It’s quite possibly the most controversial holding in the Daily Paycheck portfolio. But it’s not my job to pass judgment — you’re on your own for that.  My job is to point my subscribers to the best opportunities for income and portfolio growth. And after nine years (and currently paying a robust 5% yield), tobacco giant Altria (NYSE: MO) has done just that. In fact, it’s rewarded us with a gain of roughly 334% during this time. And while we make a habit of reinvesting our dividends as part of our strategy over at my premium newsletter, you can see… Read More

It’s quite possibly the most controversial holding in the Daily Paycheck portfolio. But it’s not my job to pass judgment — you’re on your own for that.  My job is to point my subscribers to the best opportunities for income and portfolio growth. And after nine years (and currently paying a robust 5% yield), tobacco giant Altria (NYSE: MO) has done just that. In fact, it’s rewarded us with a gain of roughly 334% during this time. And while we make a habit of reinvesting our dividends as part of our strategy over at my premium newsletter, you can see how the stock’s total return has absolutely crushed that of the S&P 500… There’s just one problem… Or, a few, in fact. #-ad_banner-#The company just posted soft first-quarter results that fell short of expectations on both the top and bottom lines. Revenues for the period dipped by 6% to $4.4 billion, while earnings dropped by a similar percentage to $0.90 per share. While there were some extenuating inventory issues, they couldn’t disguise the fact that domestic cigarette shipment volume plunged 14% from a year ago. Worse still for the company, Altria’s market share slid below the 50% mark as more… Read More

Back in the early 2000s, I used to write a column called “The Gaming Investor” for Casino Player magazine. As a result, I had a front-row seat to the gradual transformation that’s taken place in the casino business over the years.  The days of cheap drinks and 99-cent shrimp cocktails are sadly gone for the most part. Once considered loss-leaders just to lure in gamblers, property owners have invested heavily to renovate and update their lounges, showrooms and buffets. These ancillary areas of operation now take in more cash than the casinos. As a result, Las Vegas isn’t the Vegas… Read More

Back in the early 2000s, I used to write a column called “The Gaming Investor” for Casino Player magazine. As a result, I had a front-row seat to the gradual transformation that’s taken place in the casino business over the years.  The days of cheap drinks and 99-cent shrimp cocktails are sadly gone for the most part. Once considered loss-leaders just to lure in gamblers, property owners have invested heavily to renovate and update their lounges, showrooms and buffets. These ancillary areas of operation now take in more cash than the casinos. As a result, Las Vegas isn’t the Vegas Frank Sinatra knew — or even the one that I marveled at for the first time in the late 1990s. Alongside high-rollers at the baccarat tables are affluent partygoers at swanky clubs who aren’t shy about forking over $10,000 for a private VIP table. This diversification of the revenue stream means more ways to separate visitors from their dollars — and less reliance on Lady Luck (although we know the house always wins).  And the Las Vegas desert isn’t the only place where players are handing over their chips. From Gulf Coast towns like Biloxi, Mississippi, to the Chicago suburb… Read More

Without a doubt, a bull market is itself a bullish indicator.  There is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy here: investors clamor for gains and feel safer when the market flashes green than when it’s awash in red. But even a more rational explanation to this phenomenon also makes sense: The stock market is a big discounting machine, reflecting bets that tomorrow’s prices will be higher than today’s.  But if this is a gauge at all, then, just as with any other market indicator, it’s not an infallible one. No rally lasts forever, and after a boom — as loud… Read More

Without a doubt, a bull market is itself a bullish indicator.  There is a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy here: investors clamor for gains and feel safer when the market flashes green than when it’s awash in red. But even a more rational explanation to this phenomenon also makes sense: The stock market is a big discounting machine, reflecting bets that tomorrow’s prices will be higher than today’s.  But if this is a gauge at all, then, just as with any other market indicator, it’s not an infallible one. No rally lasts forever, and after a boom — as loud as it might be — usually comes a bust.  On Tuesday, April 23, the S&P 500 closed at 2,931.11, higher than the previous all-time closing high of $2,930.75 set back on September 20. It only took seven months for the markets to return to previous highs — one of the speediest turnarounds in market history.  And yet, many investors are not convinced that stocks are the place to be. According to the Conference Board, 37% of Americans believe stock prices will rise over the next year — and 26% believe the prices will fall. The spread of 11 between optimists… Read More

