A discussion about dividends used to revolve solely around stocks. Not anymore. The evolution of the exchange-traded products business has been a boon to income investors. Dozens of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) now fit into the ”Dividend ETF” classification.. Read More

A winning trade is often about connecting the dots. If one company is set to steal market share from another, it often pays to take two actions: Go long the market share winner and short the market share loser.   Unfortunately, I… Read More

Let’s be honest. When you hear about a stock that yields 12% or more, your first thought should be that the company is probably a basket case that can’t even turn a profit. If it’s offering a… Read More

In my nearly two years penning articles for StreetAuthority, I’ve made my share of winning and losing calls. Thankfully, the track record has been largely positive, so I hope I’ve made readers a lot more money than I’ve lost them. As much as I hate the idea of a bad… Read More

Think the credit-card business has been forever crimped by the Credit Card Reform Act of 2009? Or, maybe you think it’s simply dead in the water because nobody wants, needs, or can get credit after 2008’s lingering debt debacle. This is what the… Read More

The brutal market swoon has reminded us of an oft-repeated lesson: even the best companies can get swept up in a downdraft. This across-the-board selling, frequently the result of an economic slowdown, can end up revealing a clear chasm. On the one side are companies that would indeed run into… Read More

I’ve found what I think is one of the safest dividend-paying stocks on the planet. In the past year, this company earned $8.1 billion dollars in profits and only distributed $4.5 billion in dividends. In other words, it could see its… Read More

The massive government stimulus measures passed by the U.S. Congress in 2009 and 2010 enabled states to continue their work on major municipal projects. New highway spurs were completed, roadbeds were repaved and creaking bridges were shored-up. This not only provided work for individuals at a time when unemployment figures… Read More

“Bolsa de Valores, Mercadorias & Futuros de Sao Paulo” You may not know this Portuguese title. You may not even know it by its shortened moniker, “The Bovespa.” But you should. This is because it is the equivalent of Wall Street for South America. Indeed, the Brazilian… Read More