It’s a question that’s absolutely critical when judging a closed-end fund: how safe is the dividend?

This is particularly crucial when you consider the huge yields the average CEF offers compared to their ETF cousins. For the 2,918 ETFs available to US investors, the average payout is 1.9%, partly because 735 of these funds pay nothing at all. But even without those, the average ETF yield is still a pathetic 2.5%.

CEFs? For the over 450 covered by my CEF Insider service, the average yield is 7.3%, and only nine yield less than 1%. In fact, over 85% of CEFs yield more than 4%, while just 9% of ETFs do!… Read more

U.S. Markets rebuffed negative headlines from around the globe this week, bouncing back from losses suffered earlier in March.

Boeing (BA) lost 11% combined over Monday and Tuesday, following a second tragic crash of its 737 MAX airplane that led to a global grounding of more than 300 of the company’s jets. The decline single-handedly accounted for a loss of more than 300 points on the Dow Jones Industrial Average in 48 hours.

The discussion if, when and how Brexit will proceed continues to play out across the pond, without a resolution. Theresa May lost a second vote in Parliament on Wednesday; and then the decision for the U.K.… Read more

Stephen chose a precarious time to buy. He purchased a REIT right before the sector’s ensuing rout. But it didn’t matter because he knew exactly what to buy. He banked an easy $91,405 on this investment while most first-level REIT investors sweated and treaded water.

Park Hotels & Resorts (PK) was a relatively new REIT that was spun off by Hilton Worldwide (HLT) at the beginning of 2017. Director Stephen Sadove, around this time last year, bought 9,600 shares of his own firm – right before REITs sank in an epic rout that soon unfolded.

The “dumb” REIT index VNQ was soon dumped in unison by investors.… Read more

Tune out the nervous Nellies panicking over last week’s job numbers: they missed the real news—and their panic has handed us a straight shot at a cheap 7.6% dividend today.

More on that opportunity shortly.

First, the real story here is that wages jumped 3.4% in February, which is the fastest rate in half a century. And the unemployment rate sits at 3.8%, far lower than just two years ago, when it levitated north of 4.8%.

A Direct Line From Paychecks to Profits

I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that consumers drive the economy, and more workers, making more cash, are great news for stocks.… Read more

Closed-end funds (CEFs) are increasingly becoming favorites of retirees looking for income. And why not? Many pay 5%, 6% and even 7% or more today. In a world where stocks yield 2% and bonds just 3% or so, the extra dividends can be the key to a comfortable retirement.

The “closed” in CEF technically means that the fund’s pool of shares is fixed. Which is why these vehicles can have wild price swings above and below the values of their actual assets. (Good for us contrarian income seekers – we can buy below fair value to maximize our yields and upside.)… Read more

At some point, someone probably gave you the following investment “advice”—or some version of it:

“All you need to do to make money in stocks is buy a company with a big-name brand, sit back and let the gains roll in.”

Sounds logical, right? After all, a household name is critical if companies want to keep their millions of fanboys (and girls) hooked.

Well, not anymore. Here’s the proof.

Big Brands: Falling Left and Right

Just look at the worst performers last year: this rogue’s gallery was stuffed with companies boasting so-called “unbeatable” brand names.

Like General Electric (GE), whose banner ranks No.… Read more

The headlines say it all: the economy is slowing down, right?

And with stocks soaring—up 11% year to date—we must be headed for a correction.

Both statements would be off the mark.

Because the economic numbers the government is putting out (and the press is repeating without question) are flawed. I’ll show you how in a moment.

First, let’s cut straight to the upshot: you’ve still got a great shot at buying high-yield closed-end funds (CEFs) now, particularly those that hold America’s best stocks. I’ll name two choices yielding 7.3%+ at the end of this article.

First, let’s zero in on the many economic tailwinds (some in disguise), that are driving this still-solid opportunity.… Read more

After a record hot start in the first two months of 2019, U.S. stocks cooled off during the first week of March.

Slower economic growth prospects around the globe this week caused global investors to take some risk off the table and shift buying into bonds.

On Monday, China lowered its 2019 GDP growth expectation to 6%-6.5%. The country’s economy grew 6.6% in 2018, which was its slowest rate in three almost decades. Later in the week, China said that exports fell more than 20% in February, marking the worst performance in nearly three years.

On Thursday, the ECB reinstated its targeted long-term refinancing operation (TLTRO), to help stimulate economic growth in the region.… Read more

That dip didn’t last long, did it?

The S&P 500 is back around 2,800, the Dow is back around 26,000, and stocks – which frankly were never really “cheap” even in the December doldrums – are back to being hilariously overpriced. And that’s a problem on two fronts.

1. It makes finding values – an important aspect in collecting big total returns – exceedingly difficult.
2. The more richly stocks are priced, the harder they can fall, making dividend landmines more plentiful in the current environment.

How bad is it out there?

Here’s a look at the short-term, which shows valuations are clearly back to their pre-dip “normal.”… Read more

Today I’m going to peer into my crystal ball and give you the scoop on where high-yield closed-end funds (CEFs) might be headed in 2019.

Then I’ll give you a proven way to zero in on the ones that are the best bargains for your portfolio now.

CEFs Come Out Flying

First, if you own stocks through CEFs (and if you don’t, click here to discover why these 7%+ payers are a retirement “must-have”), you’re already outrunning the market: my CEF Insider Equity Sub-Index—a great proxy for stock-owning CEFs—is up 13.7% since January 1, a nice lead on the S&P 500’s 12.3% gain.… Read more