One of the best things about closed-end fund (CEF) investing is the terrific “bonus” discounts CEFs give us on stocks and other investments.

Here’s what I mean by a bonus discount: CEFs often trade at a level far different—and cheaper—than their net asset value (NAV), or the market price of a fund’s portfolio holdings.

And these discounts aren’t peanuts: you can easily snag CEFs trading at, say, $1.00 per share when their “real” value is $1.10 share—or more.

Right now, there are 3 low-risk, highly diversified funds trading at a near 20% discount to their NAVs (17.6%, on average). All 3 boast dividend yields far higher than the average S&P 500 stock, with one set to pay us up to 9% in cash, in the form of a special dividend.… Read more

Have real estate investment trusts (REITs) finally “decoupled” from rising interest rates? In other words, has the popular (but untrue) “rates up, REITs down” reasoning been busted (again)?

For those of us who have been waiting for the stock market’s landlords to carve out a bottom before buying anything new, we may be back in business:

REITs Finally Rising with Rates?

Regular readers know that the best REITs do just fine as rates rise. That’s been the case historically, and they’ll rally again this time around.

Why? Because elite landlords simply keep raising their rents. These higher cash flows translate to higher dividends, and higher stock prices, regardless of what the Fed is up to.… Read more

Here’s the truth about the whole “sell in May and go away” strategy—following it will cost you huge gains and income. And if whipsawing markets have you thinking of cutting back on stocks this summer, you need to reverse course now.

Consider this: in the 9 years since the financial crisis, this “advice” only worked 3 times. And by “worked,” I mean you would have sidestepped a decline in the S&P 500 by sitting out from May through October. Those are crap-shoot odds!

Selling Low and Buying High

And the wins you would have passed up are enough to make any investor weep.… Read more

I know I don’t have to tell you that there are a ton of so-called experts out there dying to tell you why bitcoin, ripple or some other cryptocurrency is a surefire way to get rich.

Too bad they’re all wrong.

If you’ve been reading my columns on Contrarian Outlook, you know I issued a dire warning around Christmas that bitcoin’s promises were hollow, meaning the bubble was going to pop. “The truth is, bitcoin is actually the least private currency in existence!” I wrote, dismissing bitcoin’s biggest appeal for speculators.

But I had a bigger worry: would a burst bitcoin bubble wipe out tech stocks, too?… Read more

Most people are chasing big dividend payers right now in this “3% world” we live in. Meanwhile, a small group of “hidden yield” stocks are quietly handing smart investors growing income streams PLUS annual returns of 12%, 17.3%, or more.

Let’s talk about how to find these stocks, and bank 12% returns or better every single year, by following a simple two-step formula.

See, everyone wants dividend stocks with good current yields. It’s easy to scan a newspaper or financial website and pick out the stocks that are paying 3%, 4%, 8% or whatever number you might consider “good.”

Yet that’s NOT the right way to pick dividend stocks.… Read more

It’s been a rough year thus far for many high paying investments. From utilities to REITs (real estate investment trusts) to high yield bonds, many are getting crushed as rates rise:

Why High Yield Shortcuts are for Losers

But we don’t dumbly buy these indices. We cherry pick the very best of the high yield lot. After all, there is always a bull market somewhere (or in something). And this is where we should invest for big dividends and price upside to boot:

The Strongest Names in High Yield (Year-To-Date)

So let’s discuss these “dividend market leaders” and see why they are acting strong while their cousins make interest rate excuses.… Read more

With the jaw-dropping stock-market dives we’ve seen in the last 3 months, you can be forgiven if your stomach tightens just a bit when you go to check your retirement account.

So today I’m going to give you my 3 best tips for securing your hard-earned cash—and even better, locking in a dividend stream you can easily live off of in retirement.

And no, you won’t need a seven-figure nest egg to pull off what I’m going to show you now.

Step #1: Diversify the Right Way

You no doubt know that diversification is key to protecting your wealth, but if you only go halfway, it will end in disaster.… Read more

Andrew, Arthur and Paul knew their REIT stock was too cheap. So, last August 21, the trio slapped down three independent bets on their firm’s stock using their own money. Their reward? Quick 26% returns:

REIT Moguls Know Best, for Quick 26% Gains

Did they time the entire sector bottoming? No – Vanguard’s Real Estate ETF (VNQ) dropped 5% over the same time period. But that was just noise, because these boys knew their own business. They cherry picked the bargain.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that a chief financial officer (CFO) and his cronies would nail this trade. After all, finding deals with real estate investment trusts (REIT) is a straightforward 2-step process:

1. Find a high relative yield, and
2. Buy it if “first-level worries” will soon prove fleeting.

Today we’re going to dive into the two “cheapest” corners in the S&P 500. Because with the terrible performance these 2 sectors have put in this year, you could think both are bargains now.

But the truth is, only one of these sectors is worth buying into now (I’ll name 4 specific stocks in a minute). In fact, the last time we saw a market like today’s, stocks in this overlooked pool spiked 41%!

The other sector? A textbook “value trap”—it’s cheap for a reason, and is about to plunge further.

You can see the 2 sectors I’m talking about in this chart from Yardeni Research:

The 2 worst performers, consumer staples (the purple line) and real estate investment trusts, or REITs (beige line) have flopped 12.4% and 8.5%, respectively.… Read more

Remember when stocks took some of the biggest nosedives in market history back in early February?

I know that sounds like a ridiculous question, but I ask because many folks seem to have forgotten, with stocks quite a bit calmer now than they were in those days, even though they’ve seen a little more turbulence recently.

But it’s not too late for us contrarians to go on a bargain hunt—and we’re going to do it with my tool of choice: a high-dividend (I’m talking 7%+ cash yields here), yet easy-to-buy fund called a closed-end fund (CEF).

Wall Street’s Hidden Winners

First off, don’t be surprised if you’re not familiar with CEFs.… Read more