3 Ways to Cash in on Rising Rates (and Collect 7.4% Dividends)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: September 13, 2018

It’s a question I get from investors all the time (including subscribers to my CEF Insider service): how should I invest when interest rates rise?

Because fear of rising rates is common among investors, there’s a hidden trap here: if you react to this worry, you will lose money. Instead, you need a second-level understanding of rates so you can bet against this fear and make money. (I’ll also give you 3 great buys that let you quickly and easily pull this off below.)

What Most People Get Wrong About Rising Rates

Here’s the common thinking on rates: as they head up, rising yields on US Treasuries will make these investments more attractive than large-cap US dividend stocks.… Read more

Earn $40K in Dividends on $500K? My 8-Step Plan to 8% Yields

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: September 12, 2018

Even with the 10-year Treasury “rallying” of late, it still pays just 2.9%. Put a million bucks in T-Bills, and you’re banking $29,000 per year. Barely above poverty levels!

Hence the appeal of closed-end funds (CEFs), which often pay 8% or better. That’s the difference between a paltry minimum-wage income of $29,000 on a million saved or a respectable $80,000 annually.

And if you’re smart about your CEF purchases, you can even buy them at discounts and snare some price upside to boot!

Here’s why: CEFs (unlike their ETF and mutual fund cousins) have fixed pools of shares. Meanwhile their prices trade up and down like stocks – which means these funds can sometimes trade at a discount to the value of their underlying assets!… Read more

Urgent: 3 September Buys for Quick Double-Digit Gains

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: September 11, 2018

We’re 11 days into September, and if you’re like many folks, you’re probably just a little on edge—expecting the bottom to fall out of stocks any minute.

The truth is, there’s very good reason to be nervous.

After all, according to Bespoke Investment Group, September is the worst month for stocks, with the S&P 500 averaging a 1.05% drop since 1928.

That may not sound like much, but remember that it’s just the average. Some Septembers have been far worse. For example, let me take you back to September 2011, when the market tanked 6.4% in just 21 trading days.

That’s enough to bleed $6,400 off every $100k invested in very short order.… Read more

5 CEFs Set to End 2018 With Big Gains (and 8.2% dividends)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: September 10, 2018

We’ve seen a lot of volatility and fear in 2018, and that’s handed us a great buying opportunity—particularly in the 5 unloved funds I’ll show you below.

Make no mistake: each of these 5 despised funds is poised for serious upside before 2018 is out … and they’ll pay us 8.2% average dividends, to boot. That’s enough to hand you $3,400 a month on a $500k nest egg! Before we get to them, let’s take a look back at the year so far and see what’s handed us this terrific opportunity.

History Is Set to Repeat

If you bought closed-end funds (CEFs) back in early March, when the market tanked and I urged investors to buy, you’d be enjoying a nice double-digit total return in just 6 months:

Hated CEFs Turn the Corner

Why did these 3 funds—the Reaves Utility Income Fund (UTG), the Cohen & Steers Infrastructure Fund (UTF) and the DNP Select Income Fund (DNP)—all of which I recommended back on March 1—soar?… Read more

My Easy Plan for $3,300 Per MONTH in Dividends

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: September 8, 2018

You might think a $500,000 nest egg isn’t enough to retire on, and I wouldn’t blame you. The financial media loves to tout $1 million as the end-all be-all mark of financial security.

But today, I’ll show you how wrong they are, and how secure you can be even with just half of what “conventional wisdom” says you need – as long as you’re in the right kind of dividend stock.

And I’ll also show you exactly what kind of dividend stocks you need to get the job done and the bills paid.

Those bills, by the way, come every month.… Read more

2 “Starter Dividends” Under $10 with Big Growth Potential

David Peltier, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: September 7, 2018

Investors tend to gravitate toward low-dollar stocks for multiple reasons, but they’re not usually known for offering high dividend yields. That’s why I look for companies trading under $10 that offer attractive “starter dividends.”

The current yield might not stand out in these cases, but that’s often because the underlying stock has been a steady gainer. If management is growing the business and rewarding investors with a relatively new dividend, these stealth names can quickly build wealth both through higher prices and a growing payout.

Starter Dividend Under $10 No. 1: Recurring Revenue Offers Much-Needed Security

ADT (ADT) offers security monitoring services and was taken public in January at $14, by the private- equity firm Apollo.… Read more

4 Buys to Sail Through the Next Crash (dividends up to 7.4%)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: September 6, 2018

Readers often ask me how to build a portfolio that holds its own in down times but hands them more income than the measly 2.6% long-term US Treasuries pay.

So today I’ll show you how to do that. With the 4 bargain-priced closed-end funds (CEFs) I’ll show you below, which also boast strong track records and high income streams, you can keep the dividends flowing, regardless of the market’s tantrums.

An added plus? Your nest egg will be spread across asset classes, giving you extra protection.

Buy No. 1: A Buffett-Friendly CEF With Big Upside

With a long-term average total return of around 8.5% per year, US stocks need to be at the heart of any income portfolio.… Read more

The Best Dividend Strategy for a Pricey Stock Market

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: September 5, 2018

If you’re worried that stocks are expensive, well, they are. The current bull market is making a run at history. But it’s also costly to stay in cash (and lock in zero income). Fortunately, it’s possible to buy some downside protection with yield (hint: think recession-proof REITs – real estate investment trusts).

I understand the “I’m worried so I’m sitting in cash” concern. And I know many investors who continue to sit on their money and hope for a big pullback. But wouldn’t it be nicer to bank 32% total returns with 8%, 9% or even 10% or more of it coming as dividends?… Read more

These Monthly Dividend Stocks Are Set to Surge (and pay up to 6.8%)

Brett Owens, Chief Investment Strategist
Updated: September 4, 2018

If you’re like most folks, you’re so used to collecting dividends quarterly that it may not have occurred to you that your portfolio can pay you every month.

But it’s true, thanks to a small set of stocks that delivers cash payouts month in and month out like clockwork (I’ll reveal 3 with especially juicy dividend yields—up to 6.8%—below).

Monthly Checks You Don’t Have to Work For

If you’re a retiree, this may take you back to your workdays—when your paycheck rolled in at the same time as your monthly bills. Subtract one from the other and voila: you knew exactly how much disposable income you had.… Read more

How to Retire on $300,000 (and bag 12% gains every year)

Michael Foster, Investment Strategist
Updated: September 3, 2018

Today I’m going to show you how to get a livable income stream from a $300,000 nest egg—while growing your savings at the same time.

Sounds impossible, right?

Wrong.

What’s more, we’re going to pull it off using just 6 funds. When we’re done, we’ll end up with a simple, diversified portfolio that throws off a nice, steady 7.9% dividend yield—more than 4 times the S&P 500 average!

And if you’re worried that this outsized yield could come at the cost of a weak total return, don’t be, because these funds have delivered 12% per year over the past decade.

Before I get into these 6 funds, let me show you what numbers like these can mean for you: if we start with an upfront investment of $305,000 in this portfolio and leave it alone for 10 years, we can expect our capital to explode to nearly $1 million in a decade.… Read more