Author Archive: Brett Owens

A blue-chip dividend portfolio pays about 2% today. Put a million bucks into a bucket of these stocks and you’ll bank just $20,000 in yearly dividends. That’s barely extra change–on a million invested!

There’s a better way. I prefer to focus on stocks and funds that simply aren’t as familiar as the big names to most investors. They do offer growth potential. But most importantly, they don’t sacrifice yield for perceived safety. In fact, they yield roughly 3x to 4x the blue-chip stocks, providing a lot more retirement-income cushion in years where the market stalls.

Most people love the idea of this Perfect Income Portfolio, yet millions of retirees across the country find themselves piled into the same group of overowned, overpriced blue chips because the “traditional wisdom” says that’s what retirement is supposed to look like.… Read more

We all love 7% yields here. But how do you feel about Sprint’s 7.88% bonds that mature in September 2023?

Well, the company might make it until then. Shares trade for pocket change at just over $6. Equity investors in Sprint (S), however, have been (wait for it) sprinting to the exits lately:

The Stock Feels the Weight of Sprint’s Debt

For a position this risky, I’d want to watch it closely. I’d also want to be able to sell it at the first sign of distress.

Unfortunately, that isn’t going to be possible. If you own the Sprint 2023’s, you’ve got company–$320 million to be specific!… Read more

Where are we to turn for high, safe dividends these days? Certainly not 10-Year Treasuries, unless you think you can scrape by on their 1.7% yields.

I’ll save you the calculation: you can’t, because that yield matches the inflation rate to the decimal point.

Your “true” income? $0.

The S&P 500 isn’t much better: for a pittance more (a 1.84% average yield), you’re exposing your nest egg to this:

When a 1.8% Dividend Costs You 20%

But don’t, because I’ve got a better way—a low-key alternative I call a “layup dividend.” If you’re a basketball fan, you know what I’m talking about: the layup is the simplest shot in the game, where you simply “lay” the ball over the rim into the net.… Read more

An “early alert system” for double-digit stock growth is hiding in plain sight. And right now, it is warming up for 50 stocks we’re about to talk about. I’ll share their names and tickers in a moment.

This signal preceded 384% to 1,000%+ total returns for a pair of seemingly plain-Jane companies. Better still: It’s a signal that all of us are privy to. In fact, thousands of companies write press releases at least once a year announcing these “alerts” to the world for all to see. Whole websites are dedicated to them.

Honestly, you can’t miss ’em.

This alert system isn’t limited to naturally high-growth areas such as tech, either.… Read more

A big thank you to the 1,186 subscribers who attended our Contrarian Income Report webcast! As we discussed in the session, I did my best to address presubmitted questions during the session.

More questions came in during the live webcast. I love the enthusiasm. Let’s use our time together today to chat about your shared thoughts, curiosities and concerns.

Q: What do you think about trailing stops (with percentages)?

Q: Do you recommend trailing stops, or should we just wait for you to tell us when to sell?

Q: Would a 10% trailing stop work for your picks?

Q: How did these holdings perform during a bear market?… Read more

There are two words I’d bet cross your mind every time you buy a stock: “2008 repeat.”

As in: “I can’t afford one!”

I hear it regularly from Contrarian Income Report readers. It’s obvious why: we’re all 11 years older, and we can’t mess around—we need “correction-proof” growth and big dividends (I’m talking 6% yields and up) today!

By “correction-proof,” I mean stocks that swat away a crash, no matter if it’s October 2008, May 2018 or the pullback we saw just last month.

Sounds like a tall order, I know. But it’s not impossible.

Today I’m going to show you how I regularly find these stout plays, and how they’ve driven a steady 11.4% annualized return (mostly in safe dividend cash) for Contrarian Income Report members since we launched the service in 2015.… Read more

Energy stocks are en fuego again after a drone strike on a Saudi oil facility. We’re going to (as usual) skip the geopolitical talk and discuss oil dividends that will benefit from this disruption.

While “buy and hope” investors ponder basic ways to play the spike, you and I know that about half of energy returns come from payouts. Check out the orange line below, the total return of a popular energy index with dividends. It’s nearly double what the stock prices themselves returned:

The Real Key to Oil Riches? Dividends.

No dividend is guaranteed forever. But broadly speaking, income has been a far more reliable source of energy-sector returns than price performance, making up nearly half of energy’s total returns since late 1998.… Read more

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 7.2% yields, which means you can build a “no withdrawal” portfolio that spins off, say, $72,000 on a million bucks (again, thanks to the 7.2% dividends).… Read more

Let’s brush aside some financial noise today, as I’d like to show you the best retirement investment you can make.

I’m talking about secure dividends that’ll grow every year, fund your regular expenses today, plus grow your capital so you don’t have to ever worry about running out of money.

You won’t have to worry about what the Fed says, either, because this worry-free strategy is ahead of Jay Powell and his crew. In fact, this “1-click” indicator not only tells you what to buy, but it nails the “when” better than any armchair (or professional) Fed watcher.

We’re going to use real estate investment trusts (REITs) as our vehicles of choice.… Read more

Where are you going to find meaningful income to get you through retirement? Not from popular stocks, with the S&P paying less than 2%. And bonds won’t help either, as their yields are in the tank, too.

Instead let’s consider real estate investment trusts (REITs), which are tailor-made for investors who are at or nearing retirement. Specifically, I’d look to dividend-growing REITs, like the three I’m about to show you. This trio of landlords are on pace to double their dividends in just four years.

How Dividend Growth Can Quickly Double Your Money

Respected healthcare REIT Ventas (VTR) is the perfect example of how this strategy can do more than provide income.… Read more