Nathan Slaughter

Nathan Slaughter, Chief Investment Strategist of The Daily Paycheck and High-Yield Investing, has developed a long and successful track record over the years by finding profitable investments no matter where they hide. Nathan's previous experience includes a long tenure at AXA/Equitable Advisors, one of the world's largest financial planning firms. He also honed his research skills at Morgan Keegan, where he managed millions in portfolio assets and performed consultative retirement planning services. To reach more investors, Nathan switched gears in 2004 and began writing full-time. He has since published hundreds of articles for a variety of prominent online and print publications. Nathan has interviewed industry insiders like Paul Weisbruch and CEOs like Tom Evans of Bankrate.com, and has been quoted in the Los Angeles Times for his expertise on economic moats. Nathan's educational background includes NASD Series 6, 7, 63, & 65 certifications, as well as a degree in Finance/Investment Management from Sam M. Walton School of Business, where he received a full academic scholarship. When not following the market, Nathan enjoys watching his favorite baseball team, the Cubs, and camping and fishing with his family.

Analyst Articles

Some of you may remember back in June, I wrote about Hoegh LNG Partners (Nasdaq: HMLP), saying it was one of the rare 10%-yielders that was actually worth buying. I didn’t say that lightly. After all, as I frequently tell my High-Yield Investing subscribers, if a stock is yielding double digits, it’s for a reason.  After all, yields go up as prices go down. Logically, if a company were on truly healthy long-term footing, in most cases enough investors would be interested in buying shares to snatch up a healthy yield as the stock sold off on whatever short-term missteps… Read More

Some of you may remember back in June, I wrote about Hoegh LNG Partners (Nasdaq: HMLP), saying it was one of the rare 10%-yielders that was actually worth buying. I didn’t say that lightly. After all, as I frequently tell my High-Yield Investing subscribers, if a stock is yielding double digits, it’s for a reason.  After all, yields go up as prices go down. Logically, if a company were on truly healthy long-term footing, in most cases enough investors would be interested in buying shares to snatch up a healthy yield as the stock sold off on whatever short-term missteps occurred before things get too out of hand. So with this in mind, I thought it would be prudent to check in on HMLP to see where things stand today. HMLP Recap For those of you who missed my previous discussion on HMLP, let’s briefly go over the business model…  Hoegh owns floating storage and regasification units (FSRUs). Basically, these are ships anchored off the coast that have been mounted with regasification equipment. In the simplest terms, they turn liquefied natural gas (LNG) back into a usable product, which is then pumped via pipeline to the shore where it… Read More

Most self-storage renters intend their units to be a short-term solution. But more often than not, three months turns into six, and then six turns into twelve. Nationwide, the average lease term is approximately 15 months. #-ad_banner-#I’m getting close to that mark myself. When we put our home up for sale, the first move was to de-clutter. So, spare furniture, books, sporting goods and other seldom-used items were crammed into a nearby storage unit. A year later, there is still a “for sale” sign in the front yard – and I’m still writing a check to the storage company each… Read More

Most self-storage renters intend their units to be a short-term solution. But more often than not, three months turns into six, and then six turns into twelve. Nationwide, the average lease term is approximately 15 months. #-ad_banner-#I’m getting close to that mark myself. When we put our home up for sale, the first move was to de-clutter. So, spare furniture, books, sporting goods and other seldom-used items were crammed into a nearby storage unit. A year later, there is still a “for sale” sign in the front yard – and I’m still writing a check to the storage company each month. With 516 storage facilities containing 26 million square feet, CubeSmart (Nasdaq: CUBE) has tens of thousands of renters just like me. And all those rental checks add up. Net income last quarter jumped 28% to $49 million, although a good chunk of that increase came from gains on real estate sales. On an adjusted basis, funds from operation (FFO) climbed 7% to $81 million, or $0.42 per share. CubeSmart opened several new properties during the period, and it usually doesn’t take too long to find renters – occupancy rates continue to hover around 92%. And with monthly rental rates… Read More

As some of you may know, I’ve spent some time over the past couple weeks telling readers about how our Daily Paycheck strategy works.  At its core, the strategy is all about finding the market’s safest, strongest dividend payers and letting them pay you year after year. As I’ve mentioned before, when you look at the data, it’s obvious that dividend-paying stocks are the most reliable way to grow your money in the entire investing universe. But today, I want to go one step further by sharing just one of our 45 income-paying holdings with you. By the time you’re… Read More

