Dividend Investing
The Safety Net: The South(ern) Will Rise Again
One of the keys to my 10-11-12 income strategy is to invest in companies that raise their dividend every year.
That’s because an increased dividend tells the market that management is confident the company’s cash flow will be sufficient to pay a higher dividend over the years.
Additionally, when a company has a long history of annual dividend raises, management knows that shareholders have grown to expect a dividend hike.
Three Simple Tips to Grow Your Wealth
Investors want to make money.
That’s why they save instead of buying a new 60-inch TV.
That’s why they consume financial media and conduct their own research.
That’s why they put their hard-earned money to work…
… but then they do the exact opposite of what will actually increase their net worth.
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Bond Investing
An Ultra-Safe 7.75% Yield
It isn’t easy getting up every day to fight the Fed and just about every other central bank in the developed world. But that’s exactly what retired and conservative investors face every day.
The Fed has been having a money printing party, trying to force buyers out of fixed income and bonds, and into stocks and real estate. The result has been a market where the 30-year Treasury bond pays less than half of what it should.
Bond yields have gotten so low it’s laughable.
The Easiest Way to Make Money in Bonds
The party in bonds is not over for income investors. It’s just getting started! Goldman Sachs (NYSE: GS) released a report this week that said interest rates have to move up significantly in the next few years – and, best of all, the run will start this year. The report also stated that the pressures that have held rates so low for so long are gone and the market is set to move.
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Retirement Investing
The Best Way to Beat Inflation
It’s funny. I still get shocked at how expensive life has become. I’m not even talking about the huge expenses I’m going to face in the coming years like college tuition and healthcare.
Rather, it’s the everyday items that amaze me.
I’m taken aback when I have to pay $9 for a sandwich, $2.50 for The New York Times at an airport or $250 each month for my family’s cellphone service.
And although the prices of gold, copper and other commodities have plunged lately, I don’t expect life to get any cheaper.
Overcoming Obamacare
One of the recent healthcare mandates from the federal government is an electronic medical record (EMR). While many people claim it will vastly improve care, I, the born skeptic, have a few doubts. These doubts have been reinforced by recent visits to my own physicians.
The first thing I started noticing was the computer tablet as they walked into the exam room. All too often now, physicians say hello, sit down and then open the tablet. That is the last I see of their face.
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Stock Market Volatility
Energy Sector Poised for a Pullback
Right now, I feel a bear rising from its slumber.
And I’ve gotten pessimistic on one market in particular… U.S. oil.
I can’t spell it out any clearer.
It is time to protect energy positions with a short on oil.
This is Absolutely the End of the Bull Market
There’s no doubt about it. The bull market is over. Just ask Betty.
This week, Betty emailed, blasting me for recommending a specific stock “at the top of the market.” I was surprised at how certain she was that there are no profits left in this market and only pain and suffering ahead.
She may be right.