Sunday, August 31, 2025
Last year, the energy sector was the only market sector to post a positive return—and it did a heck of a job! The Energy Select Sector SPDR (XLE) gained 60% last year. One-year gains like that may make you cautious about committing to energy this year, but I believe your portfolio should continue to hold […]
Last year, 2022, closed out as one of the worst years for investors on record. Stocks suffered a bear market, with the S&P 500 down 20% from its January high, and the Nasdaq lost 35%. These numbers weren’t close to records, but when you add the record decline in bond prices, it was one of, […]
I am sure you are aware that last week, Southwest Airlines Co. (LUV) canceled more than two-thirds of its scheduled flights, with the cancellations continuing for days after the winter storm that initially triggered flight delays and cancellations. You might know someone whose holiday travels were completely disrupted by the shutdown of most of Southwest’s […]
2022 was not a comfortable year for investors. Tech stock values imploded. The broad market coverage S&P 500 dropped by 20% for the year. The hot investment themes of 2021 lost investors trillions of net worth in 2022. If you feel like nothing works in this uncomfortable market, consider my Dividend Hunter strategy, which generates […]
Howard Marks, the billionaire founder and chairman of Oaktree Capital, sends out his “Memos” several times a year. His December issue, titled Sea Change, offers food for thought about successful investment strategies to use in the new year. Let’s take a look, and see how we can earn some nice cash returns next year with […]
A special dividend announcement in my inbox reminded me it’s that time of year: special dividends season. For certain types of stocks and funds, special dividends point to a high probability of future dividend increases. That’s a big help in a year when falling share prices made us wonder about the stability of our investment […]
A recent Wall Street Journal article stated that Americans missed out on $42 billion of interest income because of where they keep their money. The culprits are the low-yielding savings accounts offered by America’s big banks. As luck would have it, there are much better places to put your money. Places that will generate much […]
With the Federal Reserve ratcheting up interest rates, preferred share prices have tumbled. The lower prices offer the chance to lock in excellent yields of 10% or even more – all from secure dividends. However, there are some crucial features of preferred shares that you need to understand first. Let me show you how to […]
I have never believed you can see the future by comparing current economic factors to the past. The current economic conditions validate my belief: they are so different that making that type of comparison would not provide valid signals. Instead of trying to guess the future based on history, let’s look at the last three […]
Building income by investing for high yields and compounding that with reinvestment just works. And the Rule of 72 gives an easy way to project what turn out to be very attractive future results. Today, I want to show you this by revealing the income growth in my personal retirement account… And how I’m doubling […]
