Danger: Sell These 4 ETF Disasters Now (and Buy These 5 Cash Machines Instead)

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Danger: Sell These 4 ETF Disasters Now (and Buy These 5 Cash Machines Instead)

I get lots of pushback when I post an article panning exchange-traded funds. ETF fanboys (and girls) base their love on two things: ETFs’ cheap management fees and convenience, because they let you jump into an entire sector in one click.

My response? Handle these so-called “set it and forget it” plays with a lot of caution—or risk a big dent in your savings.

Getting What You Pay For

Far too many ETFs (like the four I’ll reveal below) are cheap for a reason: lousy returns! Worse, some aren’t even cheap—like my “second-worst” pick below, which charges an outrageous 2.1% fee and has no one at the helm at all.… Read more

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This Proven Buy Signal Will Send REITs Soaring Up to 226%

This market wipeout has one big silver lining for income investors like you and me: dividend yields are soaring—and today we’re going to tap four of my favorite stocks for payouts all the way up to 8.9%.

First, though, to see just how incredible this buying opportunity is, look no further than the Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ), the benchmark ETF for real estate investment trusts (REITs).

If you logged into your investment account now and simply bought VNQ, you’d kick-start a nice 4.8% income stream. The ETF has only shelled out a payout that big on two other occasions—and only very briefly—in the last 10 years.… Read more

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The Best 9%+ Dividends for a Bearish 2019

Thanks to the December selloff, it’s relatively easy to find 9% yields. The stock market was a relentlessly receding tide in the fourth quarter, which is bad for “buy and hope” investors but quite helpful for income specialists like us.

Let’s look first at real estate investment trusts (REITs). Many now pay 9% – some good, some bad. The main index Vanguard Real Estate ETF (VNQ) has only paid this much (4.9%) twice before in the past ten years:

VNQ Is Rarely This Generous

By cherry picking the lot we can find 49 stocks paying 9% or more. But we should avoid names like Government Properties Income Trust (GOV), which frequently pops up on cute recession-proof dividend lists.… Read more

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5 REITs to Double Your Income in 2019

I’ve zeroed in on five real estate investment trusts (REITs) set to hand you three critical things in 2019:

  • High, safe payouts whose yields crush the typical S&P 500 dividend.
  • Booming dividend growth: These five have already boosted their payouts an amazing 38%, on average, in the last five years—and they’re just getting started!
  • Double-digit upside as an overlooked market shift kicks in, sending investors scrambling into these ironclad income plays.

Why am I so confident?

Because a long-running (and needless) worry that’s shackled REITs through 2018 has just been cast aside—but most folks are only starting to sense this big shift.… Read more

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3 Unloved High-Yielders That Will Rise With Rates (and pay up to 7% in cash!)

Once again, almost everyone has gotten sucked in by a tired investor slogan that’s dead wrong—and it’s costing them big gains (and income).

But that’s good news for contrarians like us, because we can bank some easy profits thanks to this all-too-predictable reflex.

That’s especially true now that the Federal Reserve has sent out a blaringly obvious signal that it’s stuck to its rate-hike track, calling the economy “strong” after its latest meeting last week.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before I go further, the shopworn myth I’m talking about is that REITs nosedive when interest rates rise.

Many folks just can’t be talked out of it, despite all evidence to the contrary, including the fact that REITs skyrocketed during the last sustained rising-rate cycle, in 2004–06.…
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One Click for the 500 Best High Yield Investments

Looking for high yield investments, packed in a convenient fund wrapper? You’d better look beyond these three popular names.

I’m going to show you how to “cherry pick” their best holdings today. We’ll even discuss some better “clicks to make” so that you can sell these dumb money funds if you hold them, and buy some better value (and higher yields!) instead.

What’s the price of popularity? Well, investors have sunk about $43 billion into three of the ETF world’s biggest, most prominent names. And they have less to show for it than several better-managed but under-the-radar funds.

In fact, given that these aforementioned “dumb funds” are among the biggest players in their three respective asset classes, it’s very likely that you own one if not more of these first-in-name but second-class ETFs.…
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REIT Moguls Are Buying These 5%+ Yields for 50%+ Annualized Gains

Andrew, Arthur and Paul knew their REIT stock was too cheap. So, last August 21, the trio slapped down three independent bets on their firm’s stock using their own money. Their reward? Quick 26% returns:

REIT Moguls Know Best, for Quick 26% Gains

Did they time the entire sector bottoming? No – Vanguard’s Real Estate ETF (VNQ) dropped 5% over the same time period. But that was just noise, because these boys knew their own business. They cherry picked the bargain.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that a chief financial officer (CFO) and his cronies would nail this trade. After all, finding deals with real estate investment trusts (REIT) is a straightforward 2-step process:

  1. Find a high relative yield, and
  2. Buy it if “first-level worries” will soon prove fleeting.

…
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7 REITs (Paying Up to 8%) With Big Dividend Raises Coming

“First-level” investors – those who buy and sell on headlines – mistakenly believe that real estate investment trust (REIT) profits will suffer if rates continue to rise. They’re wrong. This is actually an ideal time to buy the strongest names in the sector.

Note that I said strongest. The sector’s popular proxy is something you should avoid, despite its popularity. I’ll call it out in a moment.

Overall, rising rates are actually good for the best REITs because it signals a rolling economy. These landlords have no problem raising their rents when their tenants are making money.

Unfortunately, the business world is increasingly becoming a neighborhood of “haves” and “have nots.” And some REITs are not doing well, despite the broader tailwinds.…
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Hot Buy (& Sell) Signals for 5 REITs Paying Up to 8.6%

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) are as cheap as they’ve been since the financial crisis right now. The sector as a whole has been battered for more than half a year, driving yields on the Vanguard REIT ETF (VNQ) to their highest point since the 2009:

The REIT ETF VNQ Pays Nearly 5% Today…

If you bought REITs then, you doubled your money in less than four years:

… A Bullish Sign for Those Who Like 100%+ Gains!

And while this may be a fine time to buy VNQ, there are even better deals to be had amongst the “niche” landlords – both in, and outside, of the benchmark REIT index.…
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These 6% Dividends Are Flashing “Buy”

I had to laugh when I saw this Barron’s headline last week:

“REITs Are Sending a Powerful Buy Signal”

My response? Of course they are! They have been for a while now!

If you’ve been following my articles on Contrarian Outlook, you know I’m a big fan of real estate investment trusts, with their outsized dividends (and dividend growth) and upside potential.

And now the press is finally paying attention.

It is satisfying when the pundits finally catch up to us. But the bad news is that it also means our shot at the biggest gains (and dividends) is likely on borrowed time as the headline-driven herd piles in.…
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