When people around the world want something to eat, there’s a good chance they reach for a  product made by Kraft Heinz. And for investors looking for a combination of value and quality, Kraft Heinz (Nasdaq: KHC) should be on your menu right now. #-ad_banner-#Formed by the mega-merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz in July 2015, Kraft Heinz is the third largest food and beverage company in North America, and the fifth largest in the world. The company boasts more than 200 brands, including Kraft, Heinz, Oscar Mayer, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, and Lunchables. Eight of the company’s brands… Read More

When people around the world want something to eat, there’s a good chance they reach for a  product made by Kraft Heinz. And for investors looking for a combination of value and quality, Kraft Heinz (Nasdaq: KHC) should be on your menu right now. #-ad_banner-#Formed by the mega-merger of Kraft Foods Group and H.J. Heinz in July 2015, Kraft Heinz is the third largest food and beverage company in North America, and the fifth largest in the world. The company boasts more than 200 brands, including Kraft, Heinz, Oscar Mayer, Jell-O, Kool-Aid, and Lunchables. Eight of the company’s brands each generate $1 billion a year in sales, and the combined company’s overall revenue was $27.4 billion in 2015. Kraft Heinz sells products in dozens of countries around the world, but the United States accounts for just over 70% of earnings, with the rest focused in Canada, Europe and Latin America. That’s a big plus, because it implies that the company has room to grow by increasing market share overseas. (Some of this expansion may take a few years, because of noncompete agreements made with former Kraft sibling Mondelez when the companies split.) Strong brands don’t guarantee a string of… Read More

Mark Twain understood the mind of an investor. The world-renowned author once proclaimed: “A dollar picked up in the road is more satisfaction to us than the 99 which we had to work for, and the money won in the stock market snuggles into our hearts in the same way.” #-ad_banner-#Twain acknowledged the rush that can accompany earning money without any labor. He understood that the human brain is not wired for clear thinking in regard to money. That’s because the area of the brain that responds to financial reward is the same part… Read More

Mark Twain understood the mind of an investor. The world-renowned author once proclaimed: “A dollar picked up in the road is more satisfaction to us than the 99 which we had to work for, and the money won in the stock market snuggles into our hearts in the same way.” #-ad_banner-#Twain acknowledged the rush that can accompany earning money without any labor. He understood that the human brain is not wired for clear thinking in regard to money. That’s because the area of the brain that responds to financial reward is the same part that lights up from cocaine. This presents a major problem. Investors can become insatiable, searching high and low for the next “big winners.” What they’re really interested in is a get-rich-quick scheme. That’s a terrific way to lose money — and quickly. However, if you are a regular reader of my Game-Changing Stocks newsletter, then you know that I have been making a habit of finding stocks with the most “big winner” potential for a while. In fact, I’ve found more than 23 triple-digit winners since joining StreetAuthority… Read More

In February 2013, my Dad called. It was unusual. I talk to my father a few times each week, but it’s generally me calling him. Then my Dad said something that really scared me. He asked me to have my wife join the call. At the time, my Dad was in his late 60s. He’d been a smoker all his life — and a fairly heavy one — and my heart sank. Dad had been in excellent health his whole life. He ran hospitals for years and has an immune system that would eat… Read More

In February 2013, my Dad called. It was unusual. I talk to my father a few times each week, but it’s generally me calling him. Then my Dad said something that really scared me. He asked me to have my wife join the call. At the time, my Dad was in his late 60s. He’d been a smoker all his life — and a fairly heavy one — and my heart sank. Dad had been in excellent health his whole life. He ran hospitals for years and has an immune system that would eat the Ebola virus like a midnight snack. There was something going on, though, and I feared that the old man’s luck had run out. #-ad_banner-#Thankfully, Dad’s lungs were fine. But one of his kidneys was loaded with cancer. He’d experienced an unusual symptom and went to the doc the next day. A lot of my friends’ folks have had things go wrong and done nothing, which in some cases has turned out badly. But Dad doesn’t mess around. I like that about him. God help us all if I ever have to put him in a home,… Read More

At the risk of sounding anti-American, I have to begin by saying this… I don’t like Budweiser. #-ad_banner-#But if I have a redeeming, patriotic leg to stand on, it’s that I’m a huge fan of craft beers, and really, what’s more American than a little upstart with passion and hops? One of my good friends is a master brewer in the midst of opening his own brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the Brewers, and, yes, the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life, along with many, many others. There are already a number of popular craft beers in the area,… Read More

