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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

Worried that a bursting bitcoin bubble will sideswipe stocks in 2018?

Don’t be. Because as I’ll explain in a moment, the hysteria over the so-called “cryptocurrency” is actually good for stocks this year, no matter if bitcoin explodes for a 10,000% gain … or flames out and crashes back to earth.

I’ll also show you the one surprising group of stocks poised to benefit from bitcoin in 2018, no matter what happens.

First, if you’re like most people and find bitcoin a complete mystery, stick with me for a minute and I’ll show you how it works—and what’s pumping up the bulging bitcoin bubble.… 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

Today I’m going to show you the 3 best closed-end funds of 2017—and reveal a surprising prediction for each of these powerhouse CEFs in 2018.

The prediction? That after soaring up to 58.8% in 2017, these 3 rock-solid CEFs aren’t done yet. In fact, I see all 3 posting double-digit gains in the next 12 months, too!

More on these 3 winning funds in a moment. (And if you’re unfamiliar with CEFs, click here for a full primer on them.)

First, let’s take a very fast look at…

The Year That Was in CEFs

In CEFs, the biggest winners of 2017 had a lot in common, and that made it easy to separate the losers from the winners, because the whole market seemed to agree on 3 things:

1. Tech is where to put your money.

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

If there’s one thing I love, it’s picking up on a “sleeper” income opportunity that first-level investors have walked right past.

And today I’m going to show you not one but three. And one of these stealth buys yields a safe, stable 9.5%.

So a $100,000 investment in this unloved fund would hand you a nice $9,500 in 2018, or a steady $2,375 when its dividends drop into your account every quarter.

I’ll have more to say about these 3 funds—all of which are managed by a real, live human—shortly, including why they’re a better way to go than a “dumb” index fund.… 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

December might be the traditional season of generosity for most, but not for energy master limited partnerships (MLPs). This high-income area of the market tends to wait until January rolls around to get into the giving spirit, with many of the industry’s names doling out distribution hikes a couple weeks after the New Year.

Investors looking to jump into MLPs, then, may want to get into the seven stocks I’m about to highlight – all of which yield between 5% and 8% – before they up the ante on their regular payouts.

A host of MLPs tend to wait until after the champagne has been uncorked and the bowl games have been played to announce distribution hikes.… Read more