Las Vegas is one of the all-time great boom towns in U.S. history. Nothing more than a forgotten Dust Bowl in the 1940s, Vegas grew into one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world by the late ’50s and early ’60s. Tourists, vacationers, celebrities and gamblers from across the world flocked to Vegas, producing an economic boom that continues to produce huge gains for investors. But now, 50 years later, that same incredible growth story is repeating itself in another part of the world. In fact, this… Read More

Las Vegas is one of the all-time great boom towns in U.S. history. Nothing more than a forgotten Dust Bowl in the 1940s, Vegas grew into one of the hottest tourist destinations in the world by the late ’50s and early ’60s. Tourists, vacationers, celebrities and gamblers from across the world flocked to Vegas, producing an economic boom that continues to produce huge gains for investors. But now, 50 years later, that same incredible growth story is repeating itself in another part of the world. In fact, this Far East gambling destination is growing so fast that its annual revenue last year was more than six times that of Vegas. I’m talking about Macau, the undisputed leader in the global entertainment and gambling industry.#-ad_banner-# Along with Hong Kong, Macau is one of two special administrative regions of China. Under the principle of “one country, two systems,” Macau enjoys a high degree of autonomy, governed by its own legal system, police force, monetary system and immigration policy. Read More

He is the richest person in history. Warren Buffett? At his peak, Buffett’s wealth is less than one-fifth this man’s fortune. Bill Gates doesn’t even come close. Neither does Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton or telecom magnate… Read More

We have all experienced the guy at the party who is always talking about his stock-picking skills. He will brag to anyone who will listen how he bought one stock or another near the lows, making a killing. I call this type of investor a “hot-stock chaser.” Hot-stock chasers are always looking for the next big thing in the market. They jump aboard whatever is moving or whatever is supposed to be the next… Read More

We have all experienced the guy at the party who is always talking about his stock-picking skills. He will brag to anyone who will listen how he bought one stock or another near the lows, making a killing. I call this type of investor a “hot-stock chaser.” Hot-stock chasers are always looking for the next big thing in the market. They jump aboard whatever is moving or whatever is supposed to be the next big thing. Jim Cramer is their hero, and their TV is always tuned to CNBC for the next sizzling tip. Jumping from stock to stock in a manic effort not to miss the stock of the day, week or month, hot-stock chasers are never satisfied.#-ad_banner-# When you first meet a hot-stock chaser, all you will hear about are his winning investments. Dig a little deeper, and you may discover that the hot-stock chaser also has a long history of money-losing investments. This is due to the tendency of the professional… Read More

If “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley had been an investment fanatic, she might’ve liked the idea of the business development company, or BDC: Fashion a company out of parts of other companies, then set the creation loose by taking it public. Of course, society doesn’t shun BDCs as it did Victor Frankenstein’s monster, nor has Mel Brooks made a comedic movie about the investment (though that would be cool). In fact, BDCs can be gentle giants.#-ad_banner-# But before you invest in one, it’s best to understand a few key… Read More

If “Frankenstein” author Mary Shelley had been an investment fanatic, she might’ve liked the idea of the business development company, or BDC: Fashion a company out of parts of other companies, then set the creation loose by taking it public. Of course, society doesn’t shun BDCs as it did Victor Frankenstein’s monster, nor has Mel Brooks made a comedic movie about the investment (though that would be cool). In fact, BDCs can be gentle giants.#-ad_banner-# But before you invest in one, it’s best to understand a few key terms, lest you wake one night to a financial monster staring back at you. What’s A BDC? First things first: What is a BDC? It’s basically a private equity or venture capital firm that goes public. It uses the proceeds of the public offering to invest (typically) in small or midsize private companies — but it can’t invest in just any company. The goal is to invest in new companies and provide… Read More

These are truly days of wine and roses for stock market investors.#-ad_banner-# After being knocked down in the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and again during the financial crisis of 2008, long-term investors are being rewarded for their persistence and dedication as stocks surge higher, breaking record after record. In fact, this bull market turned 4 years old in March and is showing no signs of letting up. Historically, the average bull market… Read More

