Retirement

Bond Funds Look Safe Until Rates Start Rising

Bond Funds Look Safe Until Rates Start Rising

Generally accepted financial planning guidelines always recommend that a portion (typically 40%) of an investor’s portfolio be in bonds. Very few buy individual bonds, meaning this allocation will likely be in bond funds. There are some problems and risks to your wealth from a large allocation to a bond fund. First, a bond primer: A […]

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New ETF Targets 10% Retirement Income

Over the last few years, innovation in ETFs has been happening at a breakneck pace. When I see a new fund with a different strategy, I take a closer look and try to find a good investment use for it. Launched on February 18, 2026, the Roundhill S&P 500® Target 10 Managed Distribution ETF (TPAY) […]

Buy, Hold, Sell: How to Make Dividends Actually Count

Buy, Hold, Sell: How to Make Dividends Actually Count

Many new income investors are confused about when they need to hold stocks to collect dividends. Either they end up missing the dividend because they bought too late, or on the other side, they sold too early.  Ongoing dividends from any stock are not guaranteed. A company’s board of directors will review the financial results […]

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Time to Move Your JEPQ Money?

It’s a surprise to me to realize that it has been more than five years since JP Morgan set off the wave of option strategy ETFs with the May 2020 launch of the JPMorgan Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPI). JEPI’s sister fund, the JPMorgan Nasdaq Equity Premium Income ETF (JEPQ), launched in May 2022. The […]

Is Honesty the Best Policy When It Comes to Dividends?

Is Honesty the Best Policy When It Comes to Dividends?

I have been known to call closed-end funds (CEFs) the “junkyard of Wall Street.” A few good funds exist, but they are hard to dig out of the 387 publicly traded CEFs. One issue with closed-end funds is the widespread use of managed dividend policies.With a managed dividend policy, the fund managers set a dividend […]

What Happens When You Know How Much You’ll Make Every Month

What Happens When You Know How Much You’ll Make Every Month

Investors looking for a predictable income stream combined with high yields might like Target Pay ETFs. You’ve probably heard of Target Date Funds. These provide a set-and-forget portfolio for retirement with a shifting asset mix designed to become more conservative over time as a specific target date (like a retirement year) approaches.     Target Pay ETFs […]

A Favorite Topic for New Newsletter Subscribers

A Favorite Topic for New Newsletter Subscribers

My investment newsletters enroll hundreds of new subscribers every month. My tactics and strategies differ significantly from mainstream financial “advice,” allowing me to frequently discuss how my approach to building income and wealth is distinct and compelling. Each of my newsletters focuses on dividends and building an income stream. Dividends are predictable—share prices, not so […]

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Where in the Markets Can you Get Better Returns?

Each week, the Charlie Bilello Week in Charts email includes a ton of interesting economic and financial information. Recently, a set of asset yields caught my attention. Here are the reported yields on the five major U.S. asset classes: The spread of less than one percent between yields across the classes is a record low. […]