As we begin to close the books on the first half of 2018 — and prepare for second-quarter earnings season — it’s prudent to take stock of where we are. -The earnings multiple of the Standard & Poor 500 Index is 25.07, more than 10 points higher than its historical median of 14.69. Conservative investors might find this as dizzying as I do — it is rich valuation. The current bull market began in March 2009, which was 112 months ago. The average bull market lasts 97 months. -In May, U.S. companies bought back an astonishing $174 billion worth of… Read More

As we begin to close the books on the first half of 2018 — and prepare for second-quarter earnings season — it’s prudent to take stock of where we are. -The earnings multiple of the Standard & Poor 500 Index is 25.07, more than 10 points higher than its historical median of 14.69. Conservative investors might find this as dizzying as I do — it is rich valuation. The current bull market began in March 2009, which was 112 months ago. The average bull market lasts 97 months. -In May, U.S. companies bought back an astonishing $174 billion worth of their own stock. While that might be good for investors, it also reveals a profound law of money: You only get to spend it once! Allocating that pile of cash to buybacks means those dollars aren’t being spent on the capital expenditures that fuel organic business growth. After all, one can’t build a new widget factory if one has blown her allowance on Widget Co. shares. But remember Obermueller’s Law: No number has any meaning without the context of another number. —Recommended Link— More Than 150 Years Of Data Proves This Investment Beats All Others This is the MUST-OWN… Read More

A consortium of countries spearheaded by the United States has just formed an international pact to explore new ways to promote the responsible growth of nuclear energy. According to Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, the initiative seeks to “highlight the value of nuclear energy as a clean, reliable energy source.”  This new alliance was announced at a clean energy forum last week in Denmark. Other members of the pact include Argentina, Canada, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). My View: After the devastating destruction of Japan’s Fukushima power plant in 2011, critics started… Read More

A consortium of countries spearheaded by the United States has just formed an international pact to explore new ways to promote the responsible growth of nuclear energy. According to Deputy Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette, the initiative seeks to “highlight the value of nuclear energy as a clean, reliable energy source.”  This new alliance was announced at a clean energy forum last week in Denmark. Other members of the pact include Argentina, Canada, Japan, Poland, Romania, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). My View: After the devastating destruction of Japan’s Fukushima power plant in 2011, critics started writing the obituary for nuclear energy. In the years that followed, the industry was indeed battered and bruised. Amid mounting opposition, some nuclear plants went into early retirement, while new construction projects around the globe were postponed or scrapped.  A number of countries decided to gradually phase out nuclear energy altogether. Germany, for example, has reduced its dependency from 25% of the power grid (17 reactors) in 2011 to just 12% (seven reactors) today. Just look at a long-term chart of uranium prices, and it’s easy to see the damage inflicted by changing government policies.  Yet, the industry is still… Read More

After a couple of decades, it would seem that the idea of free trade or cooperative trade would be an accepted global practice. And then Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. To fulfill campaign promises and appease his base, Trump is promising “fair trade” and “better deals” for American industry and workers. This will involve upending the global status quo on everything from NAFTA to intellectual property. The chilling effects of trade tensions were felt publicly when badass American icon Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) announced that it would be offshoring international manufacturing for foreign markets due to… Read More

After a couple of decades, it would seem that the idea of free trade or cooperative trade would be an accepted global practice. And then Donald Trump was elected president of the United States. To fulfill campaign promises and appease his base, Trump is promising “fair trade” and “better deals” for American industry and workers. This will involve upending the global status quo on everything from NAFTA to intellectual property. The chilling effects of trade tensions were felt publicly when badass American icon Harley Davidson (NYSE: HOG) announced that it would be offshoring international manufacturing for foreign markets due to the threat. The concerns have also helped equity markets erase all gains for the year. #-ad_banner-#Full disclosure, I am a free trader. I firmly believe that, in the long run, free trade can and does benefit the global society by fostering peace and prosperity, which is always a better alternative to war and poverty. That being said, fate has currently dealt us a different hand, so we must adapt. Many professional investors have once again turned their focus toward emerging markets (EM)… and their higher growth rates. However, pure play EM investing can be tricky. Most large, multinational corporations —… Read More

At long last, the merger between AT&T (NYSE: T) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) has closed. —Recommended Link— “I wish I’d done this 20 years ago.” That’s what a veteran investor and successful business owner told us… about a strategy called The Dividend Trifecta. He’s been using it for years, and for all the money he’s made in his life, this is the most consistent income stream he’s ever had. He’s not alone: investors in The Dividend Trifecta are telling us they’re making an extra $23,000 per year. Click here to see what they’re doing to make that kind… Read More

