Articles

How To Brexit-Proof Your Portfolio

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 29, 2016

Britain’s out – should you care? It depends on what’s in your portfolio today.

Here’s a five-point checklist to help you Brexit-proof your nest egg. There’s no shortage of noise floating around about the potential ramifications. Let’s separate the “first-level” headline worries from the second-level realities – and make sure your portfolio is set to thrive regardless of the nonsense coming out of Europe.

Reality #1: Interest Rates Here Aren’t Going Anywhere

Regular readers know I’ve been skeptical of the Fed’s “tough talk” about raising rates ever since it started. Perfectly good high paying issues have been pummeled by their empty threats of sustained hikes, providing contrary-minded income investors like us with excellent buying opportunities.… Read more

The Post-Brexit Retirement Portfolio: 4 Buys for 100% Gains and 6.0% Yields

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 27, 2016

All weekend long I’ve heard from investors terrified of Brexit’s impact on their nest eggs. For the most part, they are in or near retirement—and now more than ever they are looking to shift more of their portfolio into fixed-income securities.

The problem? These are grim times for fixed-income investors. A one-year CD yields around 1.25%, and 10-year Treasuries aren’t much better, at 1.6%. That’s flirting with an all-time low—and leaves you with a loss after inflation.

But don’t worry. There are still good places to hunt for yield in the fixed-income space. In a moment, I’ll give you two options that together pay out a tidy 6.0%, so a $250,000 investment in each one would bring in a nice $30,000 income stream.… Read more

The Fatal Flaw in the 4% Retirement Myth – And the Solution

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 22, 2016

Are you relying on this casino for your retirement income?

The S&P 500, after two major heart palpitations, sits 1.2% lower than it did this time last year. That’s a tough roller coaster to ride if you actually need the money you invest in stocks! Plus, the index only pays a 2.1% yield due to its elevated price levels. That’s not very much income.

SP500-1Year-Chart

Then again you probably know this already. And perhaps you’ve attempted to stabilize your retirement ship by investing only in America’s best blue chip stocks. That’s definitely preferable to the broader market, but do me a favor and check out the following two charts.… Read more

3 Top Buys for Your Dividend-Growth Portfolio

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 20, 2016

A couple weeks ago, I showed you a 4-stock dividend portfolio that’s throwing off a gaudy 7.3% yield today.

It’s ideal if you’re retired and leaning on your investments to pay the bills. But if you’re looking to grow your nest egg, your best bet is to reinvest your dividends and harness the magic of compounding.

Today I’ve got three stocks for you that are perfect for doing just that.

But first, I’d say the name of the game here isn’t necessarily a high current yield; instead, you’ll want to home in on stocks that boost their payouts year in and year out.… Read more

3 Funds With 10% Yields AND Almost No Taxes

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 17, 2016

If you live in America, you can get tax-free dividends over 5% by investing in incredibly low risk bond funds. And I’m going to show you how to do it today.

You probably know that tax-free is a big deal. If you’re in a 25% tax bracket, a 5% tax-free yield equates to a 7.4% taxable yield. In the top 43.4% bracket? You’re banking a payout above 9%.

How is this possible? Simple—with municipal bonds. “Munis” have been a long-term favorite of retirees because of their tax-exempt status and low default rates, but now is a better time than ever to jump into the market.… Read more

Little Known Way to Score Big Dividends In Retail

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 16, 2016

Want to be Target’s (TGT) landlord? You’ll earn more collecting rent from the retailer than you would if you bought shares in the company directly.

How? By investing in the companies that lease space to big box retailers and profit as retail continues its “stealth” recovery. And contrary to what you read in the mainstream press, retail is doing well. Last quarter, the Census Bureau reported that retail sales were up 8% year-over-year in a quarter when GDP grew just 0.5%.

Picking winners and losers in the retail world is challenging. How do we know if Walmart (WMT) will beat out Costco (COST)?… Read more

Why Stocks Won’t Crash, and 3 Payouts Set To Rally Further

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 14, 2016

Four months ago, I wrote to you that the stock market was about to rally. Why? Individual and professional investors were both terrified – a great sign for us who relish running against the herd.

Since then the S&P 500 has rallied 12.2%, while the three dividend stocks I mentioned rallied 18.2%, 29.2%, and 42%! Once again, it paid to think contrary…

The “Surprise” Spring Rally We Called on February 10th

Surprise-Rally

Have stocks run too far too fast? The broader market is once again within spitting distance of its all time highs. Plus, investors have to be bullish now… right?… Read more

The Summer Rate Hike’s Off: Here’s What to Buy Now

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 13, 2016

It’s a done deal: an interest rate hike this month or next—a prospect that was already slim—is officially off the table.

The final straw? A dismal labor report showing just 38,000 jobs created in May, the fewest in six years. But that’s not the only thing that killed the June hike. Tack on inflation well below the Fed’s 2% target and an economy growing at a modest 2% clip, and there’s simply no reason to raise rates now.

Futures markets agree, with traders calling for just a 4% chance of a June hike and only 1-in-4 odds in July. You have to go way out to December before a significant likelihood materializes (43% for a quarter-point, 19% for a half-point).… Read more

5 Dividend Growth Stocks For Your Retirement Portfolio

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 10, 2016

A good retirement portfolio is diversified and dividend-focused. Diversification is important financial defense, but dividends are your financial offense. They compound on themselves because companies that pay dividends have an implied agreement with their shareholders that they’ll continue bumping them up.

Not all do, of course – but I’ve identified five dividend growth stocks that you can bank on. Today they yield an average 3.6% and each has not only a strong history of increasing dividends but also strong dividend coverage – which means their payouts (and stock prices) are likely to keep growing for the foreseeable future.

Now let’s get into these five dividend growers…

They are General Motors (GM), Target (TGT), Pfizer (PFE), Edison International (EIX) and Phillip Morris (PM).… Read more

A $100 Billion Wave Ready to Lift REITs

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: June 8, 2016

REITs (real estate investment trusts) are finally starting to get the respect they deserve. As a result, a cool $100 billion is gearing up to chase these soon-to-be-hot issues!

Since its 2004 inception, the Vanguard REIT Index ETF (VNQ) crushed the broader market – returning 192% including dividends versus just 89% for the S&P 500. The market gods have finally taken note.This September, Standard & Poor’s will give REITs their very own sector for the first time.

Which means NOW is the best time to buy them, because before it’s official, large funds will be shoveling cash into REITs as they attempt to “front run” the index as they always do.… Read more