This REIT Fund Yields 6% (and it’s cheap!)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: February 20, 2020

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 decadeRead more

How to Make 15% to 19% Annually (Forever) From Stocks

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: March 9, 2020

“Efficient market” believers are adorable, but they are also wrong. It is possible to make 15% to 19% per year, every year, from perfectly safe dividend stocks.

In a moment, I’ll outline this little-known yet simple formula. But first, let’s talk about what not to do–just in case you’re following bad advice today!

“Buy and hope” investing is what most of your peers do. They purchase shares and root for them to appreciate in price. Unfortunately, they have no specific plan detailing how they are going to profit from their stocks.

Inevitably, pullbacks happen, and this is their undoing. They get scared and sell, often near lows.… Read more

How to Buy “Dividend Splits” for 266%+ Gains

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: February 18, 2020

Today I’m going to show you how to grab two growing income streams—in just one buy. Plus, we’re going to bank double-digit price profits to boot.

The strategy? Simple: we’re buying dividend-paying stocks poised to spin off one of their businesses into a brand new dividend-paying stock. The result? Two or more quarterly dividends where there used to be just one.

Two other things you should know: our “new” dividend(s) will likely grow even faster than our original payout! And we won’t have to do anything to get this extra cash.

The Profit Power of “Dividend Splits” 

The dividend-growth wave this “dividend split” can unleash is massive.… Read more

These 7.8%+ Dividends Are Hiding in Plain Sight (You’ll Never Guess Where)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: February 17, 2020

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

How to Buy Tomorrow’s Dividend Aristocrats at a Discount Today

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: February 14, 2020

The blue-chip corporations that make up the Dividend Aristocrats are a tribute to the power of dividends. They have raised their payouts for 25 straight years or more and, most importantly, made many of their investors quite wealthy in the process.

Unfortunately for us, everyone already knows these firms are great. And as a result, their stocks are now overpriced and these well-run firms are producing mere also-ran returns. Check out the purple line below, which shows the Aristocrats trailing the popular Dow Jones and S&P 500 indices:

The Aristocrats Even Make the 124-Year-Old Dow Look Spry!

We can do better, and I’ll show you how in a moment.… Read more

Two 16%+ Dividends That Look Too Good to Be True (and Are!)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: February 13, 2020

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

How Grandma Turned $387K Into Dividend Income for Life

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: February 12, 2020

A financial friend of mine, an income-focused money manager, called me to brag about one of his clients. He’s used his CIR subscription to smartly help her turn a modest $387,000 nest egg into monthly dividend income that’s on track to last, well, just about forever.

Three years ago, he explained how he was using my “retire on monthly dividends” strategy to help this nice grandmother.

“She brought me $387,000,” he told me originally. “And wants to take out $3,000 per month for ten years.”

Well, so far, so good for grandma. She’s now 38 months into her $3,000 per month dividend gravy train.… Read more

The Secret to Safe 7% Dividends (with Upside) in 2020

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: February 11, 2020

I’m annoyed with this bubbly stock market. It’s making it nearly impossible for regular people to find decent dividends.

Sure, we’ll always take upside, and despite overdone drops due to the coronavirus, the market has handed us a 4% total return since the New Year, building on the 31% it delivered last year.

But where the heck do we invest our gains?

Truth is, if you want to deploy cash into higher payers, you’re in for a tough slog: the S&P 500 yields just 1.7% today, a low we’ve only seen a couple times since the financial crisis.

US Stocks Rarely Pay so Little

Treasuries?… Read more

This 1 Simple Move Could Turn $100K Into $474,800

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: February 10, 2020

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.comRead more

Buy at These Highs? No Thanks – 4 Cheap Dividends Instead

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: February 7, 2020

If you’re an income investor like me, these stock market all-time highs are pure misery. Fortunately, I have a fix, which I’ll explain in a moment.

High stock prices mean low yields for new money, which unfortunately minimizes dividend potential. Plus, buying overpriced stocks limits upside potential, too.

Why reach for a 2% yield when you could lose that in an overnight trading session?

Cheap dividend stocks are a rare breed right now. But there are a few bargains left, and not because they are risky. These misunderstood shares are the last bastions of dividend value remaining on the board today.… Read more