Why Fund Fees Will Plunge in ’24 (and the High-Yielders That’ll Win Big)

The Contrary Investing Report

Investing and Trading News, with a Contrarian, Sarcastic Twist!

Why Fund Fees Will Plunge in ’24 (and the High-Yielders That’ll Win Big)

ETFs, mutual funds—and, yes, high-yielding closed-end funds (CEFs)—all have one surprising new year’s resolution this year: cutting their management fees.

But unlike my resolution to stop eating donuts and work out three times a week, this is a resolution that managers of these funds will likely keep—setting their funds up for higher returns as a result.

Why? Because their feet are being held to the fire.

Activists Push for Big Fee Cuts

Truth is, there’s a quiet shift happening in the world of fund management, with more people clamoring for lower fees on all kinds of funds, including CEFs like those we recommend in my CEF Insider service, whose portfolio yields 9.0% today.… Read more

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Dogs of the Dow 2024: Cheap Dividends, But Are They Values?

The 2024 Dogs of the Dow are particularly homely hounds—which means we’re talking big dividends.

This year’s Dogs yield more than three-times the broader market’s paltry payout. So, should we hold our noses and buy? Let’s grab some peanut butter treats and investigate. But first, a review of the “Dogs” strategy.

The “Dogs of the Dow” strategy means buying the Dow Jones Industrial Average’s laggards. It’s a simple three-step strategy that often outperforms in the year ahead:

  • Step 1: After the final trading day of the year, identify the 10 highest-yielding stocks in the Dow.
  • Step 2: Buy all 10 stocks in equal amounts and hold them for a year.

… Read more

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My #1 Prediction for 2024 (and Our CEF Dividend Strategy to Profit)

Today I want to go over what the economic data is telling us about the future of the financial markets in 2024.

Truth is, we are likely inching toward a recession, which means it’s time to be a bit more cautious. But at this point I only see us “backing into” a recession—and likely not till 2025, 2026 or maybe even later.

The upshot here is that when a recession does hit, we’ll want to make sure we have a steady income stream so we can keep on collecting our high payouts right through to the other side. As part of this strategy, we’re going to “lock in” the 8%+ yields (often paid monthly) available on some of our favorite closed-end funds (CEFs) while they’re still cheap.… Read more

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My #1 Prediction for 2024 (and Our CEF Dividend Strategy to Profit)

Today I want to go over what the economic data is telling us about the future of the financial markets in 2024.

Truth is, we are likely inching toward a recession, which means it’s time to be a bit more cautious. But at this point I only see us “backing into” a recession—and likely not till 2025, 2026 or maybe even later.

The upshot here is that when a recession does hit, we’ll want to make sure we have a steady income stream so we can keep on collecting our high payouts right through to the other side. As part of this strategy, we’re going to “lock in” the 8%+ yields (often paid monthly) available on some of our favorite closed-end funds (CEFs) while they’re still cheap.… Read more

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Sell Now! 20 Dicey Dividends for 2024

I don’t want to be the messenger of bearish news to kick off the new year. But, as a card-carrying contrarian, I can’t help it either.

We should sell our dicey dividends now. While the market is high.

The best time to buy was October, when vanilla investors were fearful. We discussed “backing up the truck” to buy anything and everything week after week after week.

CNN’s Fear and Greed Index (FGI) had bottomed out at 16 out of 100, an Extreme Fear reading only seen during stock market panics:

1 Rally and 3 Months Ago: Extreme Fear

Meanwhile the bastion of basic financial thinking, MarketWatch.com,… Read more

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Sell Now! 20 Dicey Dividends for 2024

I don’t want to be the messenger of bearish news to kick off the new year. But, as a card-carrying contrarian, I can’t help it either.

We should sell our dicey dividends now. While the market is high.

The best time to buy was October, when vanilla investors were fearful. We discussed “backing up the truck” to buy anything and everything week after week after week.

CNN’s Fear and Greed Index (FGI) had bottomed out at 16 out of 100, an Extreme Fear reading only seen during stock market panics:

1 Rally and 3 Months Ago: Extreme Fear

Meanwhile the bastion of basic financial thinking, MarketWatch.com,… Read more

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New Year, New Portfolio: Start With These 2 “Dividend Deals”

Let’s kick off 2024 with great news: despite the Santa Claus rally, there are still some sweet dividend deals on the board—many hiding in plain sight.

In a second, we’ll name names and dive into my 2024 outlook, including my forecast for a 2024 recession and exactly what we’re going to be looking for in dividend payers (and growers) this year.

First, let’s tee up 2024 by reviewing the game tape from the last quarter of ’23.

Buying Fear Drove Fast Double-Digit Gains in Late ’23

Readers of my Contrarian Income Report service will recognize the Gabelli Dividend & Income Trust (GDV), one of the picks we grabbed when panic was running high in October.… Read more

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My First Call of 2024: Grab This 9.8% Payer While It’s Still Cheap

Think back one year for a moment. You’ll surely recall that back in early ’23, the media was in high dudgeon, warning about an oncoming recession.

It never happened, of course, as we gleaned by simply following the data at my CEF Insider high-yielding investing service. But the “hangover” from that missed prediction is still—still!—creating opportunities for us to pick up high-yielding closed-end funds (CEFs) at bargain prices.

Here’s how: now that we’re 12 months out from those incorrect doomsday predictions, many media outlets are backtracking. Consider this recent quote from Bloomberg Opinion columnist Nir Kaissar:

“This time last year, a lot of people were convinced the US would slide into recession in 2023.… Read more

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These Mega-Dividends Shell Out Up To 19% … But Are They Safe?

As we return Mariah Carey to the ocean depths for another year, we turn our attention to our next seasonal siren—double-digit dividend stocks.

They are, after all, the perfect way to retire on dividends, right? Put $500,000 in a portfolio of 10% payers and we’re looking at $50,000 in annual dividend income. Plus we get to keep our principal.

Right?

Not always. Most double-digit divvies are “cheap for a reason.” These are dogs dressed up as dividend payers. But the payouts are often in danger. Which means price stability is equally dicey. Which is why we often say no thanks to these mega-headline yields.… Read more

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This Old-Timey Stock Ploy Is Dead (Try This “1-Click” Dividend Plan Instead)

If you’ve been investing long enough, you’ve no doubt run across the 60/40 portfolio. Maybe you’ve used this approach yourself. Or maybe your financial advisor told you about it (it’s an advisor favorite!).

As the name suggests, the 60/40 portfolio is simply a portfolio that seeks to automatically balance risk by holding 60% in stocks and 40% in bonds.

It sounds sensible enough, but history shows that people who invest by this rule have been leaving a lot of money on the table for a long time:

60/40 Portfolio Pays Too High a Price for Low Volatility

One quick glance at US stocks, seen here in purple through the Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI), and bonds, in orange through the Vanguard Total Bond Market ETF (BND), shows a problem.… Read more

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