If you’re looking for a steady direction in these markets, then forget it. One day the news is great. Europe inked a deal, the U.S. economy is growing and jobs are being added. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edges toward its… Read More

Right now it’s a booming component of the energy sector, but I’d guess that you’ve probably never heard about it. It’s certainly not covered day-in and day-out by the major media outlets. #-ad_banner-#But just because this story isn’t making front-page headlines, don’t think it’s… Read More

As income investors, we can get caught up in yields… almost to a fault. But there is something else you should be studying that could make just as big a difference to your long-term returns: stocks that pay dividends. #-ad_banner-#That’s because dividend growth can make even lower-yielding stocks into big income producers over time. Take a look below at the income streams from a stock yielding 7% but not growing dividends, versus a 5% yielder that hikes payments an average of 10% a year in seven years. If you held 1,000… Read More

As income investors, we can get caught up in yields… almost to a fault. But there is something else you should be studying that could make just as big a difference to your long-term returns: stocks that pay dividends. #-ad_banner-#That’s because dividend growth can make even lower-yielding stocks into big income producers over time. Take a look below at the income streams from a stock yielding 7% but not growing dividends, versus a 5% yielder that hikes payments an average of 10% a year in seven years. If you held 1,000 shares trading at a $10 share price, then here is the income stream each would produce during one year: In just five years, that 5% yield would actually be worth more than the 7% yield. And just two years later, your income stream would grow to be 27% more than the stock yielding 7%. Keep in mind, this doesn’t take into account rising share prices. If both yields stayed the same, then the share price of the 5% yielder would have to grow to $17.72 — a 77% gain. Read More

If this article were a movie, then it would be rated “M” for mature. This investment isn’t for the faint of heart. But if you can stomach a little volatility in search of higher yields, then I would be remiss if I didn’t bring your attention to… Read More

Income stocks have a reputation. They’re boring. They’re stodgy. If you want to earn 4-5% a year — the conventional wisdom goes — then income stocks are for you. If you want to earn higher returns, then you better look elsewhere. In fact, income payers have even… Read More

There is one thing is on every investor’s mind right now: safety. As of last week, fears of a global economic slowdown erased close to $3 trillion in market value from U.S. stocks since July 22. #-ad_banner-#And the… Read More

Amid the drumbeat of weak U.S. economic data and continuing European debt worries, global stock markets sold off in the week of Aug.1. Then came the U.S. credit downgrade from Standard & Poor’s. The U.S. stock market dropped between 4-5% on… Read More

If you’re a longtime Dividend Opportunities subscriber, you might remember an issue back in November where I hunted down the safest dividend in the S&P 500. The response to the article was overwhelming. So I decided to provide an update… Read More

Yield-starved investors are wondering where they can capture high yields when a savings account pays 0.5%. A certificate of deposit (CD)? A 1-year CD pays 1.2%, according to BankRate.com. That doesn’t even keep up with… Read More

Companies are sitting on record amounts of cash. Default rates on corporate bonds — even for companies with questionable credit that pay high yields — are plummeting. So why did I just tell my High-Yield Investing subscribers to watch out? #-ad_banner-#There’s a danger lurking… Read More