Let’s talk about three dividends averaging 12%. I bring them up because everyone on Wall Street hates them.

This is notable because the suits are paid to be bullish. Sell calls are rare, especially among S&P 500 stocks. In fact, analysts shun just one index component today!

Just 1 “Sell” Call Out of 500!

Source: S&P Global Market Intelligence

Buy calls? They are numerous—405 out of 500. Eighty-one percent!

Are 81% of the companies in the S&P 500 really buys? Normally, no, but now—especially not. AI is disrupting business models and many of these Buy-rated names are doomed companies.… Read more

This market continues to float higher—and that means we dividend investors do need to be more selective. But it doesn’t mean there aren’t high-yield options on the table for us.

With that in mind, today we’re going to look at two closed-end funds (CEFs) that hold many of the same stocks, and have similar dividend payouts. But one is a (time-limited) bargain while the other is overpriced and ripe to be sold (despite its 10.1% yield).

A Full Year of Stock-Market Gains—in 8 Months!?

Before we go further, let’s stop and talk about what the S&P 500 is doing right now.… Read more

Let’s talk about a terrific 12.2% dividend that is paid monthly.

The source of this income? Safe US Treasuries and a methodical scraping of option premiums for additional yield.

We’ll talk about this monthly payer—including fund name and ticker—in a moment. First, let’s get caught up on the Treasury market.

You may have tuned out Treasuries as a potential investment when DOGE austerity efforts gave way to the Big Beautiful Bill. Uncle Sam, already a $36 trillion debtor, dug himself deeper into financial quicksand.

Who wants to lend to that guy? Certainly not bond investors, who demand higher compensation—higher percentage payouts—to offset the credit risk posed by Sam’s ugly balance sheet.… Read more

Could the Fed cut rates—and actually cause interest rates to rise?

Absolutely. In fact, it’s a setup I see as very much in play. Today we’re going to talk about a 15%-yielding (!) stock that’s well-positioned to benefit.

Powell Vs. the 10-Year, Round 2

How would this “rate split” come about? To get at that, we need to bear in mind that the Fed only controls the effective Federal funds rate. That’s the “short” end of the yield curve—or the rate at which financial institutions lend to each other.

Meantime, the “long” end—pacesetter for consumer and business loans (including mortgages—more on those shortly) is tied to the 10-year Treasury yield—and has a mind of its own.… Read more

What if I told you we’ve got a shot at grabbing 2 cheap funds that kick out huge dividends—I’m talking 7.5% and higher—and those payouts are tax-free too?

What I’m talking about might be the last bargain available to us in this (overheated) stock market. Stocks’ roll higher since the Liberation Day tariffs were put on hold has meant fewer income opportunities from S&P 500 names (as yields and share prices move in opposite directions).

That’s added even more appeal to the tax-free dividends (two, in particular) we’re going to talk about below. They deal in municipal bonds, which are issued by state and local governments to fund infrastructure projects.… Read more

The market-at-large is expensive by historical metrics. So let’s look past the pricey, low-yielding ETFs in favor of cheap dividend stocks.

That’s right, good ol’ value investing bargains. With high yields too! We’re talking about divvies of 5%, 8% and even 11% that we’ll discuss in a moment.

The spring market dip sure was brief, wasn’t it? The S&P 500 sank into near-bear territory in roughly a month, then snapped back just as quick.

Now? If We’re Buying the Market, We’re Buying Even Higher

In doing so, Mr. and Ms. Market took valuations to high levels. The S&P 500’s forward price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 22.1 remains in rarefied air, last reached during the COVID rebound, and before that, the dot-com bubble.… Read more

Remember a few months ago, when the “buy Europe” trade was red hot?

Well, if you’re like me, you’re wondering where all the hype went! Now “buy America” is back on, but European markets are still sky-high—well ahead of their American cousins.

That spells trouble for anyone with a portfolio that’s still tilted too much toward Europe.

So today we’re going to look into where things are headed (hint: back to the US in a big way!). We’ll also delve into three funds with European exposure (two of which are closed-end funds sporting double-digit dividends) that I urge you to hold off on now.… Read more

The US is quietly monetizing its $36 trillion deficit (printing money to pay for it). Just around the edges.

For now.

Which supports more upside for this 69% dividend that is powered by Bitcoin. And Uncle Sam’s money printer.

Yes, Fed Chair Jay Powell is stubbornly sticking with high rates. Vanilla pundits claim a “hawkish” Fed is supportive of the US dollar. Yes, but—let’s look past Powell’s hollow words for his actions!

Behind the scenes, the Fed is quietly “buying” up to $25 billion monthly from Treasury auctions. Without Fed involvement, less demand would mean higher rates to attract buyers.… Read more

We’re more than halfway through Year 1 of Trump 2.0, and I stand by what I said before Inauguration Day: This administration has ushered in a stock picker’s market.

In other words, investors who make smart moves into, and out of, individual dividend payers will do the best in the coming three-and-a-half years.

That puts holders of SPY, which must hold the entire S&P 500, in a jam. The S&P 500 trades at a nosebleed 25-times earnings, and SPY has no manager to shift away from overbought names and toward overlooked bargains. That’s dangerous ground.

With that in mind, let’s run through four tickers (all of which, yes, are SPY holdings) I urge you to avoid—or dump if you’re sitting on them now.… Read more

When it comes to closed-end funds (CEFs), many investors are always focused on one thing: the dividend.

It makes sense: CEFs pay 8.5% yields, on average, according to data from my CEF Insider service.

But sometimes it pays to look beyond those big payouts, because by doing so, you could find a CEF with a track record so strong that its total return (dividends and gains combined) beats that of a CEF with a high yield.

I don’t know about you, but I’m willing to take more of my return in the form of price gains if it means, say, doubling my money in five years!… Read more