I couldn’t believe we were hassling over 1/8 of an inch.   It was the fall of 2010 and I was helping my parents build a new addition to their house. I was assisting their contractor with the foundation, and when we measured everything out before we poured the footers and stem walls we were less than 1/8 of an inch off.  —Sponsored Link— Step 1: Buy These 5 ETFs Now… TQQQ, FAS, UPRO, plus two additional ETFs revealed in this FREE REPORT. Step 2: Follow the simple strategy inside this free trading guide and Step 3:… Read More

I couldn’t believe we were hassling over 1/8 of an inch.   It was the fall of 2010 and I was helping my parents build a new addition to their house. I was assisting their contractor with the foundation, and when we measured everything out before we poured the footers and stem walls we were less than 1/8 of an inch off.  —Sponsored Link— Step 1: Buy These 5 ETFs Now… TQQQ, FAS, UPRO, plus two additional ETFs revealed in this FREE REPORT. Step 2: Follow the simple strategy inside this free trading guide and Step 3: Collect as much as $16,978.31 in a week. Full list of ETF’s and strategy that has generated over $9.9 Million in cash payouts steadily now for 10 years. Revealed here… I thought that was pretty good. I mean, who would notice? Plus, it would be covered up in any event… But the contractor wouldn’t let it go. He wouldn’t be satisfied until we were perfect.    #-ad_banner-#What he taught me that day, I’ve carried over into my financial career.    You see, as you know the foundation is the most important part of any house. And… Read More

President Donald Trump is perhaps the most polarizing U.S. president of all time. Despite his sometimes-questionable rhetoric, one thing has remained constant throughout his campaign and presidency: Trump is 100% in support of American business. Throughout the election and into his time in office, Trump’s pro-business stance has given confidence to investors, who have sent the stock market soaring higher. Less than a year into his term, indexes are sitting near all-time highs and bullish sentiment is bursting at the seams.  Among the most talked about plans of the new administration is tax reform. While large corporations stand to gain… Read More

President Donald Trump is perhaps the most polarizing U.S. president of all time. Despite his sometimes-questionable rhetoric, one thing has remained constant throughout his campaign and presidency: Trump is 100% in support of American business. Throughout the election and into his time in office, Trump’s pro-business stance has given confidence to investors, who have sent the stock market soaring higher. Less than a year into his term, indexes are sitting near all-time highs and bullish sentiment is bursting at the seams.  Among the most talked about plans of the new administration is tax reform. While large corporations stand to gain the most from the potential changes, everyday investors will likely also benefit.  What To Expect From Trump’s Tax Plan 1. Higher Dividends Income investors rejoice! One of the most appealing effects of Trump’s proposed tax reform will be higher dividends across the board.  #-ad_banner-#The President has stated that he wants to slash the corporate rate all the way down to 20% from the current 35%. Primarily designed to incentivize corporations from fleeing the United States in search of lower rates, the tax plan represents $1.8 trillion in tax savings over the next decade. This inflow of wealth will… Read More

If you read yesterday’s issue of StreetAuthority Daily, then you know that my colleague Brad Briggs discussed why learning about Warren Buffett’s career still matters for investors today. In short, he mentioned that despite Buffett’s $80 billion fortune, you and I have a big advantage over him. —Sponsored Link— Big Tobacco’s Punishment: A Long Time Coming In November of 1998, the “Big Four of Big Tobacco” were sued for using misleading advertisements and manipulating scientific research. And in a landmark settlement they agreed to pay a historic sum of money in perpetuity to those affected. Read More

If you read yesterday’s issue of StreetAuthority Daily, then you know that my colleague Brad Briggs discussed why learning about Warren Buffett’s career still matters for investors today. In short, he mentioned that despite Buffett’s $80 billion fortune, you and I have a big advantage over him. —Sponsored Link— Big Tobacco’s Punishment: A Long Time Coming In November of 1998, the “Big Four of Big Tobacco” were sued for using misleading advertisements and manipulating scientific research. And in a landmark settlement they agreed to pay a historic sum of money in perpetuity to those affected. We estimate they’ve been paying out about $686 million a month. What you may not know is that you could personally claim a tax-free portion of this money… regardless of whether you’ve smoked a day in your life. See how you can cash in on Big Tobacco’s “forever income.” Timing. You see, because you and I don’t have massive portfolios like Buffett, it doesn’t take much to really move the needle. It’s a nice problem for Buffett to have, frankly, but it can really work to our advantage. That’s because, if we emulate Buffett’s habit of… Read More

When it comes to money, every now and then the U.S. government gets caught in the act of doing something terribly right. The creation of the Roth IRA in 1997 is a great example.  As the Trump administration rolls out its tax plan, the proposed rollback of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%, a major component of the plan, might also enter the tax-reform hall of fame. Sure, large multi-national companies  will benefit from the reduction, but these companies also have the luxury of tax benefits in many different countries. For example, in 2016 Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) had… Read More

