Weekly Market Summary: Lower Rates Highlight Value of Dividends

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Weekly Market Summary: Lower Rates Highlight Value of Dividends

A three-day holiday may be just what the U.S. stock market needs. Investors turned more defensive in the last week of trading before Summer kicks off on Monday with the Memorial Day holiday.

Traders bought bonds this week, pushing rates lower, while selling stocks. The trade war between China and the U.S. heated up again and investors were spooked by reports of slower growth in Europe. UK Prime Minister Theresa May also said on Friday that she will step down in June, after failing to execute a Brexit strategy in the past three years.

Elsewhere, crude oil posted its worst one-day performance for 2019 on Thursday, though remains 25% higher year-to-date.… Read more

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5 Cash Cow Stocks Yielding Up to 10.8%

Sometimes investors forget that dividends are funded by actual cash flows.

Consider General Electric (GE), whose outsized yield tempted investors to mistakenly buy shares in this “blue chip” as disaster was unfolding. The stock losses started well before the actual dividend cut and continued on from there:

(Accounting) Imagination at Work

This focus on yield rather than cash happens too often. It’s what prompted me to warn readers about the sky-high yield of Frontier Communications (FTR) a year ahead of its 2017 cut:

A Broken Telecom (and Broken Dividend)

The “not enough cash” problem also prompted me to sound the alarm on L Brands (LB) several times ahead of its 50% dividend cut in late 2018.… Read more

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4 Snubbed Dividends Up to 8% Ranked Worst to First

At some point, someone probably gave you the following investment “advice”—or some version of it:

“All you need to do to make money in stocks is buy a company with a big-name brand, sit back and let the gains roll in.”

Sounds logical, right? After all, a household name is critical if companies want to keep their millions of fanboys (and girls) hooked.

Well, not anymore. Here’s the proof.

Big Brands: Falling Left and Right

Just look at the worst performers last year: this rogue’s gallery was stuffed with companies boasting so-called “unbeatable” brand names.

Like General Electric (GE), whose banner ranks No.… Read more

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5 Retail Dividends with an Amazon-Proof Story Paying Up to 10.4%

“Brett, I bought something for the girls. From Carter’s. Let me know when you get it.”

My mom thinks that postal delivery is a 50-50 proposition. She hedges her downside by purchasing 4X as many clothes as my young daughters actually need!

“Mom – thanks. Will do. And, you know, they’re probably good on dresses for now. They’ll be up another size in a few months.”

“Oh don’t you worry about that. I’ve got plenty of coupons,” she countered.

My folks live 2,562 miles from their granddaughters. And while long-distance grandparenting can be a challenge, the (increasingly online) experience provided by Carter’s (CRI) satisfies two of my mom’s favorite pastimes:

  1. Spoiling grandkids, and
  2. Shopping.

… Read more

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5 Retail Dividends with an Amazon-Proof Story Paying Up to 10.4%

“Brett, I bought something for the girls. From Carter’s. Let me know when you get it.”

My mom thinks that postal delivery is a 50-50 proposition. She hedges her downside by purchasing 4X as many clothes as my young daughters actually need!

“Mom – thanks. Will do. And, you know, they’re probably good on dresses for now. They’ll be up another size in a few months.”

“Oh don’t you worry about that. I’ve got plenty of coupons,” she countered.

My folks live 2,562 miles from their granddaughters. And while long-distance grandparenting can be a challenge, the (increasingly online) experience provided by Carter’s (CRI) satisfies two of my mom’s favorite pastimes:

  1. Spoiling grandkids, and
  2. Shopping.

… Read more

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Warning: These 3 Dividend Darlings Could Ruin Your Retirement

It’s a pitfall that can slash your income and your nest egg overnight—and this hidden trap is particularly dangerous to your financial health right now.

I’m talking about a snap dividend cut, something poor folks still sitting on General Electric (GE) shares learned again last week, when the stock tanked 9% in a single day after GE slashed its quarterly payout 92%—to a token penny.

The sad part is, anyone could have seen this massacre coming for miles.

All you had to do was look at GE’s cash flow, which kept staggering after the company sideswiped investors with a 50% dividend cut a year ago.… Read more

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2 Perfect Retirement Stocks Paying up to 8% (and 2 losers circling the drain)

It’s the No. 1 fear that keeps retirees (and near-retirees) pacing the halls at night: that their nest egg will expire before they will!

It’s easy to see why.

After all, many of these folks will need to fund a retirement that’s much longer than their parents’ was: according to the Brookings Institution, nearly one in four men who were 65 in 2015 will live to 90. Women have better odds: over one in three.

That adds up to 25 years (or more!) out of the workforce.

And today’s retirees are clocking out as old retirement-income “go-tos” scrape bottom: the average S&P 500 stock pays out just 1.7% today, near 7-year lows.… Read more

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2 Tips (and 4 Sells) to Protect You From the Next Dividend Big Dividend Cut

It’s something I hear from readers all the time: “Brett, the 7%+ dividends you recommend in the Contrarian Income Report service are well and good, but are dividends that high really safe to invest in? I’m worried about a dividend cut.”

The answer?

They are absolutely safe—so go ahead and enjoy the outsized cash payouts delivered by our Contrarian Income Report selections, which I’ve carefully chosen and safety-checked to let you retire on a $500k nest egg (and maybe even less).

And for stocks outside of our portfolio, you just need to take a few quick steps to stay off the rocks.…
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These 3 Blue Chips Will Cost You $643,915 by 2038

Blue chip stocks are among the worst retirement investments you can make.

There are several blue-chip stocks that will actually cost you thousands of dollars each year. We’ll discuss three in a moment.

Sure, the financial media might lionize these stocks. But blue chips are simply big companies. When the term first came into being, it was simply an homage to the blue poker chip – at the time, the most valuable chip on the table. Before purples, oranges and grays began to grace the baize.

However, now the term comes with a boat load of perks – the simple assignment of the term “blue chip” is practically a buy recommendation.…
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Rich Yields Get Richer: The Tax Plan Favors These 8% Dividends

Q: Are REITs (real estate investment trusts) going to be hurt by the new tax reform?

Not at all. In fact, the new tax plan actually favors these generous dividend payers.

Let me explain why – and then point you towards the best REITs to buy for 2018.

A Smaller Tax Bill on REIT Dividends

The IRS already allows REITs to avoid paying income taxes if they pay out most of their earnings to shareholders. As a result these firms tend to collect rent checks, pay their bills and send most of the rest of the cash to us as dividends.…
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