The world of subscriptions keeps growing and developing. In entertainment, the massive success of the streaming music, video, and video-game applications pushes others to innovate. (Deloitte estimates that the number of streaming music subscriptions alone now exceeds 150 million.) The New York Mets, for example, recently announced a new subscription-based program of their own. For a flat fee of $39 per month, subscribers can get standing-room-only tickets to nearly every regular season home game, even at the last minute.  Many other types of businesses are also benefitting from the trend, thanks to technological advancements (and, in many cases, with the… Read More

The world of subscriptions keeps growing and developing. In entertainment, the massive success of the streaming music, video, and video-game applications pushes others to innovate. (Deloitte estimates that the number of streaming music subscriptions alone now exceeds 150 million.) The New York Mets, for example, recently announced a new subscription-based program of their own. For a flat fee of $39 per month, subscribers can get standing-room-only tickets to nearly every regular season home game, even at the last minute.  Many other types of businesses are also benefitting from the trend, thanks to technological advancements (and, in many cases, with the help of our newest recommendation over at my premium newsletter, Fast-Track Millionaire).  #-ad_banner-#​Smartsheet (Nasdaq: SMAR) is a great example. Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, Smartsheet is a Fast-Track Millionaire holding that provides cloud-based platforms and software that enable companies to overview, plan, manage, automate, and execute tasks and projects. Subscriptions start at $14 per user per month. With an enticing business model in a high-growth area, it’s no wonder then that we’ve already made more than 21% on the stock since the end of January.  Of course, Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) was one of the first companies to… Read More

The first thing you learn in finance class is that the markets are efficient, meaning that asset prices fully reflect all available information.  This is a simple concept to understand, and it also helps investors read the tea leaves when it comes to the market action: stocks are discounting all available information at any time. Rallies and selloffs, while hard to predict and impossible to time, are just that — the reflections of the market’s ongoing optimism or improving outlook (which underlie the rallies) and deteriorating conditions (which drive the selloffs).  The market is also a great forward-looking mechanism. Because… Read More

The first thing you learn in finance class is that the markets are efficient, meaning that asset prices fully reflect all available information.  This is a simple concept to understand, and it also helps investors read the tea leaves when it comes to the market action: stocks are discounting all available information at any time. Rallies and selloffs, while hard to predict and impossible to time, are just that — the reflections of the market’s ongoing optimism or improving outlook (which underlie the rallies) and deteriorating conditions (which drive the selloffs).  The market is also a great forward-looking mechanism. Because it does reflect all the available information at any time, a rallying market by itself is often a bullish indicator. This is what we have today — not only a more expensive market than a few months ago, but a market that just won’t stop.  —Recommended Link— If you’re over 18 years old, you can’t be turned down for this program A simple membership form – one that takes 90 seconds or less to fill out – is all it takes to join a plan that pays out up to $12,040 a year in bonus… Read More

It’s the longest-tenured fund holding in my High-Yield Investing premium portfolio… and for good reason.  After all, most investors probably don’t associate 7% yields with safety — much less outperformance. But with the John Hancock Premium Dividend (NYSE: PDT) fund, you get all that and more.   After a rare down year in 2018, PDT is once again at the top of the charts in 2019. It has delivered a return of 21.6% so far, doubling its category average — and scoring in the top 1% of its peer group. Launched by John Hancock in 1989, this closed-end fund targets dividend-paying… Read More

It’s the longest-tenured fund holding in my High-Yield Investing premium portfolio… and for good reason.  After all, most investors probably don’t associate 7% yields with safety — much less outperformance. But with the John Hancock Premium Dividend (NYSE: PDT) fund, you get all that and more.   After a rare down year in 2018, PDT is once again at the top of the charts in 2019. It has delivered a return of 21.6% so far, doubling its category average — and scoring in the top 1% of its peer group. Launched by John Hancock in 1989, this closed-end fund targets dividend-paying preferred and common stock. There are more than 100 securities in the portfolio issued by cash generators such as Verizon (NYSE: VZ) and Kinder Morgan (NYSE: KMI). But the biggest weighting goes to utilities and financial firms, which occupy nearly 80% of assets. If a utility sector fund and preferred stock fund had an offspring, it would look a lot like PDT. #-ad_banner-#Since preferred stocks are primarily issued by banks, brokerage firms and insurance companies, it’s no surprise that the portfolio is dominated by names such as Morgan Stanley, Capital One and Prudential. The heavy concentration in regulated power… Read More

On a chart of the S&P 500 Index, the 2,800 level is becoming increasingly important. This level served as resistance for months — and now it’s support.  For those who are unfamiliar, resistance is a price level where selling pressure is expected to increase.  —Recommended Link— I’ve Never Been More Excited About An Opportunity Pot stocks are dominating the headlines. But I’m not biting. Because I’ve found a safer, smarter way to make money from the legal marijuana market. It’s a unique profit-sharing plan that’s allowing everyday Americans to earn up to $55,563 a year. Read More

