Any time Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) stages an event, it makes news. These events are always surrounded with speculation on what Apple will reveal. Will it be an iWatch, new iOS, a newer, bigger, faster iPhone? All eyes are focused what the company’s next hit product could be. #-ad_banner-#Apple’s highly-anticipated event yesterday morning was no different. This time around, Apple unveiled the iPhone 6, which will have a bevy of new and improved features, such as a larger iPhone, a sapphire crystal screen and a faster more efficient A8 chip. I can’t tell with absolute certainty what will happen to Apple’s… Read More

Any time Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) stages an event, it makes news. These events are always surrounded with speculation on what Apple will reveal. Will it be an iWatch, new iOS, a newer, bigger, faster iPhone? All eyes are focused what the company’s next hit product could be. #-ad_banner-#Apple’s highly-anticipated event yesterday morning was no different. This time around, Apple unveiled the iPhone 6, which will have a bevy of new and improved features, such as a larger iPhone, a sapphire crystal screen and a faster more efficient A8 chip. I can’t tell with absolute certainty what will happen to Apple’s share price in light of the new iPhone. But in the days following the announcement, I can guarantee there will be constant chatter from every corner of the Earth analyzing the implications of Apple’s latest product launch. While all analysts will have their opinions, there’s something in particular that we will be watching for as CEO Tim Cook reveals Apple’s latest product offering… I’m talking about a new technology that could be featured in the new iPhone that has only recently started to surface. A technology that our own expert, Andy Obermueller of Game-Changing Stocks, predicted would come out for… Read More

Today, I’m going to tell you an unpleasant truth… The vast majority of investors won’t make much in their personal brokerage accounts this year… or next. Now this might make you angry. But don’t take my word for it, just look at a recent study done by investment-management giant BlackRock. Its study illustrates that the average investor does poorly when compared to the growth of other asset classes like stocks, bonds and oil. in fact, as you can see in the chart below, the average investor earns just 2.1% — below… Read More

Today, I’m going to tell you an unpleasant truth… The vast majority of investors won’t make much in their personal brokerage accounts this year… or next. Now this might make you angry. But don’t take my word for it, just look at a recent study done by investment-management giant BlackRock. Its study illustrates that the average investor does poorly when compared to the growth of other asset classes like stocks, bonds and oil. in fact, as you can see in the chart below, the average investor earns just 2.1% — below even the rate of inflation. I didn’t bring this up to poke fun. I want to point this out because the sooner we acknowledge that the individual investor generally fares poorly in stocks, the sooner we can begin to examine why and then take action to avoid some of the common mistakes made by most investors. For starters, let’s acknowledge a not-so-secret truth about the average investor — very few know anything about how to value a security. Most of the research or tips individual investors get come from either A.) Friends, family members or… Read More

Last month, we told you about our colleague Andy Obermueller’s fascinating research into pandemics. We mentioned that while the most recent Ebola outbreak is no cause for major alarm, investors would be wise to learn more about the companies and government agencies working to develop groundbreaking vaccines and drugs to combat the world’s next terrifying, unseen threat. Since first being discovered in 1976, this recent outbreak of Ebola has been the most deadly. According to the World Health Organization, as of Thursday, it has infected 3,685 people in West Africa and killed an astonishing 1,841. This deadly strain… Read More

Last month, we told you about our colleague Andy Obermueller’s fascinating research into pandemics. We mentioned that while the most recent Ebola outbreak is no cause for major alarm, investors would be wise to learn more about the companies and government agencies working to develop groundbreaking vaccines and drugs to combat the world’s next terrifying, unseen threat. Since first being discovered in 1976, this recent outbreak of Ebola has been the most deadly. According to the World Health Organization, as of Thursday, it has infected 3,685 people in West Africa and killed an astonishing 1,841. This deadly strain of Ebola has a 60 percent fatality rate. To put that in perspective, the 1918 flu pandemic had a fatality rate between 10-20 percent… and it still killed over 50 million people. #-ad_banner-#​As we said back in our original write-up, we don’t think this current outbreak will get anywhere near that point. That’s partly because the virus is so deadly and the fact that it’s actually quite difficult to contract. But another reason is because there is hope for a successful treatment…More than a decade ago the U.S. Army began research to develop treatments… Read More

Let me start off today’s issue with a warning… We’re not trying to sound alarmist. It does absolutely zero good if you walk away from today’s essay with a “the sky is falling” mentality. We certainly don’t think that, and neither should you. #-ad_banner-#That being said, we’ve been spending a lot of time around the office thinking about a topic that has dominated headlines recently — one that our own Andy Obermueller has been spot-on with his analysis since Day 1. I’m talking about pandemics. Now, again, I want to be perfectly clear that we’re not saying some sort of… Read More

Let me start off today’s issue with a warning… We’re not trying to sound alarmist. It does absolutely zero good if you walk away from today’s essay with a “the sky is falling” mentality. We certainly don’t think that, and neither should you. #-ad_banner-#That being said, we’ve been spending a lot of time around the office thinking about a topic that has dominated headlines recently — one that our own Andy Obermueller has been spot-on with his analysis since Day 1. I’m talking about pandemics. Now, again, I want to be perfectly clear that we’re not saying some sort of global pandemic is imminent. But if you’ve paid any attention to the news regarding the Ebola outbreaks in Africa, you know that the next potential outbreak of some kind is always around the corner. Since first being discovered in 1976, this recent outbreak of Ebola has been the most deadly. According to the World Health Organization, as of Thursday, it has infected 2,473 people in West Africa and killed an astonishing 1,350. This deadly strain of Ebola has a 60 percent fatality rate. To put that in perspective, the 1918 flu pandemic had a fatality rate between 10-20 percent… and… Read More

