Bill Gates founded Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) in 1975 and for a time was the wealthiest person on the planet, thanks to the company’s ubiquitous Windows operating system. In June 2008, Gates gave up his day-to-day role at Microsoft to spend more time working with his wife at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mexican businessman Carlos Slim has since taken the title as the world’s richest person, while Gates has shifted focus to his philanthropic efforts. A significant portion of Gates’ $56 billion wealth has shifted to his foundation as well as his private investment vehicle, Cascade… Read More

Bill Gates founded Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) in 1975 and for a time was the wealthiest person on the planet, thanks to the company’s ubiquitous Windows operating system. In June 2008, Gates gave up his day-to-day role at Microsoft to spend more time working with his wife at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Mexican businessman Carlos Slim has since taken the title as the world’s richest person, while Gates has shifted focus to his philanthropic efforts. A significant portion of Gates’ $56 billion wealth has shifted to his foundation as well as his private investment vehicle, Cascade Investment LLC. The foundation received significant further support when Gates’ long-time friend and fellow billionaire Warren Buffett committed to donating a significant portion of his $47 billion net worth to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. #-ad_banner-#When you are investing such vast sums of money for philanthropic work, you need to play it safe in terms of investment risk and preserving the long-term value of the asset base. After all, the Gates Foundation has to fund grants to support causes such as global health and related charitable gifting for many years… Read More

The stock market’s a great place to invest for the long haul, but the rollercoaster ride sure does get old sometimes, doesn’t it? That’s why I’m always looking for stocks that can enrich shareholders with as little volatility as possible. To find them, you generally have to… Read More

“You can always trust the Americans to do the right thing, but only after exhausting all other possibilities.” –Winston Churchill When it comes to our political leaders in Washington, let’s hope Churchill was right. If he’s wrong, then the U.S. Read More

Income investors disappointed by yields on U.S. stocks are looking outside America’s borders for bigger dividends. Emerging markets offer dividend opportunities, of course, but some investors consider them to be too risky. However, there is another market closer to home where growing dividends can be found. I’m… Read More

Investment advisors Sterne, Agee & Leach describe this restaurant chain as “the best-positioned player in the fast-food business.” Many analysts expect it to gain market share in the coming months due to menu upgrades and in-store decorative improvements. #-ad_banner-#But the opportunity to profit from the company’s… Read More

You can’t blame Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke for trying. Faced with a struggling economy last summer, he devised a massive $600-billion plan to revive the economy, known as QE2 (or the second major round of quantitative easing). Investors are surely pleased,… Read More

It’s been tough sledding for stocks. The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) has dropped at least 100 points on four separate trading days so far in May, bringing a wide array of stocks down from recent highs. Lost in the negative price action is… Read More

You’ve heard a lot of talk about gold lately — and for good reason. Gold is loved as a hedge against economic uncertainty. And given the unsteady dollar and ripe conditions for runaway inflation, it’s no surprise gold… Read More

The debate regarding the future source of clean and “green” energy in America and the world rages on as it has for decades. Ever since M. King Hubbert, Ph.D., released his report on “Peak Oil” in 1956, the belief that there is a finite amount of oil in the earth… Read More

They’re a staple of most high-yield portfolios. Just about every income investor has at least a few thousand dollars invested in this group. There are good reasons for their popularity. These businesses throw off enormous amounts of cash. By law, they have to pay at least 90%… Read More