Author Archive: Brett Owens

Chief Investment Strategist

The Surprising Link Between AI, Jobs and 3 BIG Dividends (up to 8.5%)

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 17, 2025

Still wondering if AI will replace human workers? Well, you can stop. Because it’s already happening—and boosting corporate profits as it does.

That’s tough news for workers, of course. But there’s a silver lining for those of us investing for dividends. Because the “growth-without-hiring” trend AI has touched off is setting up one of the strongest income opportunities I’ve seen in years. (I’ll name three AI plays yielding up to 8.5% below.)

Wait, AI is setting the stage for big dividends?

I know. AI is known for a lot of things—many of which have been, er, less than helpful, such as infringing on copyrights and forcing McNuggets on pleading McDonald’s (MCD) drive-thru customers.… Read more

Generate Yields up to 13% For as Little as $8 (No Microcaps, No Options)

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 13, 2025

Let’s invest like private equity pros without needing seven figures. Yes, that’s right—PE-style starting for as little as $8.

Plus, yields up to nearly 13%.

No special access or options trades needed. Just a few clicks through our brokerage accounts buying regular ol’ tickers.

The sneaky dividend-dishing subjects? Meet business development companies (BDCs), publicly-traded firms that lend to small businesses.

BDCs were invented by Congress years ago to create a new type of lender to small businesses. They were also given the same mandate as real estate investment trusts (REITs): Return at least 90% of taxable income back to shareholders in the form of dividends.… Read more

Earn $42,353.38 in Dividends on Just $500K. Here’s How

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 11, 2025

$500K can be enough money to retire on. Even as early as age 50!

The trick is to convert the pile of cash into cash flow that can pay the bills. I’m talking about $42,353.38 per year in dividend income on that nest egg, thanks to 8%+ average yields.

These are passive payouts that show up every quarter or, better yet, every month. Meanwhile, we keep that $500K nest egg intact. Or, better yet, grind that principal higher steadily and safely.

Got more in your retirement account? Cool—more monthly dividend income for you!

We’ll talk specific stocks, funds and yields in a moment.… Read more

Wall Street Is Cutting Off Uncle Sam (Priming This 9% Payer for Gains)

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 10, 2025

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is turning its back on long-term Treasuries—and that’s rattling the bond market.

That, in turn, has the mainstream crowd turning its back on ALL bonds.

Mainstream crowd turning its back? That’s all we need to hear! In a second, I’ll reveal a 9% “contrarians only” dividend that’s tailor-made for this critical time in Bond-land.

First, let’s break down what the global investment titan is telling us here: In its weekly commentary, released June 2, BlackRock laid things out in stark terms (or at least as stark as a stuffy financial institution gets!):

“Our strongest conviction [bolding mine] has been staying underweight long-term US Treasuries.”Read more

Why Buy “Broke” Blue Chips? These 5 Small Caps Pay up to 17%

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 6, 2025

Small-cap stocks haven’t been this cheap in decades. This valuation advantage gets interesting when we add big fat dividends and today, we’ll discuss five cheap small stocks yielding between 8.3% and 17.1%. (That’s no typo by the way—we only talk serious dividends here at Contrarian Outlook!)

The Apples, Google and Microsofts of the world are priced like luxury goods. Smaller stocks, meanwhile, have been left at the discount rack. Let’s shop:

  • S&P 500: 21.2 times earnings (pricey!)
  • S&P MidCap 400: 15.4 times (better…)
  • S&P SmallCap 600: 14.7 times (bingo!)

The valuation spread between the S&P 500 and S&P 600 hasn’t been this wide since Bill Clinton was wondering whether dot-com was one word or two.… Read more

S&P 9000: Robots Boost Profits and Your Dividends to 9.7%

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 4, 2025

Big companies are about to make even more money. They have discovered they no longer need armies of new hires to grow—extremely bullish news for shareholders because human employees are expensive.

Good ones can also be notoriously elusive. For example, I’m the longest-standing member of my kids’ school marketing committee, and we’re always scrambling for volunteers (what non-profit isn’t?).

Until now, that is.

Over the weekend, we welcomed the most talented marketer I’ve ever worked with to our team: ChatGPT 4.5. “GPT” graciously accepted our volunteer position, and we’re already actively boosting online referrals for the school. I’m learning cutting-edge “AI referral” techniques straight from the entity that invented them.… Read more

Gold Just Got Cheaper and It’s Jet Fuel for This 8.3% Dividend

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 3, 2025

Gold prices have taken a breather—and we’re getting a rare opportunity to snag two shimmering dividend plays paying up to 8.3%.

Here’s why this setup is on the table: While recession worries are still valid, they’re overblown. Plus, the doomsayers are missing critical details set to kick gold higher. Let’s break all of this down, then get into the 8.3% (and growing) payouts the archaic metal is poised to deliver.

The “No-Landing” Economy: Alive, Well—and Bullish for Gold

Last fall, we talked about a “no-landing” economy in the US, where growth ticks along, but inflation sticks around, too. Fast-forward to today, and that’s pretty much how things have played out.… Read more

These 9%-14% Dividends Are Hiding in Plain Sight

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 30, 2025

Most mainstream financial websites are not “smart enough” to include special dividends. The yields they display reflect plain ol’ quarterly or monthly payouts.

For most stocks this does not matter. But for a select few “special payers” this is a costly oversight. One that we can capitalize on as thoughtful contrarians.

In a moment we’ll discuss five special dividends. The vanilla screens say they pay as little as 3.2% but in reality they dish up to 13.8%!

What exactly is a special dividend payment?

It is a one-time cash payout, often the result of a massive cash influx from, say, selling off part of the company or having an unusually profitable year.… Read more

Big, Beautiful Bond Yields Up to 11%: For Contrarians Only

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 28, 2025

The “big, beautiful bill” has turned into a bitter pill for bonds. As you’ve undoubtedly heard, bond buyers aren’t exactly thrilled about lending more money to a $36 trillion debtor that’s digging itself deeper into a financial ditch.

Prior to the proposed “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), the Congressional Budget Office (CBO)—famous for crunching numbers through rose-colored glasses—already projected a $1.9 trillion deficit for 2025. Now, the CBO estimates that the current House-passed version of OBBBA will add an extra $3.8 trillion to the national debt over the next decade.

This leaves Uncle Sam staring into a $40 trillion hole, deepening by roughly $2 trillion each year.… Read more

Why I’m Choosing a Measly 0.66% Dividend Over a Well-Known 6% Payer

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: May 27, 2025

If you’re like me, when you see an outsized dividend yield, you stop and immediately do the mental math. How much would we get back in payouts from, say, a 9.3% payer if we were to invest $10,000? Or $20,000? Or $100,000?

But savvy contrarians we are, we know to push back on this initial reaction and look deeper.

That’s because of something I know pretty much goes unsaid among contrarian income investors like us: Those big yields can be (and usually are) a danger sign. Truth is, a rising dividend is only one possible reason for a high payout.

And in fact, it’s the least likely one.Read more