We’re always looking for reader feedback at my CEF Insider service, so we recently sent out a survey to our members (if you are one, you likely got it) asking for the topics they’d most like to see us cover.

One of the most common answers: how to know when it’s time to sell a closed-end fund (CEF).

So now I want to tackle that question (with more articles to come in the next few weeks answering other questions from our survey).

Sell Signs Not Always Easy to Spot

First off, it’s easier to know when to buy than when to sell.… Read more

A smart bond portfolio (picked by humans rather than “dumb” machines, of course!) will take the stress out of retirement investing. It’s like an annuity, but better – because we get to keep our capital.

And our Contrarian Income Report portfolio pays us more than any annuity product the big firms peddle to line their pockets with fees. Our handpicked basket yields 7.3% as I speak. And this is pure interest. You don’t spend any of your capital!

That’s right. Your money stays intact – or better. And it can potentially do much better and grow by up to 68% in a couple of years (more on this shortly).… Read more

Today I’m going to show you how to tap safe dividends so massive, they were only available once before in in our lifetimes—and even then for mere days!

The dividend yields I’m talking about are more than enough to transform your retirement, with reliable payouts of 7.5%, 8.0%—even 10% and up.

I’ll also show you a one-step indicator that reveals, quickly and easily, just how safe your stocks’ payouts are. It’s so reliable it held strong in the toughest battleground you could ask for: the 2008/09 meltdown.

A Battle-Tested “1-Click” Strategy for Finding Safe Dividends

When most dividend investors think of early March 2009, they don’t see it as a golden age for income.… Read more

On average, an American retiree spends about $4,000 per month. But few of those retirees are getting $4,000 from their nest egg—which is partly why bankruptcy rates among retirees have been soaring for years.

But there is a way to get $4,000 a month (or $48,000 a year) from your savings—even if you aren’t filthy rich.

And that’s the problem with today’s low-yielding stock market. To get $48,000 per year from the S&P 500, you’d need $2.76 million to put in the market. That’s because the S&P 500’s dividend yield is a crummy 1.7%—far lower than US Treasuries and way below its long-term average!… Read more

If you want to clobber the stock market – and double your money every two or three years – then buying companies with accelerating dividends is the easiest and safest way to do it.

And I’ve got good news for you: there are nine blue chip payers likely to raise their dividends next month. So why not “front run” this good news and consider these shares now?

The benefit of dividend hikes? Getting a fatter income stream is an obvious reason, but it’s just the start. A rising payout acts like a lever on a company’s share price, prying it higher and higher with every single dividend hike.… Read more

The market consistently rewards faster earnings growth in stocks, even with more income-oriented names. Higher profits can lead to higher future dividends, which in turn helps investors build wealth, even as inflation is rising.

I’ve found two companies with hefty dividends that more than doubled earnings per share in the latest quarter. However, chasing the highest growth from one quarter to the next doesn’t always pay, if those profits aren’t passed down to investors as dividends on a consistent basis.

Earnings Growth Could Stem Tide of Dividend Cuts

Ellington Financial LLC (EFC) is a specialty finance company with over $7 billion in assets that invests in everything from mortgage backed securities, to collateralized loan obligations and distressed corporate debt.… Read more

A little over two months ago, in an article for Contrarian Outlook, I spotlighted a nice short-term buying opportunity in the PIMCO Global StocksPlus & Income Fund (PGP).

PGP, with its 9.4% current dividend yield, is one of the most popular PIMCO funds, but it is one with a checkered past. And by checkered, I mean this:

Not for the Faint of Heart!

With up and down swings of 20% and more in a matter of months, PGP is a really volatile fund. And note those big dips in mid-2016 and mid-2017. There’s only one reason why huge drops like those appear for a closed-end fund (CEF) like PGP: dividend cuts.… Read more

The stock market is way up – and ironically, that’s terrible news for us dividend investors. Yields haven’t been this low in decades! The S&P 500 pays a measly 1.8% today. If you have a million-dollar portfolio, that’s a lousy $18,000 per year in income. Pathetic.

Most people invest their money in index funds like those that mimic the S&P 500. We can do better – four-times better, to be specific – and raise our dividend income by 400% simply by selling these mainstream plays and buying bigger payouts that are better values.

Specifically we’re going to discuss stocks, bonds and funds that pay 7.3% to 8% instead of the broader market’s lame 1.8%.… Read more

You’ve no doubt seen tons of articles splashed across the Web (over)hyping the hottest investing trends to jump on now. But which promising technologies can we actually tap for payouts and dividends (preferably today)?

The “mainstream” list is endless: cryptocurrencies, marijuana stocks—even gene editing (where the white coats actually alter DNA to wipe out diseases like cystic fibrosis).

I hope you’re not taking the bait, because gambling on shaky themes like these can put a huge dent in your nest egg. Check out the stomach-churning ride pot stock Aurora Cannabis (ACBFF) has been on this year:

Aurora’s Bad Trip

That nasty fall even includes a 19% gain last week after Constellation Brands (STZ) invested $5 billion in Canopy Growth (CGC), the biggest marijuana stock by market cap.… Read more

Pity the poor landlord, stuck with a boatload of hassles: late rent payments, missed payments, tenants who disappear, tenants who trash the place before they leave.

The list of risks with owning rental property goes on and on! All just to (hopefully) collect a rent check at the end of the month.

But there’s a much easier way to rake in steady income from real estate without the hassle of dealing with tenants and other risks of owning property outright.

The best part?

You’ll get an 8% return on your money in cash every single year. And we’re going to do it straight from our brokerage accounts, just as if we’re buying shares of a company like Apple (AAPL)—but without the pathetic 1.4% dividend Tim Cook’s firm pays.… Read more