George W. Bush must be laughing. After much sound and fury, a Democratic-controlled Congress voted to extend the Bush-era tax breaks to all Americans, including those in the top income brackets. The tax cuts, first enacted under former President Bush in 2001, were set to expire at midnight on Dec. 31, but will be extended through the end of 2012. Read More

It looks like we're going to enjoy the lower dividend tax rates for another two years. As I predicted last month, the 15% tax cap on qualified dividends and long-term capital gains, set to expire on December 31, likely will be extended. Read More

Before you sign up for a DRIP plan, you need to consider a few things because while they offer some advantages, they're not always an income investors best choice. But I've found two that are great picks if you're looking to add DRIPs to your portfolio. Read More

As you know, the Republicans took the House of Representatives and reduced the Democratic majority in the Senate. But what that means for your dividend taxes is still unclear at this point. Read More

The dollar is down more than -10% against a basket of major currencies since early June, on expectations of more quantitative easing, which effectively dilutes its value. But commodities, typically an inflation hedge, are soaring. The Commodity Research Bureau Price Index (CRB), a global benchmark for commodity prices, is up over +10% over the same period. There is a relatively unknown asset class that combines high yield, favorable tax treatment, and low risk exposure to energy prices. Read More

I wonder if you're as confused as I was about two contradictory trends -- investors keep bidding up the price of bonds, but they're also buying gold. Usually, gold is seen as an inflation hedge since it holds intrinsic value. But inflation erodes the value of fixed income assets like bonds, so the two should move inversely. Such is not the case. Read More

Equity REITs -- which own shopping malls, hotels, offices, retirement homes, and the like -- have returned +24% this year. In contrast, the benchmark S&P 500 has eked out total returns of less than +4%, even after this month's strong rally. REITs in general have out-performed, but apartment REITs have outshined their peers with gains of nearly +30% this year through the end of August. The reason? They have been the prime beneficiaries of a soft economy, as occupancy rates have soared while people avoid buying their own homes. Read More

In this mid-month update, Carla features a 9.6% yielder with predictable earnings and a 7.2% yielding tax-free fund. Read More

Part of the Restoring American Financial Stability Act (more popularly known as the Financial Reform Act) dramatically impacts us income investors. It completely alters the income universe by affecting one of the most popular high yield investments: trust preferreds, also called Trust Unit Preferred Shares or TruPS. Read More

In this mid-month update, Carla features two funds yielding over 10%. One is full of investment-grade mortgage securities. The other gives exposure to MLPs without the tax hassle. Read More