Earning high, consistent dividends is the aim of every income investor. This goal, however, has become nearly impossible in today’s market, largely thanks to persistently low rates and the hoards of investors trying to squeeze every penny of growth out of shares.  My research has identified seven stocks with varying degrees of risk that are still regularly shelling out sizeable income. Consider the following securities for your income portfolio. 1. Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) Sometimes everything lines up to create an ideal investment. Throwing off an incredible 8.2% yield, OHI is in the perfect choice for income-starved investors. … Read More

Earning high, consistent dividends is the aim of every income investor. This goal, however, has become nearly impossible in today’s market, largely thanks to persistently low rates and the hoards of investors trying to squeeze every penny of growth out of shares.  My research has identified seven stocks with varying degrees of risk that are still regularly shelling out sizeable income. Consider the following securities for your income portfolio. 1. Omega Healthcare Investors (NYSE: OHI) Sometimes everything lines up to create an ideal investment. Throwing off an incredible 8.2% yield, OHI is in the perfect choice for income-starved investors.  Omega Healthcare is a real estate investment trust (REIT) specializing in assisted living facilities and skilled nursing facilities in the United States and the United Kingdom. Boasting a $9 billion-plus portfolio of over 975 units, the company has increased its dividend fifteen years in a row. A P/E of just under 18 and five-year EPS growth in excess of 7% sweeten the deal. #-ad_banner-#​OHI’s future is looking bright as well. Nearly 15% of the U.S. population is 65 years of age or older. This number is projected to continue to grow over the next century, providing a never-ending stream of… Read More

As we get deeper into the fourth quarter, one of the biggest stories dominating the financial headlines will be interest rates, and the fact that they appear to be headed higher.  While investors have been talking about this same story for the past few years, there’s a good reason: The fed funds rate is the interest rate banks and major depository institutions charge each other for loans (which banks sometimes need to meet the Federal Reserve’s deposit requirements). —Sponsored Link— Regular Investors Can Finally Invest In Bitcoin While technically-minded investors are making once-in-a-lifetime profits in… Read More

As we get deeper into the fourth quarter, one of the biggest stories dominating the financial headlines will be interest rates, and the fact that they appear to be headed higher.  While investors have been talking about this same story for the past few years, there’s a good reason: The fed funds rate is the interest rate banks and major depository institutions charge each other for loans (which banks sometimes need to meet the Federal Reserve’s deposit requirements). —Sponsored Link— Regular Investors Can Finally Invest In Bitcoin While technically-minded investors are making once-in-a-lifetime profits in Bitcoin, Ethereum and other cryptocurrencies… Regular investors are missing out. UNTIL NOW… There’s a new “Canadian Backdoor” you can use to add them to your retirement portfolio in less than three minutes… Read the full report here. This rate is only changed at regular Fed meetings held every six weeks.  The rate is widely followed because it is the benchmark for a number of other rates. Due to its importance, large banks and other financial market participants hedge their exposure to interest rates. #-ad_banner-#For now, the Fed has set the rate at 1% to 1.25%. The… Read More

Even as stocks reach record highs, there’s a growing sense of fear among investors that the market is setting up for a drop. The S&P 500 has surged 20% over the past year, taking stocks to 31 times cyclically-adjusted earnings despite a lackluster economic backdrop and a Federal Reserve that’s withdrawing monetary stimulus. Professional money managers have been slowly moving to cash, with Bank of America’s fund manager survey showing cash positions at highs not seen since 2001.  I’ve had a back-and-forth conversation with a financial advisor friend for the past several months. The nearly nine-year… Read More

Even as stocks reach record highs, there’s a growing sense of fear among investors that the market is setting up for a drop. The S&P 500 has surged 20% over the past year, taking stocks to 31 times cyclically-adjusted earnings despite a lackluster economic backdrop and a Federal Reserve that’s withdrawing monetary stimulus. Professional money managers have been slowly moving to cash, with Bank of America’s fund manager survey showing cash positions at highs not seen since 2001.  I’ve had a back-and-forth conversation with a financial advisor friend for the past several months. The nearly nine-year bull market defies any kind of rational portfolio investing based on fundamentals but is still just as strong as it has been since 2009. The anxiety has gotten so bad that my friend has 40% of managed money in cash, and clients aren’t too happy that they might be missing out. But there may be a way to protect your portfolio and still earn a return on your money. I researched different asset classes for correlations with stocks and performance over the previous two bear markets. What I found were two investments classes with solid cash yields and that may… Read More

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky coined the phrase now co-opted by every money manager in the racket: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Now, the Trump administration’s proposed tax reform plan may just give them the opportunity to prove it. One sector in particular is poised to capitalize on the anticipated 43% reduction in federal taxes. After muddling through the post-financial crisis landscape, U.S. commercial banks are starting to show signs of life. The return to profitability will ultimately lead to renewed merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. This chart from the always… Read More

Hockey legend Wayne Gretzky coined the phrase now co-opted by every money manager in the racket: “I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.” Now, the Trump administration’s proposed tax reform plan may just give them the opportunity to prove it. One sector in particular is poised to capitalize on the anticipated 43% reduction in federal taxes. After muddling through the post-financial crisis landscape, U.S. commercial banks are starting to show signs of life. The return to profitability will ultimately lead to renewed merger and acquisition (M&A) activity. This chart from the always resourceful Saint Louis Fed paints a clear picture of the market. While the number of U.S. commercial banks has been shrinking over the past 30 years, the level of total assets held by commercial banks has ballooned. Eventually, that money will have to go somewhere. If current trends are any indication, much of it will end up going towards acquisitions.  One of the best ways for investors to position themselves for a bank merger bonanza is the John Hancock Financial Opportunities Fund (NYSE: BTO). Launched in 1994, the closed-end fund (CEF), originally named the John Hancock Bank and… Read More

