During the past half century, the financial media has tried to stay abreast of ever-changing investor interest. In the 1950s and 1960s, that meant a deep emphasis on value investing, as investors searched for stocks that looked like great bargains in relation to their… Read More

Although it has been more than a year since the United States lost its top-tier “AAA” credit rating from Standard & Poor’s, the significance of the event is still a bit hard to fathom.#-ad_banner-# Think about it — for so many decades, the… Read More

I just finished watching the first presidential debate, and like about 50 million other Americans, I’m left a little disappointed and wanting more details about the candidates’ plans. Each candidate talked a good game and promised to turn the struggling economy around,… Read More

In the final months of his life, Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) CEO Steve Jobs worked hard to ensure a vital future for his company. He prepared his management team to stand on its own, and they have exceeded almost everyone’s expectations. In fact, in… Read More

Whenever we have an extended market crash, it is a good idea to look for the survivors. These are the companies that have endured the brutal years of a bear market and are still… Read More

When it comes to investing, there is perhaps nothing more gratifying than unearthing a gem of a stock that turns out to deliver some very big gains. Companies like Amazon.com (Nasdaq: AMZN), Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) are marquee examples of large-cap stocks that continue delivering large gains;… Read More

Many of you know I like talking about “the next big thing.” Rather than waste my time weighing in on where Facebook (NYSE: FB), Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) or Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is headed next, I’d much rather spend it looking for “the next Facebook,” “the next Google,” or “the next… Read More

It’s one of the most overlooked aspects of income investing. In fact, I’m willing to bet that the majority of income investors don’t even consider it when they’re buying a dividend stock. #-ad_banner-#That’s a shame because what I’m about to tell… Read More

In the curious ways of Washington, the biggest action comes from inaction.#-ad_banner-# Politicians have spent years telling you that they will never raise taxes. What they don’t admit is that your taxes can rise anyway, simply by letting current tax laws expire. Read More

If you’re a commercial real estate enthusiast, then you know the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector has been hot. Even with a simple index fund like Vanguard’s REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), you could’ve made nearly 23% annually on the sector during the past three years, including fund expenses.#-ad_banner-# Many individual REITS have done even better. General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), a large rental property… Read More

If you’re a commercial real estate enthusiast, then you know the real estate investment trust (REIT) sector has been hot. Even with a simple index fund like Vanguard’s REIT Index ETF (NYSE: VNQ), you could’ve made nearly 23% annually on the sector during the past three years, including fund expenses.#-ad_banner-# Many individual REITS have done even better. General Growth Properties Inc. (NYSE: GGP), a large rental property and shopping center owner, for instance, has delivered an astounding three-year annualized return of 64%. Extra Space Storage Inc. (NYSE: EXR), the nation’s second-largest owner and operator of storage facilities, has returned 51% a year for the past three years. That’s wonderful, and it’s exactly the sort of performance we all hope for. But it also means you should be extra careful about generally sky-high REIT valuations. The MSCI U.S. REIT Index, a commonly used proxy for the entire U.S. commercial real estate industry and the benchmark… Read More