We Didn’t Start the Fire, Part 2: Now the Bombs Are Real (and So Are Our Dividends)

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We Didn’t Start the Fire, Part 2: Now the Bombs Are Real (and So Are Our Dividends)

Last month, we hit the contrarian karaoke bar together. No judgment. It was a good time!

If you’ve got a (ahem, no judgment) fuzzy memory, well, here’s how it went down. We sang some Billy Joel—good start, I know.

A little We Didn’t Start the Fire. We honored his point that the chaos never stops. That was the case in 1989 when the banger topped the Billboard charts. It remains true today.

Ha, we even belted a 2026 verse over our (virtual) beers!

Venezuela, Davos snow, Iran missiles here we go

Greenland borders, tariff fights, Powell keeping money tight

Wow.… Read more

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Why My AI Scouting Report for 5th Grade Basketball is Bullish for Bonds

I took a glance around the gym from my courtside seat on the baseline.

Yup, I was definitely the only person in attendance without a kid playing in the game. My face was the giveaway. I wasn’t emotionally invested. I was detached. Analytical. Calculating.

I was a scout.

That’s right, your investment strategist—who coached the previous game—waved farewell “for a few minutes” to his wife and kids in the parking lot to watch the “beginning” of the next contest.

Forty minutes later, I was excitedly texting my assistant coaches with my findings. No reply, however, because they were likely having dinner with their families like normal people.… Read more

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We Didn’t Start the Fire (But We’re Renting It Out for 12.1%)

“Wheel of Fortune”, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide

Foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz

Hypodermics on the shore, China’s under martial law

Rock and roller, cola wars, I can’t take it anymore

Billy Joel had had it with, well, everything geopolitical when he belted these lyrics to his latest number one hit in 1989. We Didn’t Start the Fire reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for two consecutive weeks, teaching listeners:

It was always burning since the world’s been turning.

And while Fall Out Boy gave us a worthy sequel “cover” of Joel’s hit in 2023 (encompassing Harry Potter to Brexit), the headlines have already lapped them.… Read more

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3 “Sleep-Well” Monthly Dividends Averaging 10%+

Last Friday’s jobs report confirmed what we contrarians have been discussing for months now—thanks to AI, employers no longer need to hire more employees to grow.

Bosses simply need to implement AI tools to grow their businesses. The machines are a managerial dream. Once trained they are, in many cases, better, faster and cheaper than people.

Robots always report for work. They will grind all the time. And they are never sick or hungover!

Two years ago, my current software company engaged about 15 contractors in various capacities. Today, thanks to AI, we have only two-and-a-half. Yet even with only one-sixth the “manpower,” sales are climbing, and the bottom line has never looked better!… Read more

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A 12.2% Monthly Dividend from the World’s Safest Asset

Let’s talk about a terrific 12.2% dividend that is paid monthly.

The source of this income? Safe US Treasuries and a methodical scraping of option premiums for additional yield.

We’ll talk about this monthly payer—including fund name and ticker—in a moment. First, let’s get caught up on the Treasury market.

You may have tuned out Treasuries as a potential investment when DOGE austerity efforts gave way to the Big Beautiful Bill. Uncle Sam, already a $36 trillion debtor, dug himself deeper into financial quicksand.

Who wants to lend to that guy? Certainly not bond investors, who demand higher compensation—higher percentage payouts—to offset the credit risk posed by Sam’s ugly balance sheet.… Read more

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