These are truly days of wine and roses for stock market investors.#-ad_banner-# After being knocked down in the dot-com bubble of the late 1990s and again during the financial crisis of 2008, long-term investors are being rewarded for their persistence and dedication as stocks surge higher, breaking record after record. In fact, this bull market turned 4 years old in March and is showing no signs of letting up. Historically, the average bull market has lasted 4 1/2 years. In and of itself, this means little; for instance, the 1990s bull market lasted nearly seven years without a major correction. But according to my research, there are three distinct signs that make me think this bull market may be ending soon. Here’s what you need to know. 1. Irrational Exuberance This term is best known for its use by former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan during… Read More

For the first time since 2004, shares of one of the world’s largest gold and copper mining companies were recently selling below $20. But since the end of April, the stock has appeared to carve out a bottom and is in an uptrend, shooting up 7% in the past week alone. Looking at the technical picture, the situation appears ripe for a sustained turnaround. I think this stock still has an… Read More

For the first time since 2004, shares of one of the world’s largest gold and copper mining companies were recently selling below $20. But since the end of April, the stock has appeared to carve out a bottom and is in an uptrend, shooting up 7% in the past week alone. Looking at the technical picture, the situation appears ripe for a sustained turnaround. I think this stock still has an upside potential of more than 100% from today’s prices. Since 2012, the company has increased its dividend 33% to a yield of 4%, helping tide over investors while they wait. I’m talking about Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE: ABX). But first, let’s take a look at the reasons behind the recent price drop. To begin with, the price of gold has taken a nosedive since November: A mining company like Barrick makes its… Read More

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently released its 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey, and it looks like a lot of baby boomers are going to flunk “Retirement Planning 101.” In a nutshell, the survey concluded: — Americans are living longer. — Americans don’t have nearly enough saved for retirement. — Americans are realizing they will have to work longer, and many will never retire. First, let’s take a look at how confident workers are about whether they… Read More

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently released its 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey, and it looks like a lot of baby boomers are going to flunk “Retirement Planning 101.” In a nutshell, the survey concluded: — Americans are living longer. — Americans don’t have nearly enough saved for retirement. — Americans are realizing they will have to work longer, and many will never retire. First, let’s take a look at how confident workers are about whether they have enough money for retirement: What about those who have already retired? Their confidence also appears shaky… While in 2007, 41% were “Very Confident,” the number in that category has dropped to just 18%. For some additional clarity on the changes, we made a table comparing 2002 and 2013 levels of confidence and included our corresponding grades for each level: Although it’s safe to assume those who gave themselves A’s or B’s think they will be OK, their numbers have dropped significantly. Meanwhile, there seems… Read More

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently released its 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey, and it looks like a lot of baby boomers are going to flunk “Retirement Planning 101.” In a nutshell, the survey concluded: — Americans are living longer. — Americans don’t have nearly enough saved for retirement. — Americans are realizing they will have to work longer, and many will never retire. First, let’s take a look at how confident workers are about whether they have enough money for retirement: [chart 1] What about those who have already retired? Their confidence also appears shaky…… Read More

The Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) recently released its 2013 Retirement Confidence Survey, and it looks like a lot of baby boomers are going to flunk “Retirement Planning 101.” In a nutshell, the survey concluded: — Americans are living longer. — Americans don’t have nearly enough saved for retirement. — Americans are realizing they will have to work longer, and many will never retire. First, let’s take a look at how confident workers are about whether they have enough money for retirement: [chart 1] What about those who have already retired? Their confidence also appears shaky… [chart 2] While in 2007, 41% were “Very Confident,” the number in that category has dropped to just 18%. For some additional clarity on the changes, we made a table comparing 2002 and 2013 levels of confidence and included our corresponding grades for each level: [table] Although it’s safe to assume those who gave themselves A’s or B’s think they will be OK, their numbers have dropped significantly. Meanwhile, there seems to be a growing gap between public-sector and private-sector employees. The percentage of U.S. workers with defined-benefit retirement plans is down to 3% as of 2011. That means that… Read More