If this were any “normal” time, we’d be able to buy safe bonds and collect enough income on our nest egg to fund our retirements. Unfortunately, this is the “new normal” where the Fed is not the friend of us current and hopeful retirees!

Jay Powell is afraid for his job, which means he’s going to cut rates and keep them low for a long time. This means we must look beyond traditional bonds for meaningful income.

What about blue chip dividend-paying stocks? Well, an 11-year stock market rally has ruined that idea. Anyone putting new money in a pricey dividend aristocrat is “buying and hoping” that the stock continues to levitate while the firm dishes its dividend.… Read more

Today I’m going to show you the one market indicator you can use to grab gains as high as 70% in nine months (or less!), plus dividends growing double-digits, too.

It’s a measure of market panic you’ve probably heard about, but here’s the funny thing: everyone is looking at this indicator backwards.

Let me explain.

First, I’m talking about the CBOE S&P 500 Volatility Index, or VIX for short. You’ve probably heard of the VIX: dubbed the market’s “fear gauge,” it’s a measure of how volatile traders see stocks in the next 30 days.

In other words, when investors are twitchy, the VIX rises—and when they’re confident, it trends down.… Read more

Today I’m going to show you how one savvy buy can help you turn $100K into a $500,000 windfall. Plus, you’ll “automatically” build yourself a tidy monthly income stream—I’m talking $2,700+ here—without lifting a finger.

That’s enough for many folks to retire on.

At the center of it all is a little-known group of investments called closed-end funds (CEFs)—and one fund, in particular, whose name, dividend and incredible track record I’ll reveal in a moment.

For now, here are the two key things you need to know about CEFs: first, they pay huge dividends (6.9%, on average, with some paying well into the double digits).… Read more

How much do you need to save to retire comfortably? Not as much if you think if you buy the right monthly dividend payers.

How you invest your retirement portfolio is more important than how much you have. Especially today, with “dumb” retirement money collecting just 1% in safe bonds.

That 1% won’t even get it done if you save the $1.7 million most Americans believe they need. (And don’t worry, they are wrong anyway. You don’t need nearly that much money to retire on dividends alone.)

Financial experts are incorrect, too. Here is more advice based on, well, not knowing which dividends to buy in retirement:

• The AARP says you’ll need $1.18 million to generate $40,000 a year.

The average American can’t afford to retire.

At the moment, the median balance among those 65 and older is $58,035, according to CNBC.  Averaged over a 20-year period, that’s only $2,901.75 a year. Worse, the median private pension is $9,376.  Social security averaged just over $1,400 a month in 2018.

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone that can live on that.

What makes the situation far more difficult is the state of the stock market.

It’s not as if you can depend on your average stock anymore.

With the trade war escalating, it’s been a confusing time for investors.

Contradictory claims from both sides have given way to extreme optimism, and pure grief when all goes south. … Read more

Are you worried you’ll make the wrong call in this gyrating market? It’s a reasonable fear, with the Dow heading up 200 points one day and down 600 the next—and dark trade-war headlines piling up daily.

But sitting in cash is even more dangerous! Because your stuffed mattress is at the whim of inflation—and that slow cash drain leaves you at a real risk of outliving your money in retirement!

So today I’m going to share where my models see this market heading. Plus I’ll reveal one weird fund that sets you up for double-digit upside and a huge 7.1% dividend, too.… Read more

“There it is – Freddo’s Ice Cream. It should be right next door,” I half-heartedly explained to my wife.

And with feigned confidence, I added, “I’ll be right back.”

I crossed the street once, then again… and walked up toward this monolith:

I didn’t see a teller window, so I walked around into the ice cream shop. Maybe that was the entrance.

Nope, just a wall. So I circled back, and the door on the left “buzzed” at me. I tried to pull it open—to no avail.

It buzzed again. I tried pushing this time, and it opened. Inside there were two teller windows, both guarded by bulletproof glass.… Read more

Are you worried that you’re going to outlive your money? It’s a fair concern with interest rates low and heading lower.

To put it bluntly, many well-off retirees are at serious risk of having to pick up a “side hustle” to avoid dying broke. Passive income in the popular retirement “go-tos” is simply no help today, as the average S&P 500 stock pays a skimpy 1.9% now. Ten-year Treasuries? Even worse, at just 1.5%.

So unless you’ve got $2.1 million laying around to invest in the typical blue chip stock—enough to get you a $40,000 annual dividend stream—you’ll likely have to sell some of your stocks to supplement your dividend income.… Read more

Today I’m going to show you nothing less than a “dividend unicorn”: a closed-end fund (CEF) yielding 8.8% that’s raised its payout 24% in just the last six months. (And yes, it’s primed for many more hikes, too.)

Get this: because of the weirdness of the CEF market, this cash machine is still cheap today—trading at 13% off its “retail” price!

Let’s dive in.

I’m talking about the PGIM High Yield Bond Fund (ISD). It’s a smaller CEF (with just $552 million in assets). That small size helps set up our chance to buy cheap—and I’ll say more about why this deal exists in just a moment.… Read more

“I did read that. I thought about you, B.O.”

While other people may be known for their hobbies, or their families, my publisher thought of me when a Vanguard fund re-opened!

I’ve yapped about the Vanguard Dividend Growth Fund (VDIGX) before. I rarely mention (let alone endorse!) mutual funds. But VDIGX is notable for two reasons:

1. I plow 100% of my 401(K) contributions into this fund, and
2. It’s a pretty good option as far as retirement plans go.

Why this fund? Because in my “Brett Inc.” company plan, I have a set list of Vanguard funds to choose from. This is “set and forget” money so my goal is to maximize long-term returns.… Read more