You and I both know that dividends just don’t get much respect from most folks.

But most folks have it all wrong. I’ll show you why in a moment (I’ll also reveal 2 “accelerating” dividends to put on your buy list now).

First, it’s easy to see why dividends are (way too often) an afterthought: it’s tough to get excited about them when the typical S&P 500 name dribbles out the measly 1.9% yield it does today.

It gets worse when you look at the US inflation rate: 2.1% as of March.

So at best, you can hope your dividends offset inflation, while you hope the underlying stock price soars.… Read more

We need to talk about a rare double discount in the stock market that’s out there now—just waiting for us to jump on it.

And doing so couldn’t be easier. It all comes down to 3 funds primed to spike when one of these discounts closes—and then spike again when the second one snaps shut!

Both of these ridiculous markdowns are already starting to narrow, so we need to make our move soon.

One other thing: these 3 funds pay massive dividends—from 7.4% to 11.7%!

Before I reveal the names of these funds, let’s talk about the first discount: the massive undervaluation of the stock market—and when we can expect investors to go from extreme fear to extreme greed.… Read more

Business development companies (BDCs) are the kings of yield right now, and it’s not even close. As I write, the average yield in the space is 9.5%, and more than half of all publicly traded BDCs boast a yield in the double digits.

That’s thanks to a long drubbing among these companies – but for the first time in a while, things are starting to look up in this high-yield arena. And right now, I have my eye on three glimmers of hope in the space that are throwing off 9% to 10% dividends.

2017 was a downright dreadful year for BDCs, which managed to even underperform bonds despite their high yields.… Read more

Today I want to show you a beaten-down sector that has a long history of crushing the market—and 4 funds that should be on your radar now.

These 4 funds are a great place to pocket dividends up to 10.9% (or $10,900 a year on a $100k investment) while you wait for the market to realize that it’s discounting their industry far too much.

I’m talking about 4 standout fund buys from the biotech sector.

Biotech has fallen over 10% from its 2018 high and is now down a bit more than the broader market. Just look at the iShares Nasdaq Biotechnology ETF (IBB) vs.… Read more

Eric Ervin was making his rich client so much money that he suggested: “Hey, why don’t you just quit your job?”

The investor saw the opportunity to scale Eric’s “secret strategy” – and he wanted to help invest!

Both guys knew the power of dividend growth investing. But Eric’s second-level insight is what made them both a boatload of cash. He figured out a way to bet purely on the higher payouts – as close to a “sure thing” as you’ll ever see in stocks. Here’s what I mean.

Blue chip stocks tend to raise their dividend every year. Even if it’s a token increase, it keeps shareholders happy.… Read more

Make no mistake: The “Mallpocalypse,” the “Retailpocalypse,” whatever you want to call it, is very real, and its shockwaves are being felt in just about every corner of the brick-and-mortar retail world. In fact, there are only a few true havens left – including a few higher yielders in the 5%-6% range. We’ll get to those in a minute.

Every other week, it seems like there’s another story about a retailer going bankrupt or shuttering locations. Just consider some of the store closings lined up for this year:

• Abercrombie & Fitch (ANF) is going to shut down 60 of its 868 locations in 2018.

There are 20 elite closed-end funds (CEFs) that have proven their toughness in the last 10 years (including through the Great Recession, the most brutal test of all) and have still handed investors market-beating returns.

And below we’re going to look at all 20 of them.

So if you’re looking for a proven dividend payer that will hold its own through today’s troubles—trade wars and rising interest rates, to name just two—these 20 funds are a great place to start.

The Toughest of the Tough

Some of these cash machines throw off dividends of 6.8% or more (and one I’ll tell you about in a moment pays a sky-high 12.4%!).… Read more

Blue chip stocks are among the worst retirement investments you can make.

There are several blue-chip stocks that will actually cost you thousands of dollars each year. We’ll discuss three in a moment.

Sure, the financial media might lionize these stocks. But blue chips are simply big companies. When the term first came into being, it was simply an homage to the blue poker chip – at the time, the most valuable chip on the table. Before purples, oranges and grays began to grace the baize.

However, now the term comes with a boat load of perks – the simple assignment of the term “blue chip” is practically a buy recommendation.… Read more

17.1%.

If you only pay attention to only one number this earnings season, this should be it.

It’s the first-quarter profit gain the suits at FactSet have S&P 500 companies pegged for. And if that’s where the final number lands, it’ll be the biggest profit bonanza in 7 years!

Better yet, the S&P 500 trades at around 16.5 times its next 12 months of forecast earnings. That’s way down from 18.5 in January.

The upshot?

Ignore the terrifying headlines battling for your attention day in and day out. This market is ripe for buying. And dividend-growth stocks should top your list—as should the 7.4%-paying fund I’ll show you shortly.… Read more

When investors ask me why they should invest in closed-end funds (CEFs), I tell them three things:

First, CEFs pay an outsized income stream—7% yields are easy to get and easy to sustain with a CEF portfolio.

Second, CEFs often trade for less than their intrinsic worth. While ETFs trade at their net asset value (NAV, or the liquidation value of the assets in their portfolios), CEFs can trade for 10% less … or even more.

That can set you up for nice 20%+ upside on top of those 7%+ dividends.

And finally, if not most importantly, a bunch of CEFs have crushed the S&P 500 for years.… Read more