I recently spent a few days in Granville, Ohio. It’s a lovely village with a Main Street straight out of a Hallmark Channel movie. The locals are friendly, the sidewalks are clean, and dogs are everywhere. That’s what I expected to see. But what surprised me was what I saw fifteen miles west of there in New Albany. The pastures…
On July 4, President Trump signed into law a sweeping new tax package that locks in—and in some cases expands—many of the provisions from the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA). While the headlines have focused on the extension of lower tax rates, there’s a lot more buried in the fine print. And while some parts of the law…
In an era when political debates make middle school assemblies look like Mensa meetings, it’s no wonder investors are looking for something—anything—reliable. Enter the dividend. Dependable. Predictable. Comforting, even. Like a warm cup of decaf in a world that runs on espresso and outrage. But don’t let that siren song of a 12% yield lull you into financial narcolepsy. Sometimes,…
If nothing else, a large stockpile of excess cash tells us that a company literally generates more profit that it can spend, which isn’t exactly a bad sign. And regardless of which path the economy takes, they will be in a better position to respond. Should the financial markets suffer some type of shock, there’s nothing more buoyant than U.S…
For many retirees, the biggest financial challenge isn’t how to grow their nest egg—it’s how to avoid outliving it. That makes the retirement withdrawal strategy just as important as the accumulation phase. Unfortunately, far too many people enter retirement with a vague plan—or worse, no plan at all—about how they’ll draw down their savings. What’s needed is a thoughtful, flexible…
Research & development (R&D) is often referred to as the lifeblood of a company. And for good reason. Without enough ideas circulating through the system, even powerful market leaders can wither up and die. By contrast, forward-looking organizations with a culture of innovation typically find ways to elevate their products, engage customers, and generate market-beating returns for shareholders. I classify…
A handful of companies have prospered in both good times and bad, rewarding their shareholders at every turn. Of course, I’m talking about the Dividend Aristocrats. It takes 25 straight years of dividend hikes to join this elite club. This is an exclusive society. Out of 6,000 publicly listed stocks trading on major U.S. exchanges, just 69 qualify for membership.…
The following analysis doesn’t play favorites with donkeys or elephants, nor does it serve Kool-Aid of any ideological flavor. This is a market-minded survival guide for those trying to navigate today’s political-induced chaos, with their retirement savings intact. Here are five risk-reduction moves that keep you invested but also protect you from calamity. This post originally appeared at Investing Daily.
The stock market’s heightened volatility this year is a painful reminder of how quickly Wall Street can go from bullish to bearish. When that happens, taking withdrawals from your retirement account after its value has declined can put you at risk of running out of money. During times like these, having a reliable income source that is not dependent on…
In investing, we like to believe that logic rules. We run the numbers, study earnings reports, model cash flows, and read balance sheets. And over the long haul, those fundamentals do matter. But in the short term? The market isn’t always rational. It’s often driven by something far less tangible—perception. Markets don’t wait for the dust to settle or for…