At long last, the merger between AT&T (NYSE: T) and Time Warner (NYSE: TWX) has closed. —Recommended Link— “I wish I’d done this 20 years ago.” That’s what a veteran investor and successful business owner told us… about a strategy called The Dividend Trifecta. He’s been using it for years, and for all the money he’s made in his life, this is the most consistent income stream he’s ever had. He’s not alone: investors in The Dividend Trifecta are telling us they’re making an extra $23,000 per year. Click here to see what they’re doing to make that kind of money. This act was completed on June 14. The telecom giant didn’t waste any time in taking control (after all, it had already waited as long as 20 months after the acquisition plan was announced on October 22, 2016). As you remember, on June 12, just two days before the acquisition closed, a federal judge ruled in AT&T’s favor, clearing the way (with no conditions imposed) for this mega-merger. And yes, it is indeed a mega-merger: AT&T’s cost to purchase the entertainment company was more than $100 billion (equity cost plus an assumption of debt). #-ad_banner-#>There are only a… Read More

In 1988, my father brought home a new LaserDisc player. It cost a good chunk of our savings, but he was convinced that this would be the next evolution in home theater to replace VHS. He had already bet wrong on Betamax earlier in the decade but was sure that this new format was the real deal. —Recommended Link— Just Released… THE LIST: Top 7 Growth Stocks To Buy Now Our annual research has produced winners of 310%, 452%, and even 569% in years past. Last year’s picks are beating the S&P 500 3-to-1. And this year’s report could… Read More

In 1988, my father brought home a new LaserDisc player. It cost a good chunk of our savings, but he was convinced that this would be the next evolution in home theater to replace VHS. He had already bet wrong on Betamax earlier in the decade but was sure that this new format was the real deal. —Recommended Link— Just Released… THE LIST: Top 7 Growth Stocks To Buy Now Our annual research has produced winners of 310%, 452%, and even 569% in years past. Last year’s picks are beating the S&P 500 3-to-1. And this year’s report could be the most profitable yet… If you’re tired of paltry gains, then this could be the most important thing you read all year. Click here to see it. Of course, the format never did find its market, and manufacturers stopped printing movies for it just a few years later. #-ad_banner-#While my family’s struggle with technological obsolescence is nothing new, it seems the problem has gotten more acute for investors over the past several decades. Once leading companies are being pushed aside and bankrupted as their industries die out or they fail to adapt. How can a long-term investor hope to… Read More

Just a few weeks ago, my Maximum Income readers saw three of our covered call trades expire worthless. —Recommended Link— Do You Have 7 Minutes To Spare This Friday? If you can spare just seven minutes this Friday, you could pocket your first $565 in fast cash… without investing a dime of your own money. This simple “Guaranteed Income Strategy” generates INSTANT cash every week and boasts a 90.5% win rate. Go here to see how it’s racked up $140,490 in extra cash for us… Now, that may sound like a… Read More

Just a few weeks ago, my Maximum Income readers saw three of our covered call trades expire worthless. —Recommended Link— Do You Have 7 Minutes To Spare This Friday? If you can spare just seven minutes this Friday, you could pocket your first $565 in fast cash… without investing a dime of your own money. This simple “Guaranteed Income Strategy” generates INSTANT cash every week and boasts a 90.5% win rate. Go here to see how it’s racked up $140,490 in extra cash for us… Now, that may sound like a bad thing, but it’s actually my favorite part of the strategy. You see, every time one of our options expires worthless, it gives us the chance to write another option on the stock, capturing another big income payment. Here’s a snapshot of our three positions that expired worthless on June 15. As you can see, we’ve already generated a significant amount of income from selling call options on these three positions. And because our June options expired worthless, we can now sell another round of covered calls. #-ad_banner-#On June 19, I sent my readers a trade alert with… Read More

Imagine being able to pay whatever you want for your favorite stock. How would you like to be able to pick the purchase price with very little regard to where the shares are currently trading? —Recommended Link— Only A Few Hours Left To Claim 75% OFF We’re down to the wire. At 11:59 tonight, the door slams shut.  And your chance to SAVE 75% on the stock-picking tool that flags fast double- and triple-digit moves. Don’t miss out on our top indicator that generates 15X MORE returns than the market. This is your FINAL chance to claim your 75%… Read More

Imagine being able to pay whatever you want for your favorite stock. How would you like to be able to pick the purchase price with very little regard to where the shares are currently trading? —Recommended Link— Only A Few Hours Left To Claim 75% OFF We’re down to the wire. At 11:59 tonight, the door slams shut.  And your chance to SAVE 75% on the stock-picking tool that flags fast double- and triple-digit moves. Don’t miss out on our top indicator that generates 15X MORE returns than the market. This is your FINAL chance to claim your 75% OFF. Grab it now. Sound too good to be true? Well, that’s what I thought when I first learned of this little-used method. And believe it or not, it gets even better. If this tactic fails and you can’t get the shares at your price, you’ll get paid for trying. The Market’s “Can’t-Lose” Strategy There’s a reason why some people regularly win in the stock market. It’s not that these people are any smarter, cleverer, or even have access to better information. While these things can provide an edge over other investors, it’s often the knowledge and application of… Read More