Author Archive: Michael Foster

Flipping through my stock screener earlier this week, I ran across two of the best examples of bubbles-in-the-making I’ve ever seen:

Looking to Lose Money? Invest Here.

Those would be Tesla (TSLA), in blue above, and Virgin Galactic (SPCE), in orange.

Bubbles, of course, are nothing new: Nobel Prize–winning economist Robert Shiller explained them in his 2000 book, aptly titled Irrational Exuberance:

“Errors of human judgment can infect even the smartest people, thanks to overconfidence, lack of attention to details and excessive trust in the judgments of others, stemming from a failure to understand that others are not making independent judgments but are themselves following still others—the blind leading the blind.”… Read more

A proven recession indicator just went off again—only nine months after its last warning. And how have the markets and the media responded?

Crickets.

The funny thing is that this isn’t a bad news story for us. Because there’s a way we can profit from this signal of tougher times to come. I know that sounds counterintuitive, but stick with me for a moment and I’ll introduce you to a fund that protects—and actually grows—its 6.6% income stream when markets panic.

Before we get to that, let’s look at that recession indicator and tease out what it’s telling us.… Read more

There’s a way you can buy into today’s healthy real estate market without paying full price. In fact, you can get in for a lot less—I’m talking 16% below market value.

This may sound impossible, but it’s easy to do with closed-end funds (CEFs). That’s because there’s a CEF that invests only in real estate, and its market price is actually 16% lower than the value of its portfolio of assets. There’s much more to this fund, too. Not only does it hold a diversified real estate portfolio, but it also pays out a 5.9% dividend that’s risen 73% in the last decade. … Read more

With coronavirus spreading and China’s economy being shut off from the rest of the world, you’re right to ask one (or both) of the following questions:

Is this rally justifiable? Is it still a good time to buy in?  

Profits (and Dividends), Not Fear

Here’s the good news: this market is rising on fundamentals, and ignoring overwrought media headlines that will eventually be forgotten. So yes, now is a good time to buy in. And contrary to what most people think, there’s still a good shot at high (I’m talking 7.8%+) dividends out there for us, too. Those payouts are in a corner of the market too many people never think to check.… Read more

If you’re like most income investors, you stop in your tracks when you spot a massive payout—like 16% or more. A yield like that means you’re doubling the market’s historical annual return in dividends alone.

What’s not to like?

Too bad dividends that big are almost always warning signs. That’s the case with the two stocks we’re going to dive into today. You’ll want to avoid their “siren song” 16%+ payouts now—or sell if they’re taking up space in your portfolio.

When the Market and Reality Part Ways

This story actually starts more than a decade ago—in the middle of the collapse of 2008.… Read more

It’s a tired piece of “wisdom” you hear from personal-finance gurus over and over: you need to invest in low-cost, passive index funds to get the highest return.

Too bad it’s completely false!

Today we’re going to look at how obsessing over fees can actually cost you tens of thousands of dollars. Then I’ll name a fund that could get you big gains and pays a dividend north of 6%. What’s more, this unusual fund, a closed-end fund (CEF), to be specific, gives you that steady cash payout while holding some of the biggest stocks out there—I’m talking about household tech names like Apple (AAPL) and Amazon.com… Read more

You’ve probably heard that less than half of active funds beat their index, and a low-cost index fund is your best bet for long-term investing.

Well, today I want to show you why that is 100% wrong. I’ll also reveal 15 funds paying dividends from 5.6% to 7%, while crushing their index, too.

First, the facts.

When it comes to mutual funds, it’s true that the vast majority of them do not beat their indexes. It’s also true that most funds of all types that invest in common stocks don’t beat their index.

But there’s more to investing than stocks. Much more.… Read more

There’s a dangerous myth going around: that stocks are in a bubble, and if you buy now, you’ll lose money.

This myth is dangerous because it is discouraging people from putting money in one of the most powerful wealth-generating machines on earth. And income-seekers (retirees, in particular) who know how to navigate this market can not only get massive profits but also strong cash flow, like the 6% dividends, paid monthly, on a fund I’ll introduce you to shortly. This fund is worth your while because it’s a play on US stocks at a time when stocks are strong and getting stronger, and because it’ll get you those stocks at an 8.6% discount, too.… Read more

Americans are blessed with a source of high passive income that is entirely tax free. Thanks to long-standing legislation designed to encourage more investment in our communities, municipal bonds give tax-free income to most people, and since you can get these “munis” in a fund that pays out 4.7% dividends, getting a really high income stream without the tax burdens has gotten really easy.

But not everyone is celebrating.

A lot of fears about muni bonds have blanketed the financial press over the last few years, in no small part because muni bonds, with their low volatility and steady income streams, tend to appeal to investors who want to avoid risky assets the most.… Read more

One of the weirdest trends over the last year has gone largely unreported. Despite stocks surging 30% in a year, investors are still selling stocks more than they’re buying.

It’s hard to get your head around this fact, but the data says it’s true. According to data from Refinitiv Lipper, investors actually withdrew $192.3 billion from mutual funds and ETFs—the largest amount of outflows on record for a single year.

Stocks Soar—and Investors Sell?

The concept here is a little complicated, but it’s crucial to understand. An ETF or mutual fund pools together cash from its investors, which it then uses to buy stocks, bonds or whatever its mandate says it needs to buy.… Read more