At the risk of sounding anti-American, I have to begin by saying this… I don’t like Budweiser. #-ad_banner-#But if I have a redeeming, patriotic leg to stand on, it’s that I’m a huge fan of craft beers, and really, what’s more American than a little upstart with passion and hops? One of my good friends is a master brewer in the midst of opening his own brewery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, home of the Brewers, and, yes, the Champagne of Beers, Miller High Life, along with many, many others. There are already a number of popular craft beers in the area, but the market just keeps growing. That may be one reason why such big beer behemoths like Anheuser Busch-InBev (NYSE: BUD) and SABMiller (OTC: SBMRY) are making a deal. News of the potential deal came out last November, but needed approval from a number of bodies, including the U.S. Justice Department. That approval could come as early as this month. The combined companies would then account for almost a third of the world’s beer, according to Reuters. The deal is worth a reported $107 billion, making it the biggest brewer by capitalization. But why are these two companies merging? As… Read More

Last week, I looked at stocks that could be worth buying if the Federal Reserve raises interest rates in June. Since then, Fed Chair Janet Yellen confirmed that a rate hike is likely this summer, either in June or July. Fed economists’ view that the economy is picking up steam got some validation this week when U.S. consumer spending rose 1% in April, the largest percentage in more than six years. Personal income was up 0.4% and wages rose 0.5% — both signs that American households will continue to have more money to spend in the coming months. As I’ve… Read More

Last week, I looked at stocks that could be worth buying if the Federal Reserve raises interest rates in June. Since then, Fed Chair Janet Yellen confirmed that a rate hike is likely this summer, either in June or July. Fed economists’ view that the economy is picking up steam got some validation this week when U.S. consumer spending rose 1% in April, the largest percentage in more than six years. Personal income was up 0.4% and wages rose 0.5% — both signs that American households will continue to have more money to spend in the coming months. As I’ve written in recent months, consumer durable stocks should benefit from this trend. Another area that should thrive in a low-unemployment, rising-wage environment is the housing market. Indeed, home sales have shown signs of picking up in recent months as the sector’s long, slow recovery from the financial crisis continues. #-ad_banner-#Stocks associated with home sales, such as homebuilders, should be hurt by rising mortgage rates, but often are helped in the short run, as home buyers move to lock in existing rates before the Fed decides on additional rate hikes. That’s especially likely in the current environment, as consumers with cash… Read More

In less than a month, the world will have a new Disney theme park. This time, it’s in China. Shanghai, to be exact. The park has already been “open” for trial guests, and the company is pretty excited about the feedback it’s been getting. But Disney’s really hanging a lot on this park. The company expects to earn $300 million from the park in the third quarter of this year. #-ad_banner-#To put that in perspective, Disney (NYSE: DIS) brought in revenues of $12.97 billion in the second quarter of this year. But while you might think that Shanghai Disney’s projected… Read More

In less than a month, the world will have a new Disney theme park. This time, it’s in China. Shanghai, to be exact. The park has already been “open” for trial guests, and the company is pretty excited about the feedback it’s been getting. But Disney’s really hanging a lot on this park. The company expects to earn $300 million from the park in the third quarter of this year. #-ad_banner-#To put that in perspective, Disney (NYSE: DIS) brought in revenues of $12.97 billion in the second quarter of this year. But while you might think that Shanghai Disney’s projected haul is chump change in comparison, consider this: Disney’s net income in the second quarter was only $2.1 billion. That means a $300 million paycheck isn’t so small. Disney has spent $5 billion to bring this park to life, so it would take nearly 17 quarters, or more than 4 years worth of $300 million proceeds in order to make back its initial investment, not to mention upkeep and operational costs. So here’s the thing… Is a $5 billion theme park in China a good bet? Well, if you’re a Chinese billionaire member of the Communist Party, you might not… Read More

The economic trends we saw developing earlier this year have continued, albeit with a little turbulence here and there: U.S. job creation remains solid, unemployment remains low and consumer incomes are rising. While the drag from economic woes in Europe and Asia is a concern, and any economy that relies on the energy industry is hurting (including ours, in part), for the most part American consumers are in better shape than they’ve been in years. Meanwhile, the inexorable aging of America is fueling growth for any provider of goods and services to older Americans. While healthcare is the obvious beneficiary,… Read More

The economic trends we saw developing earlier this year have continued, albeit with a little turbulence here and there: U.S. job creation remains solid, unemployment remains low and consumer incomes are rising. While the drag from economic woes in Europe and Asia is a concern, and any economy that relies on the energy industry is hurting (including ours, in part), for the most part American consumers are in better shape than they’ve been in years. Meanwhile, the inexorable aging of America is fueling growth for any provider of goods and services to older Americans. While healthcare is the obvious beneficiary, so is leisure: companies that profit from more spending on travel, dining, recreation and, well, fun. And few companies fit the bill better than the cruise ship lines. #-ad_banner-#The cruise industry has already grown rapidly in recent decades — passenger volume has risen at a compound annualized growth rate of about 7% over the past 35 years. And while most U.S. cruises still start in Florida, California or New York, the number of ports in use is expanding; in North America, more than 30 embarkation ports have been established, which puts a port within reasonable driving distance of 75% of… Read More