As some of you may know, I’ve spent some time over the past couple weeks telling readers about how our Daily Paycheck strategy works.  At its core, the strategy is all about finding the market’s safest, strongest dividend payers and letting them pay you year after year. As I’ve mentioned before, when you look at the data, it’s obvious that dividend-paying stocks are the most reliable way to grow your money in the entire investing universe. But today, I want to go one step further by sharing just one of our 45 income-paying holdings with you. By the time you’re finished reading about it, you’ll not only see why a bigger yield isn’t always necessarily better — but you’ll also see just how rewarding it can be when a company produces a bundle of cash flow and uses a chunk of it to aggressively buy back its own shares… —Recommended Link— Trump Blows Up Twitter… Sends This 5G Stock On The Ride Of Its Life President Trump sent this warning to U.S. telcoms: “Step up your 5G efforts, or get left behind.” Right now, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T, and others are racing to rollout their 5G… Read More

Once again, our local meteorologists were a little wide of the mark with their forecast last weekend. Waking up to predictions of wind and thunderstorms, I decided to cancel my fishing trip. You can probably guess the rest. There were about four or five raindrops, after which the clouds parted and the sun emerged. So I spent much of the day doing yard work instead. It’s nobody’s fault. Even with the latest instruments and computer models, weather forecasting is still somewhat of a guessing game. The same could be said for financial forecasts involving a company’s future earnings. Numerous capricious… Read More

Once again, our local meteorologists were a little wide of the mark with their forecast last weekend. Waking up to predictions of wind and thunderstorms, I decided to cancel my fishing trip. You can probably guess the rest. There were about four or five raindrops, after which the clouds parted and the sun emerged. So I spent much of the day doing yard work instead. It’s nobody’s fault. Even with the latest instruments and computer models, weather forecasting is still somewhat of a guessing game. The same could be said for financial forecasts involving a company’s future earnings. Numerous capricious variables play into the bottom line, so trying to nail down a forecast with any degree of precision is often a difficult task. Even management (which is in constant discussion with customers and has a birds-eye view of the entire organization) is often a little vague on the details. —Recommended Link— 5G Flaw Exposed: $5 Stock Holds Key To $12 Trillion Opportunity A devastating technical glitch could crush the next generation of wireless technology before it even launches. With trillions of dollars and millions of jobs at stake, one company with the “5G fix” could… Read More

As many of you know, each month I dedicate an article to informing you about stocks that are poised to put more cash in stockholders’ pockets.  I scan the market for noteworthy special distributions on the horizon, as well as potential dividend hikes on the way over the next four to six weeks. I give special attention to outsized double-digit increases and reliable dividend-payers that have been steadily growing payouts for a decade or more.  I flag these stocks before the official announcements are made, not after, giving you a head-start. (And my High-Yield Investing readers get an even bigger… Read More

As many of you know, each month I dedicate an article to informing you about stocks that are poised to put more cash in stockholders’ pockets.  I scan the market for noteworthy special distributions on the horizon, as well as potential dividend hikes on the way over the next four to six weeks. I give special attention to outsized double-digit increases and reliable dividend-payers that have been steadily growing payouts for a decade or more.  I flag these stocks before the official announcements are made, not after, giving you a head-start. (And my High-Yield Investing readers get an even bigger lead on this information, as you hopefully understand.) If you’ve read previous articles where I’ve projected dividend raisers for the next month, then you know my track record on predicting these dividend increases is pretty good — and so are the subsequent gains posted by the stocks we’ve covered. So you’ll want to pay particular attention to this month’s candidates.  Here they are… 1. Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) – What can you say about Microsoft that hasn’t already been said? Sure, the company still rakes in more cash from its ubiquitous Windows architecture and Office products in a month than most… Read More

