Author Archive: Brett Owens

It’s essential for core dividend holdings to consistently raise their payouts over time. Without a steady uptick in the regular dole, inflation starts gnawing into investors’ returns. That dollar becomes 98 cents, becomes 96 cents, and – you get the picture.

And it’s especially important to keep tabs on the dividend growth of your real estate investment trusts (REITs). I want to buy REITs that are constantly raising their rent. Larger and larger rent checks create growing dividend checks for us!

Over the long run, REIT share prices move higher as their dividends move higher. These payouts also provide downside for lean years like last year, when the dividend was about all we got:

2017 wasn’t a fun year for REIT investors, with the Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ) coming in essentially flat for the year without including dividends.… Read more

No safe bond pays 10% itself, of course. But it is possible to generate double-digit yields from a portfolio of secure bonds.

The secret is similar to successful dividend investing. Why buy a stock and be content pocketing “only its dividend” when you can have the payout with price upside to boot?

Most income investors are even less thoughtful when they purchase bonds. They fixate on the coupon rate (which these days they are inevitably disappointed with.) They watch their bonds weigh down their entire portfolio, muttering to themselves “at least they are safe.”

Well, sure. But they can be both safe and profitable.… Read more

The REIT bears have gone too far this time.

In the past few days, I’ve seen a lot of panicky commentary warning that incoming Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell will raise rates too fast after he takes over in February—and that would be a disaster for real estate investment trusts (REITs).

Don’t take the bait.

Because it all adds up more fear-fanning headlines from a business press desperate to make something out of nothing.

I’ll show you why in a moment. Then we’ll move on to 3 corners of the REIT space (and 5 stocks in particular) that underperformed in 2017—and are poised to spring back big time in 2018.… Read more

Tax reform has been signed into law, giving the market a booster shot as we kick off 2018. Republicans took a hatchet to the corporate tax rate, which should translate into more profits, which in turn should trickle down to investors in the form of earnings-driven gains, buybacks and dividends.

Generally speaking, that’s fantastic news for anyone holding blue-chip dividend stocks. But that’s not the same thing as saying every last well-known income play is worth carrying right now.

They’re not.

Eventually, some blue-chip stocks get caught in a rut where the growth that made them a household name in the first place starts to disappear.… Read more

What will 2018 hold for income investors?

Well, it depends where you look. Buying pricey blue chips for 2% or 2.5% yields looks like a crowded, low upside trade. Same with most mainstream bonds, which don’t pay much more.

But – thanks to a lack of attention from “first-level” financial websites – there are some bargains still worth buying in 2018. I’m talking about dividends of 8% or more, with extra price appreciation potential to boot.

What are these best buys? And how are they possible in this 2% world?

First Let’s Thank Fed Fears, Which Are Probably Overblown (Again)

This time last year, I told you that Fed rate hikes wouldn’t affect us income investors in 2017.… Read more

You and I both know the spoils from the GOP tax plan will go right into shareholders’ pockets—so let’s discuss how we can grab our piece of the action. And outsized dividends with 20% price upside to boot!

It all comes down to zeroing in on companies that do 2 simple things. I’ll reveal what they are—and give you 3 terrific “tax plan buys” as I go along.

But first, let me be clear that I’m not taking a side here: no matter if you think the tax plan is a masterstroke or a catastrophe, as an investor, you need to check your politics at the door and take a hard look at the landscape in front of you.… Read more

Investors looking for income with low risk tend to gravitate heavily toward bonds, but their efforts are often better spent in preferred stocks. These “hybrid” securities commonly pay 5% or 6% but gyrate far less than common stocks – certainly less than most shares that offer a similar amount of yield.

So, what exactly is a preferred stock?

Preferreds are simply another way companies raise capital. However, unlike common stock whose value fluctuates with the success (or lack thereof) of the company, preferred stock trades around a “par value” much like a bond, and they pay fixed dividends – often yielding far more than the common shares.… Read more

This single chart (from Yardeni Research) reveals the secret to 55.8% dividend yields:

The Power of Dividend Growth

Source: Yardeni Research

What are we looking at here?

Simply this: if you’d invested in the average S&P 500 stock back in 1970, you’d be yielding 55.8% on your original buy today. (And in just a few minutes, I’ll reveal 5 stocks whose strong payout growth will get you there a lot faster than that.)

Think about that: 55.8% is more than half of what you originally invested—returned to your pocket every year in dividend checks!

Even if you didn’t buy in till 1990, you’d still be yielding a hefty 14.6% today.… Read more

Q: Are REITs (real estate investment trusts) going to be hurt by the new tax reform?

Not at all. In fact, the new tax plan actually favors these generous dividend payers.

Let me explain why – and then point you towards the best REITs to buy for 2018.

A Smaller Tax Bill on REIT Dividends

The IRS already allows REITs to avoid paying income taxes if they pay out most of their earnings to shareholders. As a result these firms tend to collect rent checks, pay their bills and send most of the rest of the cash to us as dividends.… Read more

January is a busy time of year for companies looking to amplify their regular payouts. I’ve already shown you a mess of master limited partnerships (MLPs) that should hike their distributions next month. But for those of you who don’t subscribe to those tax headaches, I have a list of traditional companies and real estate investment trusts (REITs) that should up the ante, if history is any indication.

I encourage investors to seek out high yields and high rates of dividend growth – study after study shows the benefits of both. This isn’t just a localized market trait, either. Studies of global equities show exactly what we see here at home: That yield and growth truly matter over the long haul.… Read more