Author Archive: Michael Foster

If you’re worried inflation will sideswipe your portfolio, well, you have good reason to be.

Because make no mistake, rising prices will be the story of 2018. And if you want to protect your portfolio, you need to act now. I’ll show you how a little further on.

First, let’s go toe to toe with the inflation boogeyman, and see what kind of punch we can expect him to pack this year.

A Growing Threat

Starting late last year, the consumer price index (CPI) jumped, and the increase is accelerating as we start 2018.

Prices Heat Up

Of course, that’s probably not news to you; it’s been covered daily in the media.… Read more

There’s one question I’ve been getting from a lot of folks lately. You may have wondered about it yourself.

It’s simply this: “Is the stock market even safe anymore?” Or another, less anxious, variation: “How can I bank fast returns while slashing my risk?”

I have great news. As I wrote back on February 8, this selloff was way overdone, and now is the time to be buying—not selling!

Better still, there’s a class of totally ignored funds that fits the bill, and many of them are screaming bargains now. That puts us in line for a big, quick price pop while they pay us up front with a massive income stream.… Read more

Don’t panic.

One week ago, Elon Musk’s SpaceX launched Falcon Heavy, catapulting the billionaire’s Tesla Roadster into space. On the dashboard were two words made famous by Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Don’t Panic.”

(Read on and I’ll tell you why you should make these two words your mantra these days; how the “smart money” is playing the selloff; and reveal the one investment you need to—calmly—sell now.)

How to Keep Your Cool When Others Lose Theirs

As Musk’s Roadster orbited above, markets on earth were freaking out.

Look Out Below

In a matter of days, the 7% gains stocks racked up in less than a month were gone.… Read more

You know the old saying, “There are lies, damned lies and statistics”? Here’s another one for you: “There are lies, damned lies and charts.”

That certainly applies to the 8.6%-paying fund I’ll reveal toward the end of this article. If you looked at its price chart alone—which almost everyone does—you’d totally miss it!

And this dividend passes my 3-point “dividend safety check,” which I’ll also give you a little further on.

The Trouble With Stock Charts

The truth is, too many pundits have a point they want to prove, and they choose charts that prove that point. In some cases, they use charts that only tell half the story.… Read more

So stocks have had their steepest nosedive in seven years, and with the whipsawing market we’ve seen since, you might—might—be entertaining the knee-jerk urge to sell.

I have one word for you: don’t.

I’ll tell you why in a moment.

First, let’s look at why this panic happened, and where things go from here.

“It Means Nothing”

I’ve already fielded calls from worried family members and friends asking about their 401ks. When my mother emailed to ask if the Dow losing 1,100 points in a day was a big problem, I responded with three words:

“It means nothing.”

Of course, for everyday folks counting on stocks and bonds to fund their retirement, seeing a 4.6% drop in a day is horrifying—especially if you remember 2008, when such drops were the beginning of a horrific bear market that ended with a 50% decline in stocks.… Read more

In my years in the markets, I’ve seen some dangerous financial products come on the scene, but the two I’m going to show you in a moment might be the most dangerous.

No, I’m not talking about Bitcoin—although cryptocurrencies are pretty risky, since, as I wrote on January 1, most people don’t understand just how big a failure Bitcoin really is.

I’m talking about two new funds that have recently been released by BMO Capital Markets in conjunction with REX Exchange-Traded Funds.

Before I go into just how terrible these two funds are, let’s do a bit of digging into who BMO and REX are.… Read more

Preferred stocks are in the doghouse, and you just might be wondering whether this is the start of a buying opportunity.

Let me put that question to rest: it is.

Today we’re going to look at what’s behind this superb chance to buy, as well as 3 preferred-stock funds to consider: the Flaherty & Crumrine Dynamic Preferred & Income Fund (DFP), Flaherty & Crumrine Preferred Securities Income Fund (FFC) and John Hancock Premium Dividend Fund (PDT).

As you can see, all 3 of these funds are in the dumps.

A Steep Slide Down

But these are great funds, not only because of their sustainable 7% dividend yields and diversified portfolios, but also because this preferred-stock selloff is misguided.… Read more

There’s one income-producing sector you probably hold in your portfolio—and you may be wondering why it’s crashing out this year.

I’m talking about utilities, which are famous for their rock-steady dividends (and predictable dividend hikes). These companies literally power the economy. But if utilities are so important, why are they in the toilet while the rest of the market is on fire?

Investors Loathe Utilities

Before we go further, if you’ve noticed your portfolio’s utility sleeve taking a dive like the one above—or bigger—don’t worry. This dip is a buying opportunity! I’ll give you one option paying a fat 8.7% dividend below.… Read more

The S&P 500 has already increased in value by over $1 trillion in 2018—and January isn’t even over yet!

What’s behind this incredible bull market isn’t euphoria or hysteria—it’s actually sound investing principles. As I wrote in a January 18 article, the bull market is being driven by the best possible trend: higher earnings and sales for America’s best companies, which is itself the result of improving economic conditions for everyday Americans.

Parties ultimately end, of course. And this one is no different—the bull market is being driven by a solid and reasonable belief that American companies will go up in value.… Read more

There are, as I write this, 3 high-yielding funds giving investors over 5% in dividend income. Plus they pay out every month, tax-free.

All 3 sold off at the end of 2017. And I’m watching one group of investors who are waiting to buy back in when a “time limit” I’ll explain in a moment expires in the next few weeks.

That makes now a good time to buy. Because when this “deadline” comes and goes, I expect all 3 of these funds to rise.

Before I show you these funds, I want to give you the inside scoop on this unique situation.… Read more