A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the palatial Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Built near the turn of the century to rival the grandest European manors, this stately five-story mansion is the nation’s largest private residence. Commissioned by George Vanderbilt during the Gilded Age, the Biltmore was an open display of opulence and wealth. At a time when many homes lacked basic electricity and indoor plumbing, this one featured an elevator, gymnasium, library, pipe organ, billiards room, heated swimming pool, bowling alley and walk-in refrigerator. The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina… Read More

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the palatial Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. Built near the turn of the century to rival the grandest European manors, this stately five-story mansion is the nation’s largest private residence. Commissioned by George Vanderbilt during the Gilded Age, the Biltmore was an open display of opulence and wealth. At a time when many homes lacked basic electricity and indoor plumbing, this one featured an elevator, gymnasium, library, pipe organ, billiards room, heated swimming pool, bowling alley and walk-in refrigerator. The Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina The impeccable grounds outside were equally impressive. The country chateau was located in the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains, surrounded by acres of lush flower gardens, vineyards and tree-lined pathways. Two generations earlier, George’s grandfather, Cornelius Vanderbilt, took control of the New York Central Railroad, the Michigan Southern Railway and several other lines, eventually building an empire worth $143 billion in today’s dollars — making him the second-richest man in history. That was a different era, of course. Railroads seem quaint these days next to driverless cars and other 21st century technologies. But don’t be fooled. They remain the cheapest way… Read More

“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” The above is a quote by Laurence J. Peter, the man who formulated the Peter Principle. For the uninitiated, the Peter Principle states that an employee is promoted based on their performance in their current position — not on their ability to do the new job. This means the employee will continue to receive promotions until they get a job they can’t do.  Once they reach this level, they have gone as far as they can… Read More

“Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it.” The above is a quote by Laurence J. Peter, the man who formulated the Peter Principle. For the uninitiated, the Peter Principle states that an employee is promoted based on their performance in their current position — not on their ability to do the new job. This means the employee will continue to receive promotions until they get a job they can’t do.  Once they reach this level, they have gone as far as they can in that organization. Peter called this level their “level of incompetence.” Unfortunately, once an employee reaches his level of incompetence, the organization begins to suffer. And by default, the customers of that organization are harmed by the incompetent person’s inability to do their job. What The Peter Principle Looks Like In Reality The Wall Street Journal has been taking comments in an online debate over the idea of investing the Social Security trust fund in stocks. The idea is that the Social Security trust fund has about $2.9 trillion in assets that, if invested in… Read More

Canada is a weird place. Having lived in Ottawa for several years, I have experienced first-hand both the differences and similarities between the United States and Canada. But while the popular food, styles, and music are very different from the United States, investment styles are very similar. Canadian stock market investors utilize similar investment criteria to locate winning stock picks. The crucial difference is in the philosophy of Canadian investors. Canadians tend to be much more conservative and risk averse than their American cousins. However, this observation is countered by the infamous Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE). Although it is now… Read More

Canada is a weird place. Having lived in Ottawa for several years, I have experienced first-hand both the differences and similarities between the United States and Canada. But while the popular food, styles, and music are very different from the United States, investment styles are very similar. Canadian stock market investors utilize similar investment criteria to locate winning stock picks. The crucial difference is in the philosophy of Canadian investors. Canadians tend to be much more conservative and risk averse than their American cousins. However, this observation is countered by the infamous Vancouver Stock Exchange (VSE). Although it is now defunct, the VSE was notorious for shaky companies, bad accounting, and investors getting wiped out! Talk about a weird juxtaposition. One of the riskiest stock exchanges on earth was found in the conservative, buttoned-down-investment nation of Canada. But now, one of the world’s most respected exchanges is domiciled in Canada. The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) is an ideal place to locate the best Canadian stocks. I particularly like the security of stocks traded on both the NYSE and TSX. To be clear, I am in no way saying that cross-exchange listings mitigate all risk in a stock. That said, knowing… Read More

The year was 2001, and the landscape was littered with internet companies gone bust. The list included such once-promising names as Pets.com, Webvan and eToys.com. That’s when a worried Marc Benioff, CEO of a two-year-old startup called Salesforce.com, sought the advice of Michael Dell, founder of the game-changing personal computer company bearing his name. The way Dell tells it today, “I knew then, as I know now, that economic shakeouts need not bode misfortune for technology companies. Not, at least, the innovative ones. Technology does not recognize economic recessions or depressions; it always continues.” To say that Dell had a… Read More