You’ve probably seen it. And not just on financial sites either, but front page headlines on major media outlets like Yahoo.com, Fox News, and CNN. I’m talking about the inverted yield curve. Specifically, the fact that yields on the 10-Year Treasury (1.62%) slipped below those on the 2-Year note (1.63%). That’s not the natural order of things. Anyone who has ever bought a bank certificate of deposit (CD) knows that longer-term maturities are supposed to pay more than shorter ones. #-ad_banner-#The same is normally true in the bond world. Since the 1980s, the 10-Year Treasury has typically yielded about 100… Read More

You’ve probably seen it. And not just on financial sites either, but front page headlines on major media outlets like Yahoo.com, Fox News, and CNN. I’m talking about the inverted yield curve. Specifically, the fact that yields on the 10-Year Treasury (1.62%) slipped below those on the 2-Year note (1.63%). That’s not the natural order of things. Anyone who has ever bought a bank certificate of deposit (CD) knows that longer-term maturities are supposed to pay more than shorter ones. #-ad_banner-#The same is normally true in the bond world. Since the 1980s, the 10-Year Treasury has typically yielded about 100 to 200 basis points more than the 2-Year. That higher rate compensates investors for tying up their principal over a longer period as well as for the impact of inflation. But the upward sloping yield curve has flattened out recently, flirting with inversion. And on August 14, it finally happened. There have been other yield curve inversions in recent months involving 3-Year and 5-Year Treasuries. But the 2-10 curve is the most closely watched because of its uncanny predictive abilities. The last time this flip-flop happened was in December 2005, about two years before the Great Recession hit. We’ve seen… Read More

Suppose you were a job hunter presented with two options: a position offering a flat $50,000 per year with no pay hikes or one starting at $40,000 with a guaranteed 10% raise each year. If you were only a year away from retirement, the first option would make more sense. But for those with a bit longer to go, option number two would be the better deal. Not only will your paycheck grow each year, but it will do so by an increasing amount — $4,000 after the first 12 months, $4,400 after the next 12, and so on. After… Read More

Suppose you were a job hunter presented with two options: a position offering a flat $50,000 per year with no pay hikes or one starting at $40,000 with a guaranteed 10% raise each year. If you were only a year away from retirement, the first option would make more sense. But for those with a bit longer to go, option number two would be the better deal. Not only will your paycheck grow each year, but it will do so by an increasing amount — $4,000 after the first 12 months, $4,400 after the next 12, and so on. After just five years, you would be pulling down about $64,000 per year. And if the base compensation alone didn’t sway you, what if I also mentioned that the second job offer was from a prosperous growing company that also offered nice incentives such as generous 401(K) matching? I’m guessing that would only reinforce your decision. If this simple analogy makes sense, congratulations — you’re already a step ahead of the yield-hungry crowd and that much closer to financial independence. —Recommended Link— Retire up to 12 YEARS EARLY I started a unique retirement program three years ago, and we’re getting… Read More

To call a stock like Colony Capital (Nasdaq: CLNY) a disappointment would be an understatement. Since joining with Northstar Realty in early 2017 (a merger that went south almost immediately), the company has lost approximately two-thirds of its market cap.  So why does it worth a look for investors? Because investing is always about tomorrow, not yesterday. A well-respected investment research firm just evaluated each of Colony’s divisions individually, and after a sum-of-the-parts valuation concluded that CLNY is worth $11 per share. That would imply a potential upside of 100% from current levels. And for the first time in a… Read More

To call a stock like Colony Capital (Nasdaq: CLNY) a disappointment would be an understatement. Since joining with Northstar Realty in early 2017 (a merger that went south almost immediately), the company has lost approximately two-thirds of its market cap.  So why does it worth a look for investors? Because investing is always about tomorrow, not yesterday. A well-respected investment research firm just evaluated each of Colony’s divisions individually, and after a sum-of-the-parts valuation concluded that CLNY is worth $11 per share. That would imply a potential upside of 100% from current levels. And for the first time in a while, the market is sensing a viable pathway to get there. Just What Exactly Is This Company?  Part of the problem is Colony’s convoluted portfolio, which has kept many analysts (and retail investors) at arm’s length. Like most real estate investment trusts (REITs), it owns a collection of rent-earning properties such as hotels and warehouses. But Colony is also part asset manager and part business development company (BDC). Among other ventures, it originates real estate loans and manages both open and closed private equity funds. Colony has $14.6 billion in balance sheet assets and manages another $28.8 billion on… Read More