Author Archive: Brett Owens

Insider buying can be a great indicator for us income investors to buy alongside management. After all, when the big bosses reach into their own pockets to purchase their own payout streams, it’s a signal that they are confident in more than just the next dividend.

They believe their stock has upside, too. Often this results in total returns (including dividends) up to 214%. I’ll show you some examples, and also break down some current “buy” signals, in a moment.

First, let me make sure we are not mixing up insider buying with insider trading. They are two different things.… Read more

As broke investors worry more and more about a stock market crash, billionaires are quietly loading up on their favorite dividend paying stocks. Investing for growth and income, these “country clubbers” know how to 4X their yields without taking on any additional risk.

Who would you rather invest with? Obviously, the rich guy or gal versus the hopeful retiree sweating out every stock tick.

Wealthy people collect assets that, over time, help them accumulate more and more wealth. Average investors, meanwhile, clutch to their stocks like they are lottery tickets. They buy shares and “hope” that they go up every minute of every day.… Read more

If you ever want to retire (or stay retired!), you’ve got a big problem. Bonds don’t pay much now, and they’re likely to pay less and less in the months and years ahead.

I probably don’t have to tell you that the yield on the 10-year Treasury note has crashed to 1.6%. In other words, a $500K investment would get you a pathetic $4,000 in interest income every six months (as Treasuries only pay semiannually, unlike the three strong monthly dividend payers I’ll show you shortly).

Then there’s the specter of negative interest rates, something folks in many countries already know: today, $15 trillion of government bonds around the world are sloshing around with yields below zero.… Read more

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are great potential fits for any modern retirement portfolio. With interest rates ticking down from 2% to 1% and, perhaps, eventually 0%, these generous dividend payers are benefitting big time.

REIT stocks tend to yield twice as much as regular ol’ stocks. They collect rent and pay it directly to their investors as dividends. This “capital light” approach gives them cash cow status. It’s a big reason why REITs outperform the broader market over any length of time.

So should we just buy the biggest, most successful REITs and enjoy their dividends and the growth of their payouts.… Read more

“I did read that. I thought about you, B.O.”

While other people may be known for their hobbies, or their families, my publisher thought of me when a Vanguard fund re-opened!

I’ve yapped about the Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund (VDIGX) before. I rarely mention (let alone endorse!) mutual funds. But VDIGX is notable for two reasons:

1. I plow 100% of my 401(K) contributions into this fund, and
2. It’s a pretty good option as far as retirement plans go.

Why this fund? Because in my “Brett Inc.” company plan, I have a set list of Vanguard funds to choose from. This is “set and forget” money so my goal is to maximize long-term returns.… Read more

I want you to think about your very first reaction when you flick on the TV and see the Dow has crashed 300, 500—even 800 points. It feels like you’re drowning, right?

It’s physical, like a gasp after falling into a cold lake. Your first instinct is likely to reach for the closest “life preserver.” For most folks, that means panicking and flipping holding after holding over to cash.

You’ve probably made this mistake. You might’ve made it last Christmas, when many investors, burned by last year’s selloff, threw in the towel …

… just in time to miss the 18% total return stocks have delivered since!… Read more

If you’re a serious dividend investor, you should never trust a stock screener.

They might be OK for blue-chip stocks like Pfizer (PFE) and Procter & Gamble (PG). But these stocks don’t pay enough to properly fund a retirement portfolio powered by dividends anyway.

The big problem with screeners is that they get tripped up when yields get serious. They handle the 2% and 3% payers alright. They’ll spit back a fairly accurate dividend payout ratio based on earnings, and give you price-to-earnings metrics that are fair enough.

But high-yield structures like REITs and BDCs? Forget it. They break the machines.… Read more

Nine weeks ago, our fellow income investors were concerned about rising tariff tensions and falling stock prices. (Sound familiar?) So, in late May, we discussed seven dividend payers (yielding 6% on average) that wouldn’t go down if stocks-at-large kept dropping.

The broader markets soon reversed, as they usually do when pessimism is running high. But our defensive dividend machines did even better. Five out of my seven “never go down” plays beat the S&P 500. On average they returned 12.5% (including their big dividends) over the last nine weeks. A percent a week or better will sure boost your retirement account quickly!… Read more

Is last week’s rate-cut temper tantrum the start of a bigger meltdown?

That’s the big question—and today we’re going to do what we have to do to protect our nest egg—and set ourselves up for big gains (and dividends) in the long run.

That means we may only have days to prepare—maybe even hours.

The one thing we’re not going to do? Sell and go to cash.

Because I know I don’t have to tell you that “money under the mattress” pays no dividend—and isn’t even safe, for that matter: you’re guaranteed to bleed money after inflation!

No way.

Instead, we’re going to play it smart—deftly pruning our portfolio of laggards and shifting into a set of low-key dividends that will balloon our income (and nest egg) for decades to come.… Read more

We buy real estate investment trusts (REITs) for their yields first and foremost. Show us the money!

Dividend growth is good, too. A 4% yield looks twice as nice if we believe our income will double in just a few years.

After all, a 4% payer that boosts its dividend by 10% won’t yield 4.4% for very long. Investors will buy its price up and in doing so bid its payout per share back down. And that’s OK. This dividend-powered appreciation is actually the easiest way for us to double our money with safe REITs!

But dividend safety really is the key here.… Read more