This 3-Click “Tax-Privileged” Portfolio Yields 10.9%

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This 3-Click “Tax-Privileged” Portfolio Yields 10.9%

We’re in the deepest recession since World War II, yet the yield on the S&P 500 is at a 10-year low. Buy it today for a lame 1.7% yield.

So, we have high stock prices and investor sentiment, a terrible economy—and no dividend yield to compensate us for the concerning level of risk. Why would any serious dividend investor be interested in this “deal?”

Fortunately, there are better bargains out there. Today we’ll talk about a less-chatted-about area of the market that pays more. Seven times more, to be specific, as we craft a dividend portfolio that yields 10.9% (yes, you read that right.)… Read more

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Must Read: These 5% Dividends Are Really 6.9% Payouts in Disguise

Have you read the latest? The media says municipal bonds, our favorite plays for safe, tax-free dividends, are facing a surge in defaults.

That, of course, sounds like terrible news for “munis,” which are issued by local governments to fund infrastructure. Munis’ government backing is a big reason why their default rates are microscopic: typically around 0.01%.

So are our rich, tax-free dividends really about to be stolen away by a wave of defaults? No way! In fact, now is a great time for us contrarians to move into these stout dividend plays.

And when you buy your munis through another income favorite of mine, closed-end funds (CEFs), you get something truly special: 5% yields that, due to their tax-free-nature, work out to much more: if you make, say, $150,000 a year, your “true” payout on a 5% muni-CEF is a sky-high 6.9%.… Read more

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How I Invest My 401(K)—and How to “Beat” It

Last week, I accomplished something that had been on my “to do” list for no less than three months.

I figured out how to log into my 401(K)!

You would think a simple “password reset” would not be that difficult, especially for a guy who has started a software company or three in his day. Well, I’m not embarrassed, just glad that my long personal investing nightmare is over.

What is it about 401(K) access? It’s a circus when we try to log into my wife’s retirement plan, too. (Any task that starts with “logging into her company’s VPN” is off to a rough start.)… Read more

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Warning: These 66 “Dead Money” Dividends Could Crush Your Profits

Be careful with conventional “wisdom”—especially when it comes to dividend investing. Some investors are so scared of a payout cut that they chase too-popular yields and watch their money grind sideways for years on end.

This safety trap is especially tempting in 2020, with dividend cuts happening left and right. We’ve had 639 publicly traded US companies reduce or eliminate their payouts in the second quarter alone, according to S&P Dow Jones Indices.

If you’ve been burned by a payout cut this year, the small consolation is you’re far from alone. Many folks were caught off guard when big names like Ford (F), Wells Fargo (WFC) and senior-care REIT Welltower (WELL) slashed or ceased their dividends.… Read more

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Dodge Dividend Cuts. Grab Huge 5.5%+ Payouts. Here’s How.

Maybe you’ve had to face one dividend cut in the crisis—maybe more than one. Maybe you’re like many folks, scanning the headlines daily to try to get a jump on the next cut before it slices your income steam.

I get it. It’s part of the anxiety we’re all feeling. And there is good reason to be wary: this pandemic has forced the biggest dividend “sacred cows” to slash payouts—names like Wells Fargo (WFC), Ford (F), Ventas (VTR) and Disney (DIS).

If you’d said any of these companies would cut their dividends back in January, you’d have been laughed out of the room!… Read more

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Are These High-Yield CEF Deals Too Good to Be True?

If your dividend portfolio is like that of most investors I know, you’re probably getting paid quarterly. That’s too slow, especially for dividend payments that are most likely too low.

Why not up that frequency to a monthly payout, and increase the total yield while we’re at it?

The secret to monthly payouts that add up to 9.1%, 9.4% and even 10.8% yields per year is a simple three-letter acronym: C-E-F.

For whatever reason, closed-end funds (CEFs) don’t have nearly the following that popular dividend-paying stocks boast. This “secret” is one of the last great efficiencies in an otherwise tough-to-beat market.… Read more

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This High-Yield REIT Could Be Amazon’s Next Landlord (yields 7.9%)

We’ve just been handed a unique opportunity to grab 7.9%+ dividends—and price upside, too.

Now it does involve some risk, and you’ll have to be quick to reap the biggest gains (and dividends). But there’s one unsung fund that can help you cancel out that risk—and grab a huge payout, too. More on that at the end of this article.

A Contrarian High-Yield REIT Strategy for Huge Cash Payouts

First up, the opportunity we’re going to dive into today revolves around real estate investment trusts (REITs) that invest in shopping malls and other retail properties.

If you’ve been reading columns written by me and my colleague Brett Owens, you know we’ve been critical of retail REITs, which were being decimated by Amazon.com… Read more

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The Safest Dividends for a 10% Pullback

It’s August, it’s hot, we’re all still quasi-captives…and the collective love for stocks is getting downright steamy.

Investors have not felt this passionate about equities since January. That was, ominously, the last time the “Dumb Money” confidence level marched down from ebullient levels. Here’s a look at the “Smart/Dumb Money Confidence” chart produced by our friend Jason Goepfert at SentimenTrader (who was kind to let us republish here):

The Dumb Money is named so for a reason—it’s made up of the investors who are always late to the party. They pile in at market tops and bail at bottoms, while their “Smart Money” counterparts (fundamental-focused managers) take their lunch money.… Read more

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How to Play the Presidential Election for 10.7% Dividends (and Upside)

What are we dividend investors to make of this presidential election? Are we supposed to buy now or wait to see what happens in November?

Before we get into that—and discuss a 10.7% dividend that’s very appealing pre–E-Day—there’s one thing we must do: set aside our personal politics and stay laser-focused on the investing angle here.

With that said, there are two things I see as likely no matter who wins this thing:

  • A post-election rally: According to Deutsche Bank global chief strategist Binky Chadha, stocks typically rally 5% from Election Day until the end of the year when an election is close, regardless of the result.

… Read more

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These 10 “Crisis-Proof” Funds Yield Up to 10% (with 17% upside)

After watching the S&P 500 crash, then levitate, over the past seven months, I’ve come to one conclusion: high-yield closed-end funds (CEFs) are disrespected now—and that makes them a great contrarian buy.

Sure, some CEFs are cheap for a reason (I’m looking at you, energy funds). But there are plenty of undervalued winners, too. And plenty of CEFs have crushed the market this year, including 10 that have returned more than 8%. This top-10 list, which I’ll show you below, includes CEFs that have doubled, tripled—and even quadrupled the S&P 500’s 4% return.

What’s more, these funds all have one thing in common that sets them up for even bigger gains: strong management, proving once again that who manages your money is just as important as what you invest in—especially if you’re looking to boost your portfolio’s income stream with the 7% (or higher) dividends the typical CEF throws off.… Read more

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