The year was 2001, and the landscape was littered with internet companies gone bust. The list included such once-promising names as Pets.com, Webvan and eToys.com. That’s when a worried Marc Benioff, CEO of a two-year-old startup called Salesforce.com, sought the advice of Michael Dell, founder of the game-changing personal computer company bearing his name. The way Dell tells it today, “I knew then, as I know now, that economic shakeouts need not bode misfortune for technology companies. Not, at least, the innovative ones. Technology does not recognize economic recessions or depressions; it always continues.” To say that Dell had a good point is an understatement. Truly innovative companies aren’t subject to the same forces that shape many of their contemporaries whose businesses are based on older, more established trends. —Recommended Link— Pick And Shovel Investing For The 21st Century ‘Gold Rush’ From Russian gas and Saudi oil to the isolated cobalt mines of Central Africa — the next decade will see the beginning of a global commodity “gold rush” unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Cash in before it’s too late… That’s just one of the game-changing insights in Marc Benioff’s book, Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How… Read More

Dividend investing is one of the most popular themes among investors — and rightfully so. Multiple studies have confirmed the market-busting returns of dividend stocks. Ned Davis Research found that over the four decades through 2014, dividend-paying stocks returned 7.6% on an annualized basis versus just 2.6% from stocks that paid no dividend. And that’s just the companies that kept their payouts consistent. Companies that regularly increased their dividend payouts returned 10.1% annually. #-ad_banner-#Not only do dividend stocks often outperform their non-dividend peers but they do it with less risk. Over the five years through 2015,… Read More

Dividend investing is one of the most popular themes among investors — and rightfully so. Multiple studies have confirmed the market-busting returns of dividend stocks. Ned Davis Research found that over the four decades through 2014, dividend-paying stocks returned 7.6% on an annualized basis versus just 2.6% from stocks that paid no dividend. And that’s just the companies that kept their payouts consistent. Companies that regularly increased their dividend payouts returned 10.1% annually. #-ad_banner-#Not only do dividend stocks often outperform their non-dividend peers but they do it with less risk. Over the five years through 2015, dividend stocks recorded a standard deviation (a measure of risk in returns) of just 10.0 versus 14.3 for non-dividend payers. But historically-low interest rates have forced investors out of bonds and into dividend stocks for yield. Valuations look stretched and the U.S. economy just recorded its slowest growth in three years. While there’s no reason to believe that dividend stocks won’t continue to outperform the market going forward, investors can’t ignore record-high valuations after eight years of surging stock prices. It does little good to grab a hefty 3% dividend if valuations collapse and prices fall 10% or more. But… Read More

If you’re like most investors, you have some kind of goal in mind. And while there are many specific goals and plans to reach them, at the end of the day, I’m willing to bet that the ultimate goal is long-term wealth. Specifically, you want to be a millionaire. If that’s your goal, then it simply can’t happen without dedicating a portion of your portfolio to aggressive growth stocks. Now don’t get me wrong. You should invest in stable, reliable assets like dividend-paying stocks, blue chips, index funds, and the like. In fact, most of your portfolio — let’s say… Read More

If you’re like most investors, you have some kind of goal in mind. And while there are many specific goals and plans to reach them, at the end of the day, I’m willing to bet that the ultimate goal is long-term wealth. Specifically, you want to be a millionaire. If that’s your goal, then it simply can’t happen without dedicating a portion of your portfolio to aggressive growth stocks. Now don’t get me wrong. You should invest in stable, reliable assets like dividend-paying stocks, blue chips, index funds, and the like. In fact, most of your portfolio — let’s say 80% — should go into these types of investments. But the other 20%? That’s different. Invest that other 20% of your money into big ideas that are changing the world. —Recommended Link— Leaked: Stock Indicator Predicts Market Crash This indicator avoided the 2008 market crash… and got you back into the market just four days after the bottom. To use it, click here. Why? Well, to put it simply, these are the companies that stand the best chance of dramatically increasing your profit potential. That special 20% is important. In fact, it’s the entire focus of y premium newsletter,… Read More