When it comes to money, every now and then the U.S. government gets caught in the act of doing something terribly right. The creation of the Roth IRA in 1997 is a great example.  As the Trump administration rolls out its tax plan, the proposed rollback of the corporate tax rate from 35% to 20%, a major component of the plan, might also enter the tax-reform hall of fame. Sure, large multi-national companies  will benefit from the reduction, but these companies also have the luxury of tax benefits in many different countries. For example, in 2016 Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) had a domestic loss of $300 million and foreign income of $20.1 billion. The company’s net tax liability was $3.3 billion, or an effective rate of around 16.5%. Small- and micro-cap companies, on the other hand, do much of their business domestically. A 43% cut in the corporate tax rate would be a huge boon to these companies and their stocks alike. However, due to the sometimes esoteric nature of the space, one of the best ways to gain exposure is taking the fund route.  #-ad_banner-#One of the most experienced small-cap funds out there is the Royce Value Trust (NYSE: RVT),… Read More

When I’m introduced to new people and they learn that I’m in the financial publishing business, it’s always interesting to see what their follow-up question or comment will be. Some ask me for a stock tip or want my take on the latest fad in the market. Others, assuming they’re interested, like to talk about Warren Buffett.  —Sponsored Link— Silicon Valley Exec: 3 Ways To Get Rich On Self-Driving Cars  Most investors don’t realize how quickly self-driving cars are advancing. In fact, by the end of 2017, fully self-driving cars could reach the mass market. Read More

When I’m introduced to new people and they learn that I’m in the financial publishing business, it’s always interesting to see what their follow-up question or comment will be. Some ask me for a stock tip or want my take on the latest fad in the market. Others, assuming they’re interested, like to talk about Warren Buffett.  —Sponsored Link— Silicon Valley Exec: 3 Ways To Get Rich On Self-Driving Cars  Most investors don’t realize how quickly self-driving cars are advancing. In fact, by the end of 2017, fully self-driving cars could reach the mass market. This is the hottest trend in technology right now. And if you act quickly, you could make a fortune. I’ve used my decades of experience as a Silicon Valley executive to identify three key self-driving stocks that could make you a fortune this year. I’m always glad when people want to talk about Buffett — especially novice investors. It’s a sign of wisdom to be sure.  It’s easy to like Buffett. You may not like his politics, you may think the annual shareholder meeting has turned into a circus, but I tend to think anybody who… Read More

Comments by President Trump rocked the municipal bond market last Wednesday after the President said that Puerto Rico’s $74 billion in bonds would have to be “wiped out.” The comments sent the island’s general obligation bonds plunging to a record low of $0.30 on the dollar, a 35% drop from trading at $0.46 a day earlier. That’s in a market where muni bonds are thought to be some of the safest investments available and rarely trade more than a few cents higher or lower in a session. The comments hit one industry particularly hard, an industry that has already had… Read More

Comments by President Trump rocked the municipal bond market last Wednesday after the President said that Puerto Rico’s $74 billion in bonds would have to be “wiped out.” The comments sent the island’s general obligation bonds plunging to a record low of $0.30 on the dollar, a 35% drop from trading at $0.46 a day earlier. That’s in a market where muni bonds are thought to be some of the safest investments available and rarely trade more than a few cents higher or lower in a session. The comments hit one industry particularly hard, an industry that has already had to face weakening investor sentiment for more than a year. But it could also mark a low for the industry, a buying opportunity in a normally very safe portion of the market. Shares of these financial companies are trading as low as half their book value and could be ready for a long-awaited rebound. #-ad_banner-#​Municipal Insurers Weather The Storm Companies insuring municipal bonds against default fell immediately after the President’s comments, with shares falling the most since Hurricane Irma threatened Puerto Rico in early September. The President told Sean Hannity that, “[Puerto Rico] owes a lot of money to… Read More

The S&P 500 is having a great year. The leading index is up 13% in the first three quarters of 2017. At this rate it’s is on pace to finish with an 18% total return in 2017.   By almost every measure this is great news for investors. However, in one way it creates a dilemma. U.S. stocks looks expensive right now compared to historical averages and international counterparts.   The S&P 500’s P/E ratio of 25 is at the higher end of its long-term range. Take a look below.   Source: www.multpl.com/   This P/E ratio is also a… Read More

The S&P 500 is having a great year. The leading index is up 13% in the first three quarters of 2017. At this rate it’s is on pace to finish with an 18% total return in 2017.   By almost every measure this is great news for investors. However, in one way it creates a dilemma. U.S. stocks looks expensive right now compared to historical averages and international counterparts.   The S&P 500’s P/E ratio of 25 is at the higher end of its long-term range. Take a look below.   Source: www.multpl.com/   This P/E ratio is also a sharp premium to its international counterparts. For example, the iShares MSCI Emerging Markets (NYSE: EEM), which broadly tracks emerging market equities, has a forward P/E ratio of 13. The Vanguard Total World Stock Index (NYSE: VT) has a forward P/E ratio of 17.5.   #-ad_banner-#This relatively high valuation is making a lot of investors nervous. Not only can it be intimidating for investors to buy stocks trading at an all-time high, but an overbought market makes it difficult to find value stocks.   According to historical data, this has important implications for potential returns. A recent study by Bank of… Read More