It wasn’t just bad, it was a bloodbath. The just-ended year not only gave us the back half of one of the worst economic downturns in the past century, it also marked the long-anticipated end to a storied chapter in American history as General Motors and Chrysler… Read More

This Los Angeles-based company sells weight-management shakes, snacks, and nutritional supplements, but its diet aids reach well beyond Hollywood’s slimmest stars. One obvious target audience is the whopping 66.7% of Americans who are overweight. And as people in the United… Read More

When 2008 ended with a -37.0% loss in the S&P 500, investors didn’t have a lot of good news to share. But 2009, happily, proved to be a comeback year, with the benchmark index… Read More

One year ago, we were laughed at. You see, in December of last year the research staff for Market Advisor — one of StreetAuthority’s most popular investment advisories — released our “11 Surprising Investment Predictions for 2009.” We predicted big moves in nanotechnology… that… Read More

Amy, what do you see as promising areas for income investors in 2010? Despite this rally, I’m happy to say there are still plenty of chances to lock in strong — and frequent — dividends. One area I like is master limited partnerships (will lead to above-average… Read More

A handy fellow can still pick his own car parts at the local salvage yard. Meanwhile, the rest of us pay a markup for parts and service because we have neither the inclination nor the time to hunt down that gently used bumper, paint it and rig… Read More

Falling rents, asset values and transaction volumes during 2009 have been tough on the real-estate sector and on real-estate investment trusts (will continue to, Fitch still has a negative outlook on the domestic REIT sector for 2010. Happily, things are better in Canada. While… Read More

The key to boosting income lies in a security most investors might not be familiar with. Nevertheless, more than 1,250 of these securities trade on U.S. exchanges. They invest in every almost every possible sector and niche of the market (from stocks and bonds to… Read More

Here I sit, bundled up in a turtleneck shirt and bulky sweater. The trees outside my window have lost their leaves and my lawn has turned a brownish green. As I look out at this stark scene, my mind wanders to the warm sunny beaches of Bermuda, about 1,100 miles… Read More

One of America’s premier technology companies has a problem: Too much cash. You see, because of GAAP rules, it has to conservatively account for sales by spreading it over two years. But it gets the cash upfront. So its reported… Read More