Author Archive: Brett Owens

Chief Investment Strategist

Quiet Government Move Will Send Oil (and This 9% Dividend) Soaring

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 4, 2024

The market volatility we contrarians have been waiting for is finally starting to show up—and we’re going to play it with a cheap energy fund paying a sweet 9.1% dividend.

These days, most investors think energy is played out. But the truth is, we’ve seen a “slow-mo” selloff, with crude tumbling about 10% from back in early April.

And we’ve got Uncle Sam on our side here, too.

This is an election year after all, and last week we got word the Biden Administration will empty the Northeast Gasoline Supply Reserve, set up to provide an emergency supply after Superstorm Sandy in 2014.… Read more

The Next Aristocrats: 5 Stocks on the Verge of Dividend Royalty

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 31, 2024

Income investors love Dividend Aristocrats. And why not? These are stocks that have delivered dividend raises year after year for many decades.

But we can do even better than the Aristocrats. And get stinkin’ rich in the process by buying these payout raisers before they have clocked 25 years of divvie growth (the qualification to be an Aristocrat).

This is where the real money is made.

The problem with some Aristocrats is that their best days are behind them. When a company reaches a level of dividend maturity, payout ratios can get bloated, and payout increases can become incremental and tied to a company’s modest profit growth.… Read more

My Favorite Way to Quickly Double Money with Dividends

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 29, 2024

Got some investing money you’d like to double? As in, grow it by 100% or more? Here’s the surest and safest way to do it quickly.

Well, before we get into getting rich, let’s talk about income. Not everyone needs to grow their pile of money bigger and bigger. Some of us are done accumulating and are looking for cash flow to help us cruise through retirement.

So, we have two options:

Option 1: Invest for Income Today

Put some of the cash pile into safe funds and stocks. I can show you where to find 7.52% yields, which means you can build a “no withdrawal” retirement portfolio that spins off $75,214.44 on a million bucks:

12 Month Projected Income for CIR Portfolio

Source: Income Calendar

Of course, few blue-chip stocks pay over 2%.… Read more

“Sell in May”? Nah, We’re Buying These Cheap Bond Dividends Instead

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 28, 2024

This market rally could roll right through the summer (so much for “Sell in May and go away!”), and we’ve got two sweet bond buys to play it.

That’s right, I said bonds because there are more bargains in bond land than in stocks right now. While stocks could keep floating higher, the last thing we want to do is chase this rally.

Instead, we’re going to ride along on the stock side of things. In bonds, though, the state of play is a bit different.

We’re going to list our two bond picks in order of appeal shortly, capping this article off with our top selection—an unsung closed-end fund (CEF) trading for 12% below its “true” value and yielding a stout (and tax-free) 5.8%.… Read more

5 “Invisible” Dividends Up To 16% That Most Screens Miss

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 24, 2024

“Special” dividends fly right under Wall Street’s radar. Which is great for contrarian income seekers like us. These payouts aren’t officially “counted” by most mainstream websites!

It’s a big accounting error in our favor because these dividends can really add up. Today we’ll discuss five special dividend payers with yields up to 16%.

Most websites won’t report 16%, of course. For whatever reason, they just can’t compute specials!

Special dividends are technically considered one-time payouts. So, vanilla websites assume they won’t happen again, and thus leave them out of their yield calculations.

But there’s more than one kind of special dividend.… Read more

Why Did This Sleepy Dividend Stock Jump 10% Overnight?

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 22, 2024

“Why is Arbor Realty (ABR) up 10% this morning?”

The emails piled in. And obviously, yes, it was this Tweet from Roaring Kitty—the high priest of meme stocks—that sent highly-shorted stocks higher.


Source: X.com

His real-life identity is Keith Gill. He’s a former financial analyst turned meme stock diocesan. In 2020, Keith aka Roaring Kitty led the charge behind the short squeeze of GameStop (GME), which sent that dinosaur stock (briefly) into orbit.

The mere hint that Gill was back in the game was enough for his disciples to bid up old flames GameStop and AMC Entertainment Holdings (AMC).… Read more

3 Surging Dividends to Profit From “Industrial Revolution II”

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 21, 2024

This onshoring trend is roaring—but we contrarian dividend investors still have time to cash in. I’ve got a “3-pack” of cheap stocks that lets us do that, with dividends that are surging (or are about to!) below.

The two latest signs we’re in the midst of “Industrial Revolution II” here in the US? According to new Census Department figures, Detroit, the HQ of industrial America, is seeing its population grow again for the first time since 1957!

The “OG” Industrial Boom

And the latest round in the tariff wars? They’ll almost certainly send more companies scurrying to America.

Think “Picks and Shovels” for the Best Plays on Industrial Revolution II

If you’ve been reading my articles for a while, you know I love “pick-and-shovel” stocks.… Read more

Why Does Wall Street Hate These 6%-13% Dividends?

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 17, 2024

What’s better than a big dividend?

A hated high yield.

Especially when the disgust comes from Wall Street analysts themselves. You know, the fanboys who follow the company for a living.

Analysts are paid to be bullish. Let’s face it, nobody wants to hear from a bear. Here’s how unusual is it for analysts to be down on a stock?

There are just two consensus Sell calls across the entire S&P 500. Two.

So, when one of the suits says a business is bad, we should take note, right?

Wrong.

Analysts tend to be trend followers. And as they say in the business, the trend is your friend until it ends.… Read more

The Lovey Dovey Fed is Juicing These Dividends, Up to 274%

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 15, 2024

Remember when the Federal Reserve stopped printing money for a few months? It didn’t go well.

Yes, I’m making fun. A bit. Chairman Jay Powell did abstain from his printing press for nine full months.

The year, as you’ll recall, was 2022. Headline inflation topped 8%. Eight! Jay, who had been blaming every supply chain from here to Shanghai for the price pressures, ran out of excuses. He held down the power button on his money printer for a hard reset.

Stocks sank 18% that calendar year. Bonds did worse—they completely blew up. A perfectly “safe” fund of US Treasuries, iShares 20+ Year Treasury Bond ETF (TLT) was anything but, shedding 31%.… Read more

Contrarians: Our Buy Window on This 8% Dividend Is Open (for Now)

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 14, 2024

It blows me away that folks still think high interest rates will be around forever. Truth is, rates are already starting to fall!

But no one’s really paying attention (yet!). Which leaves us a brief window to lock in some sweet 8%+ dividends from one of our favorite utility-focused funds. This bargain-priced buy soars when rates drop.

Look Beyond the Headlines for the Real Rate Story

Remember January, when all the talk was about how rates would be cut six times this year?

Poof. Those hopes were history before winter—such as it was—ended.

Nowadays, futures traders have almost completely thrown in the towel—they’re calling for just two rate cuts between now and January.… Read more