I grew up in New York City, not far from the waterfront. As a special treat, my father would take me to the piers off Atlantic Avenue in downtown Brooklyn. There we would stand and watch with amazement as forklifts unloaded heavy packages of cement and grains… Read More

Tech stocks are notoriously stingy dividend payers. Typically, these companies use earnings to fuel growth and to keep up with the competition, not to pay shareholders. In fact, the tech-rich Nasdaq Composite Index yields just 0.8%… Read More

Tax time is rolling around. And it’s one more time when I’m reminded about how much I pay — and potentially still owe — the government. So I thought this was a fitting time to turn the tables — and get a government to pay me for awhile. Read More

The main character in Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.’s 1965 book, God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater, is an eccentric philanthropist. He thinks it’s unfair that babies don’t all start with an equal playing field. “I think it’s a heartless government that will let one baby be born owning a… Read More

Microcap companies often scare off a lot of investors. Companies with market capitalizations of less than $300 million are seen as volatile and risky. While that’s true for many of them, every once and a while a quality microcap stands out from the crowd. In fact, this little company not… Read More

If you’re like the majority of investors, I’d bet you have a negative view of stocks trading on the “pink sheets.” Most people conjure up thoughts of risky penny stocks that are more gambles than investments. In fact, many brokers provide… Read More

There are more than 4.5 million hotel rooms in the United States. When you stay at any one of these rooms you can usually expect — no matter how many stars are next to the hotel’s name — a bed, a bathroom, a television, and a Gideon’s Bible. Read More

In a highly uncertain environment, one thing is clear. The demand for health care will not merely continue… It will dramatically increase in the years to come. Health care has always been a “defensive” industry, as people get sick no matter… Read More

They say success comes at a price. The same thing applies to capital gains. Most investors forgot that lesson in the 1990s, when high-growth “dot-com” stocks were all the rage. Growth at any price was the name of the game, and some investors paid dearly for it. Read More

My friend Barbara phoned and invited me to lunch a few weeks ago. When she offered to pay, I knew something was up. Barbara talked about her workout routine, her daughter’s job search, and her upcoming vacation to Panama. After asking me a cursory question or two,… Read More