On a chart of the S&P 500 Index, the 2,800 level is becoming increasingly important. This level served as resistance for months — and now it’s support.  For those who are unfamiliar, resistance is a price level where selling pressure is expected to increase.  —Recommended Link— I’ve Never Been More Excited About An Opportunity Pot stocks are dominating the headlines. But I’m not biting. Because I’ve found a safer, smarter way to make money from the legal marijuana market. It’s a unique profit-sharing plan that’s allowing everyday Americans to earn up to $55,563 a year. And the payouts are 100% backed by a U.S. Federal Law. The next check run is just days away. Get the full details here now.   As an example, we can look at how traders could have been thinking about the market in December 2018.  Back in December, as prices moved toward 2,800, nervous traders would have noticed that rallies had stopped at that level twice in the weeks prior. They may have decided that, if prices reached that level again, they would sell. Aggressive traders might have decided they would open short positions at that… Read More

I’ll admit that I haven’t read many of the great works of literature.  Even though I read a great deal, almost all of my reading is related to the stock market. (Hopefully, there will be time to read more literature when I retire.) But sometimes, the two intersect in unexpected ways, and I find myself benefitting from the works of great authors.  I frequently find myself thinking about quotes that others consider to be important and symbolic of the work. One quote many personal finance writers like to share is from Ernest Hemingway’s classic “The Sun Also Rises.”  “How did… Read More

I’ll admit that I haven’t read many of the great works of literature.  Even though I read a great deal, almost all of my reading is related to the stock market. (Hopefully, there will be time to read more literature when I retire.) But sometimes, the two intersect in unexpected ways, and I find myself benefitting from the works of great authors.  I frequently find myself thinking about quotes that others consider to be important and symbolic of the work. One quote many personal finance writers like to share is from Ernest Hemingway’s classic “The Sun Also Rises.”  “How did you go bankrupt?” Bill asked.  “Two ways,” Mike said. “Gradually and then suddenly.”  #-ad_banner-#Now, I am certain there is a great deal of context I’m missing, and that’s a side effect of not reading the book. However, even without context, this quote is striking because it describes a process that applies to almost everything.  When we boil water on the stove, the temperature appears to change “gradually and then suddenly.” When a child is getting sick, their behavior seems to change “gradually and then suddenly.” When someone struggles at work, their performance often seems to change “gradually and then suddenly.” … Read More

Much to the delight of investors, the market rallied 14% in the first three months of the year. It was the best quarterly performance for the S&P 500 since 2009. Of course, not every stock in the market has performed accordingly, but many have done well, led by the technology sector (up 20.5% in the quarter). Some investors could be reluctant to buy stocks that rallied that much, especially when the market is nearing its recent highs. And some investors might be tempted to look for a lagging stock or two in search of value — and in search of… Read More

Much to the delight of investors, the market rallied 14% in the first three months of the year. It was the best quarterly performance for the S&P 500 since 2009. Of course, not every stock in the market has performed accordingly, but many have done well, led by the technology sector (up 20.5% in the quarter). Some investors could be reluctant to buy stocks that rallied that much, especially when the market is nearing its recent highs. And some investors might be tempted to look for a lagging stock or two in search of value — and in search of a winning performance going forward. If only investing were this simple… Experienced investors know that simply buying stocks that underperform the market does not, by itself, usually result in a winning performance.  —Recommended Link— This $1,003-a-Month Income Boost Is Available to Everyone There’s a way for you to collect extra government cash. And it isn’t some “file and suspend” Social Security trick that only makes sense for a few people. This obscure opportunity allows you to collect government cash no matter how old you are or how much money you already make. Read More

For centuries, humans relied on plant-derived medicines, using — based on countless experiments and astute observation — a wide range of chemically-active elements obtained from a wide variety of plants to treat many, if not most, ailments and diseases. A more systematic study of what it is that makes certain plants medically potent had only begun in the 19th century, however, thanks to the advances in chemistry and biology. Today, the entire field of ethnopharmacology — the study of the use of plant-based or other naturally derived medicines across different cultures — has emerged. So have the related fields of… Read More

For centuries, humans relied on plant-derived medicines, using — based on countless experiments and astute observation — a wide range of chemically-active elements obtained from a wide variety of plants to treat many, if not most, ailments and diseases. A more systematic study of what it is that makes certain plants medically potent had only begun in the 19th century, however, thanks to the advances in chemistry and biology. Today, the entire field of ethnopharmacology — the study of the use of plant-based or other naturally derived medicines across different cultures — has emerged. So have the related fields of ethnomedicine, medical anthropology — not to mention food science or good old-fashioned botany — and more. The potential of plants to deliver life-changing medication has long been one of the arguments for biodiversity. It should not come as a surprise that scientists, in research labs and in the biotech industry, have also been studying cannabis with a belief that, thanks to the chemicals in the plant, it’s much more than just a popular recreational drug. One such company is a pioneer in this research and the owner of the very first prescription medication derived directly from the cannabis plant. —Recommended… Read More