I’m just going to come out and say it: If you want to be financially independent (and who doesn’t?), you must own closed-end funds (CEFs).

For those “in the know” about CEFs, the reason is simple: massive yields. As I write, closed-end funds yield 9.1% on average. And game-changing dividends like that are only one way CEFs reward us—and I’d argue they’re not even the best one!

The best-in-class CEFs out there—and here I’d definitely include the three we’re going to get into below—also offer strong total returns, with price gains and dividends combining to hand us overall returns of 10%+ yearly.… Read more

$500K can be enough money to retire on. Even as early as age 50!

The trick is to convert the pile of cash into cash flow that can pay the bills. I’m talking about $42,353.38 per year in dividend income on that nest egg, thanks to 8%+ average yields.

These are passive payouts that show up every quarter or, better yet, every month. Meanwhile, we keep that $500K nest egg intact. Or, better yet, grind that principal higher steadily and safely.

Got more in your retirement account? Cool—more monthly dividend income for you!

We’ll talk specific stocks, funds and yields in a moment.… Read more

BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager, is turning its back on long-term Treasuries—and that’s rattling the bond market.

That, in turn, has the mainstream crowd turning its back on ALL bonds.

Mainstream crowd turning its back? That’s all we need to hear! In a second, I’ll reveal a 9% “contrarians only” dividend that’s tailor-made for this critical time in Bond-land.

First, let’s break down what the global investment titan is telling us here: In its weekly commentary, released June 2, BlackRock laid things out in stark terms (or at least as stark as a stuffy financial institution gets!):

“Our strongest conviction [bolding mine] has been staying underweight long-term US Treasuries.”… Read more

The media is still obsessed with the “sell America” trade.

That is, in a word, overblown. But there is something valuable here—especially for us income investors.

Because even though the US has the world’s most diverse and dynamic economy, bar none, we do need to make sure we’re spreading at least some of our assets beyond a single country or asset class.

For maximum safety (both for our portfolio value and our income streams) we also need  exposure to alternative asset classes beyond US blue chips, such as global stocks, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and corporate bonds.

But here’s where a potential pitfall lies: Important as diversification is, we can not make the common blunder of letting it take over our investment decisions.… Read more

Small-cap stocks haven’t been this cheap in decades. This valuation advantage gets interesting when we add big fat dividends and today, we’ll discuss five cheap small stocks yielding between 8.3% and 17.1%. (That’s no typo by the way—we only talk serious dividends here at Contrarian Outlook!)

The Apples, Google and Microsofts of the world are priced like luxury goods. Smaller stocks, meanwhile, have been left at the discount rack. Let’s shop:

• S&P 500: 21.2 times earnings (pricey!)
• S&P MidCap 400: 15.4 times (better…)
• S&P SmallCap 600: 14.7 times (bingo!)

The valuation spread between the S&P 500 and S&P 600 hasn’t been this wide since Bill Clinton was wondering whether dot-com was one word or two.… Read more

Here’s a surprise from a die-hard closed-end fund (CEF) fan like me: Sometimes CEFs aren’t your best bet.

I’ll admit, that’s tough for me to say—especially when the average CEF yields a historically high 9.1%. (CEF yields are usually around 8.5%). That high yield partly reflects the fact that many CEFs are trading at steep discounts to their net asset value (NAV).

Translation: The fund is trading for less than what its underlying portfolio is worth. That, in turn, has resulted in lower prices among some CEFs, along with higher yields (as yields and prices move in opposite directions).

All of this simply means that CEFs are generally out of favor right now, which is an opportunity for us.… Read more

Big companies are about to make even more money. They have discovered they no longer need armies of new hires to grow—extremely bullish news for shareholders because human employees are expensive.

Good ones can also be notoriously elusive. For example, I’m the longest-standing member of my kids’ school marketing committee, and we’re always scrambling for volunteers (what non-profit isn’t?).

Until now, that is.

Over the weekend, we welcomed the most talented marketer I’ve ever worked with to our team: ChatGPT 4.5. “GPT” graciously accepted our volunteer position, and we’re already actively boosting online referrals for the school. I’m learning cutting-edge “AI referral” techniques straight from the entity that invented them.… Read more

Gold prices have taken a breather—and we’re getting a rare opportunity to snag two shimmering dividend plays paying up to 8.3%.

Here’s why this setup is on the table: While recession worries are still valid, they’re overblown. Plus, the doomsayers are missing critical details set to kick gold higher. Let’s break all of this down, then get into the 8.3% (and growing) payouts the archaic metal is poised to deliver.

The “No-Landing” Economy: Alive, Well—and Bullish for Gold

Last fall, we talked about a “no-landing” economy in the US, where growth ticks along, but inflation sticks around, too. Fast-forward to today, and that’s pretty much how things have played out.… Read more

We’ve got a rare “delayed reaction” income play on our hands right now. Thanks to the April stock-market plunge, we can now pick up 12%+ dividends at attractive discounts. But I don’t expect this opportunity to last very long.

I know early April feels like a while ago, but it created our opportunity, and the chance to buy is still available today. It lies in closed-end funds (CEFs). (I’ll show you three that pay those outsized 12%+ yields in just a second.)

In a nutshell, these three funds trade at discounts to their portfolio values—known as “net asset value,” or NAV, in CEF-speak.… Read more