The year was 1992 and young Jan Koum had nothing… He was 16 years old and, with his mother and grandmother, had just left their native country of Ukraine to move to California. They made ends meet with the assistance of food-stamps and a grueling work schedule of cleaning and babysitting. It wasn’t exactly the lifestyle of the rich and famous that he probably witnessed on American TV. But today, Koum’s net worth exceeds $6 billion. #-ad_banner-#Many of you are probably more familiar with the acquisition of the mobile-messaging company Koum founded, WhatsApp, than you are with Koum himself. Thanks to… Read More

The year was 1992 and young Jan Koum had nothing… He was 16 years old and, with his mother and grandmother, had just left their native country of Ukraine to move to California. They made ends meet with the assistance of food-stamps and a grueling work schedule of cleaning and babysitting. It wasn’t exactly the lifestyle of the rich and famous that he probably witnessed on American TV. But today, Koum’s net worth exceeds $6 billion. #-ad_banner-#Many of you are probably more familiar with the acquisition of the mobile-messaging company Koum founded, WhatsApp, than you are with Koum himself. Thanks to the $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook (Nasdaq: FB) in February, Jan Koum achieved the American Dream. It’s a lot easier said than done to build a company from scratch like Koum did and sell it for millions or billions of dollars. And Mr. Koum isn’t the first person to strike it rich when his company was acquired by a larger company. Nor will he be the last. The acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook was just one of the many merger & acquisitions (M&A) stories that have bombarded the headlines recently. M&A have been heating up… You might recall… Read More

It was the turn of the millennium when I boarded a train headed to a place that had just become its own country seven years before. I would be spending Y2K in the U.S. embassy overlooking the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. #-ad_banner-#The country was young and not well known, but its growth potential would turn out to be tremendous.  I spent time touring the incredible city. I walked over the Charles Bridge — the most important connection to Prague Castle and the city’s old town — and admired its architecture and history.  The most impressive thing was… Read More

It was the turn of the millennium when I boarded a train headed to a place that had just become its own country seven years before. I would be spending Y2K in the U.S. embassy overlooking the city of Prague in the Czech Republic. #-ad_banner-#The country was young and not well known, but its growth potential would turn out to be tremendous.  I spent time touring the incredible city. I walked over the Charles Bridge — the most important connection to Prague Castle and the city’s old town — and admired its architecture and history.  The most impressive thing was the surprising lack of tourists. It was like I had the city all to myself. Most people still called it Czechoslovakia. At the time, Prague was Eastern Europe’s hidden gem.  Fast-forward six years to when I returned… and it was a completely different city. The Charles Bridge was completely packed, the line to enter Prague Castle was a 30-minute wait, and the locals now spoke German and English on top of their native tongue. Prague was no longer Eastern Europe’s secret. It had developed into a vibrant city booming with people from all over the world. The Czech Republic had… Read More

It’s not too late to make a lot of money from the American Energy Boom. If we’re right, the chance to earn blockbuster gains investing in this incredible story has only just begun. Here’s what you need to know… The American Energy Boom hardly needs an introduction. Most people are aware that due to technologies like horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, the United States is now awash with new sources of oil and natural gas. These developments have made America the largest producer of energy in the world. #-ad_banner-#As you’d imagine, a lot of money can be been made investing… Read More

It’s not too late to make a lot of money from the American Energy Boom. If we’re right, the chance to earn blockbuster gains investing in this incredible story has only just begun. Here’s what you need to know… The American Energy Boom hardly needs an introduction. Most people are aware that due to technologies like horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, the United States is now awash with new sources of oil and natural gas. These developments have made America the largest producer of energy in the world. #-ad_banner-#As you’d imagine, a lot of money can be been made investing alongside this trend… For example, EOG Resources Inc. (NYSE: ROG) is up 292% since 2009…. Continental Resources (NYSE: CLR) has soared over 800%… and Rex Energy (NYSE: REXX) has returned a staggering 1,200% over the same period. All of these companies were among the first major players in the American Energy Boom. The problem is that it’s becoming harder and harder to find prospects like these in the exploration and production space. This story has been going on for over five years and by this point there simply aren’t many good buys left. As a testament to my point, EOG… Read More

It’s something that hasn’t been done in almost two decades. #-ad_banner-#In an attempt to ease the economic hemorrhaging from a recession that’s lasted nearly eight years, Puerto Rico passed a balanced budget earlier this month. The rare feat was a sign of hope for the U.S. protectorate as it attempts to whittle down its $70 billion in public debt, lower an unemployment rate hovering near 15% and stave off a “brain drain” that’s seen over 450,000 people flee the tiny Caribbean island. What does this all mean?  Simply put, it means Puerto Rico is setting up to be an incredible… Read More

It’s something that hasn’t been done in almost two decades. #-ad_banner-#In an attempt to ease the economic hemorrhaging from a recession that’s lasted nearly eight years, Puerto Rico passed a balanced budget earlier this month. The rare feat was a sign of hope for the U.S. protectorate as it attempts to whittle down its $70 billion in public debt, lower an unemployment rate hovering near 15% and stave off a “brain drain” that’s seen over 450,000 people flee the tiny Caribbean island. What does this all mean?  Simply put, it means Puerto Rico is setting up to be an incredible investment opportunity and tax haven for U.S. citizens. Let me explain… Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson — known for his $15 billion bet against subprime mortgages as the financial crisis hit — says Puerto Rico could be the next “Singapore of the Caribbean” (Singapore took similar steps to attract foreign investment and is now known as one of the wealthiest and most business friendly countries on the planet). His firm, Paulson & Co., is investing $260 million this year in two upscale beachfront hotels in San Juan, the commonwealth’s capital. All told, Paulson is expected to invest up to $1… Read More