Let’s get one thing straight…  Stock prices continue moving higher — and that is bullish. I’m not going to suggest anyone fight the trend. As long as stocks are rising, we should be aggressive.  This week, I want to consider why stocks are rising. In general terms, uptrends are driven by economic data, fundamentals, sentiment, or a combination of those three factors. Understanding the primary factor behind a move can help us prepare for the inevitable reversal.  —Recommended Link— 3 Minutes to Collect 12 Times More Money Than… Read More

Let’s get one thing straight…  Stock prices continue moving higher — and that is bullish. I’m not going to suggest anyone fight the trend. As long as stocks are rising, we should be aggressive.  This week, I want to consider why stocks are rising. In general terms, uptrends are driven by economic data, fundamentals, sentiment, or a combination of those three factors. Understanding the primary factor behind a move can help us prepare for the inevitable reversal.  —Recommended Link— 3 Minutes to Collect 12 Times More Money Than Social Security Just make this simple little 3-minute call and you can get set up to start collecting your checks. All told, your checks can add up to $225,326 over the next 25 years. Imagine that! And these checks are supported by $1.75 billion in new money every year. But you must act right now… because the next wave of checks will be sent out in just a few days. Click here for the details. First, uptrends driven by economic or fundamental data tend to be the strongest. That’s… Read More

It’s no secret that dividend yields aren’t what they used to be. The average payout among S&P 500 stocks has sunk to around 2%. Even on a decent-sized $500,000 portfolio, that still amounts to just $10,000 in annual payments — or $833 per month. That doesn’t exactly add up to a lavish retirement lifestyle.  Fortunately, there are alternatives. As the Chief Strategist for High-Yield Investing, I’ve spent most of my career scouring obscure corners of the market for hidden yields of 8%, 10% or even more. One of my favorite hunting grounds to bag these big payouts is within an… Read More

It’s no secret that dividend yields aren’t what they used to be. The average payout among S&P 500 stocks has sunk to around 2%. Even on a decent-sized $500,000 portfolio, that still amounts to just $10,000 in annual payments — or $833 per month. That doesn’t exactly add up to a lavish retirement lifestyle.  Fortunately, there are alternatives. As the Chief Strategist for High-Yield Investing, I’ve spent most of my career scouring obscure corners of the market for hidden yields of 8%, 10% or even more. One of my favorite hunting grounds to bag these big payouts is within an incredibly safe asset class you may not even know exists.  —Recommended Link— This Could Create An Enormous Wave Of Wealth If you’ve been looking for a way to make money from the booming legal marijuana market. but don’t want to roll the dice on a penny stock or figure out how to buy shares of a grower on some Canadian exchange. there’s good news. We’ve discovered a unique marijuana profit-sharing plan that’s paying a small group of regular people up to $55,563 a year. Read More

While reviewing some major indexes recently, I saw an important signal in the Baltic Dry Index.  The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is an index of shipping costs that shows the cost of moving materials in large ships. These are the ships used to move coal and steel, and changes in the index can offer insights into the state of the global economy.  A recent jump in the value of my Profit Amplifier Momentum (PAM) indicator caught my attention.  The recent increase is a surprise because many economists are warning of an economic slowdown. For example, just recently, the International Monetary… Read More

While reviewing some major indexes recently, I saw an important signal in the Baltic Dry Index.  The Baltic Dry Index (BDI) is an index of shipping costs that shows the cost of moving materials in large ships. These are the ships used to move coal and steel, and changes in the index can offer insights into the state of the global economy.  A recent jump in the value of my Profit Amplifier Momentum (PAM) indicator caught my attention.  The recent increase is a surprise because many economists are warning of an economic slowdown. For example, just recently, the International Monetary Fund reduced its estimate for growth in global GDP to 3.3% from estimates of 3.5% in January and 3.7% in October.  To explain the cut, the IMF noted increased “trade tensions and tariff hikes between the United States and China, a decline in business confidence, a tightening of financial conditions, and higher policy uncertainty across many economies.”  Still, after this estimate was released, we have since seen reports of decreased tension with China and a delay in Brexit that could reduce global uncertainty.  How I Got In The Aircraft Business The rapid changes in economic news contributed to the… Read More