Many retirement experts pitch real estate as the best way to bank monthly income. But do you really want to chase down rent checks and fix broken light bulbs?

I don’t. And I imagine, since you’re reading this, that you prefer your passive income to actually be passive as well.

Fortunately there’s an easier, and better, way to invest in real estate without actually playing the role of landlord. From the convenience of our brokerage accounts, we can buy real estate investment trusts (REITs) and collect truly passive income of 7%, 8% or better.

How to Collect 7%+ Rent Checks Without Playing Landlord

REITs trade like stocks, which means buying them is as easy as punching in a ticker symbol.… Read more

Fee-obsessed investors continue to pile into exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Don’t follow them.

Because there’s another—much less popular—group of funds that will hand you much better returns (and double the dividend payouts). And swapping your ETFs for them is easy.

I’m talking about closed-end funds (CEFs). (If you’re not familiar with CEFs, click here to check out a primer I recently wrote on them.)

Now even though I just said CEFs are less popular than ETFs, that doesn’t mean they’re totally ignored. The truth is, they’re getting more attention from investors of late, for reasons I’ll dive into in just a moment.… Read more

If you put your portfolio on autopilot over the summer, you need to dial back in yesterday.

Because you’ll need a sharp eye and a quick hand to dodge two pitfalls that could swamp regular folks now—this month!—and in the long run.

For the first one, look no further than the calendar.

I’m talking about seasonality, and the fact that September is typically the worst month for stocks.

The truth is, the market’s steady grind higher has stalled: through the first 5 trading days (and with 15 more to go), the Dow is off 0.8% and the S&P 500 is down 0.4%.… Read more

A bull market that’s already long in the tooth is staring political and even natural headwinds right in the eyes. Valuations are stretched. And even some of Wall Street’s biggest names – three of which I’ll warn you about today – are increasingly looking vulnerable to massive pullbacks should the market buckle under pressure.

(I’ll also give you seven dividend growers with 100%+ upside to buy instead later on.)

Mother Nature is pulling the emergency brake on Hurricane Harvey, which hovered over Texas for days, delivered what some experts estimate is between $150 billion and $180 billion in damages. One estimate of $190 billion would translate into a -1% hit to the U.S.… Read more

Business development companies (BDCs) are dividend powerhouses that typically yield anywhere from high single digits to low double digits. And in fact, the group of three BDCs I’m going to show you today each throws off a yield of more than 10%!

But most investors – even income-seeking folks – aren’t familiar with them. If that includes you, or you’re just looking for safe 10% yields or better, read on.

BDCs were created in the 1980s by the U.S. government to help small- and midsize businesses finance their growth – via debt, equity and other financing. And by doing so, they also help create American jobs.… Read more

America’s richest investors are earning reams of tax-free income from an investment most people ignore, and today I’m going to let you in on it.

In fact, it’s hardly a secret at all. It’s just sitting there, in plain sight. And it’s very popular with the multi-millionaires and billionaires among us for one reason: as their investments throw off an ever-rising stream of dividends and capital gains, these folks get bumped into higher and higher tax brackets.

That hardly seems fair—and it feels like double taxation. But that’s how the tax system works. And this is where these dull-as-dishwater investments come in.… Read more

These shareholder-spoiling stocks regularly double or triple their investors’ money. They’re a bit underappreciated, but not often on sale – unless you buy them this time of year.

And on cue, right now they’re as cheap as they’ve been in 12 months.

If insurance is a great business, then reinsurance is a fantastic one. (Reinsurance is insurance purchased by insurance companies to manage their own risk exposure.)

Insurance itself, when done responsibly, is a cash cow. Firms collect payments up front from their customers but may not have to pay it out in claims for a long time, if ever. The companies then invest that money – called “float” – and pocket the income they earn.… Read more

Wall Street says you have to settle for the pathetic 2% yields most folks scrape by on from 10-year Treasuries, or your typical S&P 500 stock.

Don’t believe them.

Because there’s a far better way to bankroll your retirement that they won’t tell you about: municipal bonds.

While their name sounds boring, that’s the last word I’d use to describe the income they throw off: “munis” pay dividend yields of 5% and often much more, thanks to a unique tax advantage.

In fact, the 3 off-the-radar plays I’ll show you below can let you pull a steady (and safe) 6.5% out of some of the safest muni bonds out there.… Read more

Don’t let the pundits deceive you. Despite their endless bleating about an overheated market and an imminent crash, now is a great time to buy.

But you need to look beyond the breathless reporting about the S&P 500’s daily push higher—or its ratchet-tight P/E ratio.

Because the real winning stocks are cloaked behind something most folks don’t pay nearly enough attention to: dividends—particularly dividend growth!

Let me explain.

Dividends Are Great Again

A quietly released report from investment manager Janus Henderson Group (JHG) tells the tale—and it’s a happy one for American investors.

According to Janus, global dividends jumped 5.4% year-over-year in the second quarter.… Read more

Dividends or growth? Why choose when you can have both.

Take these firms with broad business moats and sustainable competitive advantages. They’ve showered their shareholders with raises over the past five years, delivering dividend growth from 100% to 1000% or better!

High Growth Dividends…

Yet these stocks still have modest current yields. Why? Because their share prices have soared along with their payouts:

… Power High Growth Stock Prices!

Everyone loves the dividend, but as you can see, investors usually don’t give enough love to the dividend hike. Not only do these raises increase the yield on your initial capital, but also they often are reflected in a price increase for the stock.… Read more