You’ve seen the headlines. At least once a month, there’s news of a medical breakthrough that promises to extend the lives of terminally ill cancer patients, reduce suffering for people with serious illnesses or improve recovery times for folks who have surgery. #-ad_banner-#The miracles of medical science have become so commonplace that we take them for granted. These enormous advances have extended average lifespans and made centenarians commonplace. In fact, some people live well beyond 100: I just read that exactly one person born in the 19th century is still alive. (Think of the stories she could tell, or the… Read More

You’ve seen the headlines. At least once a month, there’s news of a medical breakthrough that promises to extend the lives of terminally ill cancer patients, reduce suffering for people with serious illnesses or improve recovery times for folks who have surgery. #-ad_banner-#The miracles of medical science have become so commonplace that we take them for granted. These enormous advances have extended average lifespans and made centenarians commonplace. In fact, some people live well beyond 100: I just read that exactly one person born in the 19th century is still alive. (Think of the stories she could tell, or the stocks she could have bought and held since then!) Medical miracles aren’t the only phenomenon we take for granted when it comes to healthcare. Even though most investors are familiar with the “aging of America” theme — the Baby Boom generation’s slow and steady advancement into its golden years — the scope of it is easy to overlook. Let’s revisit the facts: by 2050, the population aged 65 or older will be an estimated 84 million, vs. 43.1 million in 2012. The population of Americans 85 or older will be an estimated 18 million by 2050, vs. 5.9 million in… Read More

In all honesty, I don’t know where I stand in the genetically-modified crops argument. On one hand, it’s not pleasant to think about eating a food that could technically be classified as a pesticide… But on the other hand, I really like baked goods. #-ad_banner-#(In fact, I once opened my presentation at an international investment conference by talking about cake, but that’s a story for another time.) In the end, though, it doesn’t matter what our personal beliefs are. One of the biggest “health” trends is non-GMO. And food companies are jumping on the bandwagon with both feet. And in… Read More

In all honesty, I don’t know where I stand in the genetically-modified crops argument. On one hand, it’s not pleasant to think about eating a food that could technically be classified as a pesticide… But on the other hand, I really like baked goods. #-ad_banner-#(In fact, I once opened my presentation at an international investment conference by talking about cake, but that’s a story for another time.) In the end, though, it doesn’t matter what our personal beliefs are. One of the biggest “health” trends is non-GMO. And food companies are jumping on the bandwagon with both feet. And in a recent NPR story I learned that this shift is causing major changes in the sugar industry, of all places. Here’s a bit of background. The United States gets a lot of its sugar from sugar beets. These beets can be grown in colder climates, and it’s a major agricultural product. About half of the sugar produced in the United States comes from sugar beets. But in 2008, farmers decided to switch their crops from regular sugar beets to genetically-modified sugar beets. The GMO beets were engineered to tolerate a weed killer called glyphosate. You probably know it better as… Read More

As you may know, my job as Chief Investment Strategist for Game-Changing Stocks means I’m always searching for what I call “The Next Big Thing” that can deliver triple-digit gains for investors. That means, along with a highly dedicated research team, I spend hundreds of hours every year poring through financial journals, SEC filings, earnings releases, trade publications and many other resources to try to find the next great investment opportunity. #-ad_banner-#Sometimes it’s a revolutionary new piece of technology that could change the world. Other times it’s just an innovative new company that makes… Read More

As you may know, my job as Chief Investment Strategist for Game-Changing Stocks means I’m always searching for what I call “The Next Big Thing” that can deliver triple-digit gains for investors. That means, along with a highly dedicated research team, I spend hundreds of hours every year poring through financial journals, SEC filings, earnings releases, trade publications and many other resources to try to find the next great investment opportunity. #-ad_banner-#Sometimes it’s a revolutionary new piece of technology that could change the world. Other times it’s just an innovative new company that makes life easier for consumers. Still, other times we will venture into somewhat risky territory. This is what I would characterize as “beer money” plays. You should invest carefully in these plays, and only with money that you can afford to lose. These sorts of investments are high-risk allocations that should not comprise a major portion of your aggressive growth portfolio. But if you carefully find one or two of these “beer money” plays that pan out every year, it can dramatically alter the performance of your overall portfolio. I’d like to… Read More