down a decent yield in today’s 2% world. It’s another to be willing to pay the dividend in order to bet against the stock!

Yet here are five firms with archaic business models (some are so-2015) that their cash flow streams will soon dry up. And when the cash evaporates, so will the dividend.

Which is why I may short some or all of these shares in the weeks ahead after this piece publishes.… Read more

Most people are chasing big dividend payers right now in this “2% world” we live in. Meanwhile, a small group of “hidden yield” stocks are quietly handing smart investors growing income streams PLUS annual returns of 12%, 17.3%, or more.

Let’s talk about how to find these stocks, and bank 12% returns or better every single year, by following a simple two-step formula.

See, everyone wants dividend stocks with good current yields. It’s easy to scan a newspaper or financial website and pick out the stocks that are paying 3%, 4%, 8% or whatever number you might consider “good.”

Yet that’s NOT the right way to pick dividend stocks.… Read more