Invest Like VCs and Earn 13.5% Yields … On Average!

Our Archive

Search completed

Invest Like VCs and Earn 13.5% Yields … On Average!

Buying a business development company (BDCs) is kinda, sorta like investing like a venture capitalist (VC).

Minus the arrogance. And the lack of yields!

I was 26 when I realized that VCs were just regular guys and gals. Well, let’s be honest—mostly guys. They didn’t necessarily know anything special. But VCs play the part, sitting in their Steelcase chairs and short sleeved polo shirts while it’s 60 degrees out here in Northern California.

BDCs, on the other hand, are investments for the people. Plus, they pay—up to 15% in dividends!

Here’s a quick primer. BDCs lend to small and midsized businesses that the big banks either won’t touch.… Read more

Read More

Invest Like the “Smart Money” (And Get Paid 12.4% To Do So)

This retirement portfolio pays 12.4%. Which means, on a million-dollar stake, these stocks dish $124,000 in dividend income alone.

That’s fantastic, needless to say! But are these stocks safe enough to actually retire on?

After all, we’re not looking to collect a 12.4% yield and lose it in price. Heck, we’re not interested in losing capital at all. We want the 12.4% with stocks that are at least steady.

Most common stocks would be in trouble if they paid 12.4%. But these are business development companies (BDCs), which yield so much because they have a special carve out from Uncle Sam.… Read more

Read More

Why Elizabeth and Brian Believe in Their Own 15.8% Dividend

Insiders may sell their shares for a variety of reasons. Usually, because they need the cash.

But execs who know “what’s up” with their company better than anyone only buy with one purpose in mind.

They believe their stock price is going higher. Or, if it’s a dividend stock, at least it is not going down anytime soon!

We’re going to highlight dividends up to 15.8% (yes, that’s no typo) with recent insider buying. This is especially notable these days because:

  • Vanilla investors are worried this is 2008, Part Deux.
  • Inflation is still running hot.
  • And stocks have been going down for 15 months and counting.

… Read more

Read More

Where to Find 10% Yields at 20%-30% Discounts

Get your dip-buying lists ready, because it’s almost time to pounce.

Just recently, I explained to investors that, as a contrarian, we only want to fully dive into the market when we have a clear edge—the kind of edge you get when Wall Street has fully capitulated:

“We only want to fully invest when the regular investor has thrown in the towel. And there are plenty of indicators that can tell us exactly when our time has come. Consider, for example, the closely watched CNN Fear/Greed Index, which sits at 26 as I write.”

That was just a week ago.… Read more

Read More

Dividends up to 10.7% in America’s Small Business Recovery

Business development companies (BDCs) are big dividend paying companies that tend to thrive as rates rise. Today, we’ll discuss three inflation-powered payouts up to 10.7%.

BDCs extend loans to small businesses and often their loans have a “floating rate” component included. So, the BDC tends to make more money as long-term rates rise.

A quick background on BDCs. Since traditional banks have backed off on lending over the years, BDCs have stepped in. They provided much-needed debt, equity and other financial solutions to small businesses.

Congress whipped up business development companies with a few pen strokes in 1980, creating a structure that’s incentivized to provide smaller companies with financing.… Read more

Read More

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

Read More

This 12.1% Payout is Trash (But This 6.3% Yield is Safe, With Upside)

Most income investors find their way to business development companies (BDCs) by screening or searching for big yields. And there’s no doubt these listed payouts do appear impressive! Here are the five largest BDCs (ranked by assets under management):

A first-level look at this table may have you wondering why anyone would buy MAIN when they could nearly double their dividend by choosing another ticker. Well, there’s a good reason that we’ll get to in a minute. First, let’s talk about what BDCs actually do so that we can understand what is driving these big dividends.

It all started in 1940, when Congress passed the Investment Company Act.… Read more

Read More

Categories