Author Archive: Brett Owens

Successful dividend investing is simple, though not necessarily easy. There are nuances which trip up many investors (including most professionals!) These twists and turns create “yield alpha” opportunities for contrarian-minded income investors like us.

If everyone else in the market were perfectly grounded and calculated, there would be no chance for us to make above-average returns. After all, the 11.3% and 17.5% annualized returns that my Contrarian Income Report and Hidden Yields readers are earning would be snapped up in a perfectly efficient market.

Thanks to these inefficiencies, we are able to bank big yields and price returns in Dividend Land.… Read more

Today I’m going to give you everything you need to sail through the next crash, crush the S&P 500 by this time next year—and grab safe dividends up to 8.4%.

We’ll pull off this “dividend hat trick” through a set of “pullback-proof” investments with dividends up to 5 times bigger than what your typical S&P 500 stock pays.

In a moment, I’ll reveal three funds yielding up to 8.4% that are more than worthy of your attention now. They come from a corner of the market that will surprise you.

First, though, you might be wondering how I found these big, steady payouts.… Read more

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have agreed to disagree. For now. Is this a big deal, little deal or no deal for our dividends?

The outcome wasn’t much of a surprise. Stocks have done their part by politely rallying. My real concern is the lack of dividend deals left on the big board.

The S&P 500 is up almost 18% year-to-date. Sure, stocks were due for a bounce heading into the year (as we discussed in late December.) But still, a relentless rally wipes out a lot of bargains.

Remember the sale on industrial cash cow Ingersoll Rand (IR)?… Read more

Believe it or not, we now have the best window to buy dividend stocks that we’ve had in decades. Two proven 100%-return indicators just flipped to “green.”

The conditions we’re about to see are rocket fuel for companies growing their dividends like weeds. As usual, we’re going to zig while like-minded money managers (you know, those that outperform a mere index) zag.

Our 100% Proven Contrarian Play

The first factor that points to more upside for stocks is the foul mood among the so-called “smart money.”

According to a June survey by Bank of America Merrill Lynch, fund managers expectations of global growth sank the most since November 1994.… Read more

Your 2% bonds are going to make you broke. You need to buy these safe, higher paying dividends instead.

We’ll get to these “real yields” (up to 9.3%!) in a moment. First, let’s recap. Treasury yields just took their biggest bath in weeks, sending the 10-year T-note to 2%. Less than a year ago, the 10-year was flirting with (a not exactly nosebleed) 3%.

And now that Fed chair Jay Powell has fallen in love with the doves (whether by choice or by force), he’s going to keep rates low for a long time. Which means bonds will have no place in a retirement portfolio geared towards income.… Read more

Be careful how you buy your bonds. The most popular tickers have a few “fatal flaws” that’ll doom you to underperformance at best, or leave you hanging in the event of a market meltdown at worst!

Let’s pick on the widely followed and owned iShares iBoxx High Yield Corporate Bond ETF (HYG) as an example. It has attracted $15 billion in assets because:

1. It’s convenient – as easy to buy as a stock.
2. It’s diversified (for better or worse, as we’ll see shortly) with 981 individual holdings.
3. It pays–5.6% today, to be specific.

The accessibility of funds like HYG appears cute and comfortable enough.… Read more

If you’re sitting in “dead money” Treasuries and CDs, the dawn of a new round of interest-rate cuts is probably the last thing you want to hear.

Since Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell’s “pivot” on rates in early January, the yield on the 10-year Treasury has plunged, from 2.7% to 2.0%.

So if you put a million bucks in Treasuries at the start of the year, you’d be banking $26,900 in income. That’s pathetic enough for a seven-figure nest egg!

But fast-forward just six months, and your mil fetches you far less: just $20,100.

Powell Will Spark a Stampede Into These 8% Dividends

With Treasury rates collapsing and the stock market soaring—driving S&P 500 dividend yields down to a lame 1.7%—there are few places for income-seekers to turn.… Read more

Seven percent dividends.

That’s what my 18 favorite stocks and funds yield on average in my “No Withdrawal” Retirement Portfolio. And it’s that very yield that gives the critically-acclaimed portfolio its name. Investors collect so much income every month that they don’t need to pull out their nest egg to make ends meet.

The regular dividend checks pay the regular bills.

That yield, by the way, was higher just a few months ago, but as prices go up, yields go down … and prices across the portfolio have been going up, up, up!

That’s no happy accident—that’s a vital component to a successful retirement portfolio that many advisors and financial pundits too often miss.… Read more

I often get asked where I’m investing my retirement money. And these days, I’m also asked if this is even an appropriate time to buy stocks!

Well, I personally am buying. For starters, my 401(K) runs on autopilot. Every month, my contribution (and “Brett Inc.” company match) is plowed into Vanguard’s Dividend Growth Fund (VDIGX). No diversification, no market timing–100% into VDIGX.

Why this fund? Because in my plan, I have to choose from a set list Vanguard funds. And I’m naturally looking for an emphasis on dividend growth because I know it’s the path to 10%+ returns every year, a wealth-creating snowball!… Read more

Our Contrarian Income Report mailbag served up an important question from a reader this week. What are the perfect retirement dividends to buy and hold forever?

Our subscriber is retired and manages investments for him and his wife. He asked me how to build a portfolio that will give her reliable income, with little maintenance, if he can no longer look after their investments himself.

It’s a great question, and one that’s likely occurred to you, too. So let’s tackle it.

3 “Autopilot” 8% Dividends You Can Buy Now

While we always feel you should at least check in on your investments from time to time, let’s go ahead and piece together a portfolio we’d feel pretty comfortable buying and tucking away for the long term.… Read more