The key to boosting income lies in a security most investors might not be familiar with. Nevertheless, more than 1,250 of these securities trade on U.S. exchanges. They invest in every almost every possible sector and niche of the market (from stocks and bonds to… Read More

As the world evolves, so, too, does the landscape for income investors. Emerging markets — any country in the process of rapid growth and industrialization — were once the exotic purview of Wall Street’s high-risk trading desks. Read More

It’s coming. Or, I should say, “he’s” coming. Warren Buffett? No. Bill Gross? No. I am referring to Dick Clark. He’s on his way. He will be hosting, again, the annual ball-drop on Times Square… Read More

Benjamin Franklin once referred to the magic of compound interest as the “8th wonder of the universe” for its ability to systematically accumulate wealth. Inflation, then, which systematically destroys wealth, must be an evil twin. Nothing is quite like the relentless… Read More

I’d bet that most Investor Update readers know about the S&P Dividend Aristocrats Index. To be included in this index, an S&P 500 company must have raised its dividend annually for at least the past 25 years. Read More

Free. There may be no better word in the English language. A new breed of exchange-traded fund offers accountholders at one of the world’s biggest discount brokerages free trades for life. Cheap, liquid, and diversified, ETFs are popular investment vehicles. They’ve seen a… Read More

Gold — at more than $1,050 an ounce — appears to be more expensive than ever. But it isn’t. While it’s true that it costs more dollars to buy gold than ever before, the value of the dollar isn’t fixed. The dollar of decades before is not the same dollar… Read More

The Chinese Civil War ended Oct. 1, 1949. The (winning) communists controlled Mainland China and the (losing) Chinese Nationalist Party was relegated to Taiwan. The relations between the two governments since have generally been hostile. Each side hated the other and claimed they were the legitimate Chinese government. Now, after… Read More

When it comes to investing, there are almost never any guarantees or absolutes. But I can give you one iron-clad, take-it-to-the-bank prediction — wireless communication is going to throw off buckets of profits during the next few years. I’m not exactly going out on a limb. Across the globe, the… Read More

Natural gas is trading near historical lows and could explode upward in the next few months, especially as cooler temperatures begin to remind traders in New York that winter is on the way. Investors can buy futures or exchange-traded funds… Read More