“I’m not sure what happened.” That’s what my good friend “Todd” told me when I bumped into him last week. He had taken up foreign currency day trading as a hobby a few months earlier, and I could tell by his sullen expression that… Read More
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June 2019 Update The tale of Barnes & Noble (NYSE: BKS) gave us a few unhappy plot twists but ultimately finished with a satisfying conclusion. After years of torment, stockholders were finally rewarded with a 50% upward jolt last… Read More
One of my kids recently stumbled across my brokerage statement and asked if the balance was enough for me to retire. I assured him it wasn’t. But it was a good learning opportunity, so I further explained that bank accounts, 401(K)s and other assets were… Read More
It’s not easy to explain my job to friends and relatives. Some think I’m a blogger or writer, others an accountant or financial adviser. I guess you could say that I’m all those things – and none of them. Truth be told, I spend… Read More
May 2019 Update Blue-chip mega-cap stocks may not always deliver sizzling gains, but at least they are stable and unlikely to deal your portfolio a big setback. Don’t tell that to 3M (NYSE: MMM) shareholders. The maker of scotch… Read More
You should have received this newsletter yesterday. But I spent some of the most productive workday hours last week staring at the walls during a power outage. It’s a helpless and frustrating feeling – but a great reminder that consumers and businesses can’t function… Read More
Ask the average investor to name their favorite dividend-paying stock, and you normally get responses such as AT&T (NYSE: T), Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) and Procter & Gamble (NYSE: PG). I won’t quibble with any of those names. These are time-tested businesses with above-average payouts that… Read More
April 2019 Update They say that the first quarter sets the tone for the entire year. Let’s hope that pattern stays true to form. Between January 1 and March 31, the benchmark S&P 500 rallied about 13%. That’s a… Read More
It’s time to mix things up. Have you ever looked at the portfolio composition of popular equity-income funds such as Vanguard Dividend Appreciation (NYSE: VIG)? The low-cost exchange-traded fund (ETF) was built to give investors access to a broad basket of 200 dividend-paying stocks. Read More
March 2019 Update Last month, the world’s most famous groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, predicted an early spring. It can’t come soon enough for many of us. While my hometown in Northwest Louisiana was spared the “Polar Vortex” that brought biting… Read More