I believe the stock market has changed for the better in the past few weeks. Fundamentals are still bearish, but the economic news has been a little better. Most importantly, the technicals have improved. This a bull market again. Let me show you why… I’ll start with a chart of small-caps. Below is the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: IWM). The blue rectangle shows a 10-month trading range. The upside breakout occurred coincided with a “buy” signal from my Income Trader Volatility (ITV) indicator, which is shown at the bottom of the chart. (For more on this award-winning indicator,… Read More

I believe the stock market has changed for the better in the past few weeks. Fundamentals are still bearish, but the economic news has been a little better. Most importantly, the technicals have improved. This a bull market again. Let me show you why… I’ll start with a chart of small-caps. Below is the iShares Russell 2000 ETF (NYSE: IWM). The blue rectangle shows a 10-month trading range. The upside breakout occurred coincided with a “buy” signal from my Income Trader Volatility (ITV) indicator, which is shown at the bottom of the chart. (For more on this award-winning indicator, click here.) —Sponsored Link— How To Invest In Real Estate Without Having To Buy Properties Many people think that the only way to invest in real estate is to buy a home or apartment for rental income. The truth is that you don’t have to deal with finding good properties, financing, tenants, maintenance, or other hassles of being a landlord to invest in real estate. It’s possible to let others do some of the work for you while you relax. Find out more — Click here now. Read More

The current stock market environment makes finding value stocks a challenge. Gone are the days when an investor could simply scan the market for underperformers. Finding true value in the market now requires digging deeper into the fundamentals as they compare to others in the sector. My research has uncovered three stocks providing actual value at current share prices.  1. Ultra Clean Holdings (Nasdaq: UCTT) Shares of this small-cap semiconductor manufacturer have soared over 240% this year. But despite being one of the top performers this year, UCTT remains a solid value pick due to its price-sales (P/S) ratio… Read More

The current stock market environment makes finding value stocks a challenge. Gone are the days when an investor could simply scan the market for underperformers. Finding true value in the market now requires digging deeper into the fundamentals as they compare to others in the sector. My research has uncovered three stocks providing actual value at current share prices.  1. Ultra Clean Holdings (Nasdaq: UCTT) Shares of this small-cap semiconductor manufacturer have soared over 240% this year. But despite being one of the top performers this year, UCTT remains a solid value pick due to its price-sales (P/S) ratio of 1.16. With the average P/S ratio in the sector being 2.12, UCTT’s value shines.  The P/S ratio is critical when evaluating companies in the technology space since it eliminates accounting games and management chicanery from earnings results. The P/S ratio is simply calculated by dividing the stock price by annual revenues, and provides a relatively accurate value picture that can then be compared to the company’s peers.  #-ad_banner-#Although it’s unlikely we will see this stratospheric stock performance repeat itself, UCTT continues to be an ideal value stock for your portfolio. Earnings per share (EPS) exploded over 100% in 2016,… Read More

When I was 12 years old, my grandfather loaned me his classic Hasselblad camera to shoot photos in the park near where I grew up. The light was dim and I wanted to capture the colorful tree line that was swaying in the wind, so I loaded up some high-speed Kodak film and hit the road. I knew I only had one chance to get that perfect light, perfect shot, perfect exposure. I wasn’t worried; I had faith in Kodak and its quality products. But sure enough, I had some incorrect settings and the pictures were useless. Even then, I… Read More

When I was 12 years old, my grandfather loaned me his classic Hasselblad camera to shoot photos in the park near where I grew up. The light was dim and I wanted to capture the colorful tree line that was swaying in the wind, so I loaded up some high-speed Kodak film and hit the road. I knew I only had one chance to get that perfect light, perfect shot, perfect exposure. I wasn’t worried; I had faith in Kodak and its quality products. But sure enough, I had some incorrect settings and the pictures were useless. Even then, I knew there had to be an easier way. —Sponsored Link— You Know What You Want To keep more of your own money. Make better than average returns… and fewer mistakes. VectorVest makes it easy to make better decisions. To stay in control as the markets move up and down, with at-a-glance guidance on what and when to buy, sell and hold. Analyze any stock free. Get your free report. Fast-forward to today and digital cameras (including higher-end smartphones) can turn even the worst photographer into the next Ansel Adams. On top… Read More

Running out of money is a genuine fear for everyone, no matter their age or income. During our working years, this anxiety is quieted by a steady cash flow, allowing us to build a “just in case” fund for unexpected expenses and, hopefully, a retirement fund. Because when you get to retirement age, that steady paycheck stops and money anxiety creeps in again.  Many investors turn to the stock market for security in uncertain times. Owning the right mix of growth and dividend stocks is the key to never running out of money in retirement and ensuring your financial security… Read More

Running out of money is a genuine fear for everyone, no matter their age or income. During our working years, this anxiety is quieted by a steady cash flow, allowing us to build a “just in case” fund for unexpected expenses and, hopefully, a retirement fund. Because when you get to retirement age, that steady paycheck stops and money anxiety creeps in again.  Many investors turn to the stock market for security in uncertain times. Owning the right mix of growth and dividend stocks is the key to never running out of money in retirement and ensuring your financial security should your income be slashed for whatever reason.  Stocks with a stable history, consistent dividends, and a genuine potential for price appreciation are perfect candidates.  In other words, consistency trumps high dividends and returns when it comes to saving for retirement.  My research has discovered a portfolio of five stocks that are a good start for anyone seeking to cement their financial security. #-ad_banner-#​1. Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) A true diversified giant, this $355 billion behemoth boasts the world’s fifth-largest pharmaceutical business, a vast array of consumer products, and a complete medical device business. The company’s brand portfolio… Read More