It’s coming. Or, I should say, “he’s” coming. Warren Buffett? No. Bill Gross? No. I am referring to Dick Clark. He’s on his way. He will be hosting, again, the annual ball-drop on Times Square… Read More
Income Investing
Foreign stocks simply can’t be ignored. Thirty years ago, U.S. markets accounted for about 70% of the world’s stock market capitalization. That figure has fallen to about 40% today and is likely to keep falling with the rise of Brazil, India, China and others. Read More
Something was drastically amiss. I had turned the radio in my car to my favorite FM station, a boisterous “urban” format that’s best enjoyed loud. But that’s not what I was hearing. Not even close. I called a… Read More
Benjamin Franklin once referred to the magic of compound interest as the “8th wonder of the universe” for its ability to systematically accumulate wealth. Inflation, then, which systematically destroys wealth, must be an evil twin. Nothing is quite like the relentless… Read More
I hadn’t spoken to my friend Harriet for almost a year. We were really close in university, but with her living several hundred miles from me, we drifted apart. So a few weeks ago, I picked up the phone, dialed, and awaited with pleasure her cheery “Hello.”… Read More
When there’s no competition for your services, you can pretty much charge whatever you want, advertise as little as you want, and pay dividends to your investors for as long as you like. That’s how defense contractors and refiners have operated for many years, and that’s how… Read More
On May 28, 2003, former President Bush signed into law the Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act. One major provision of this law was to reduce the tax rates on certain dividends from as high as 38.6% down to 15%. But unless this tax break is extended, which seems… Read More
Something’s got to give. At a time when the aging of the U.S. population is beginning to accelerate, the construction pace of new housing and care facilities for seniors is shrinking. Between 2010 and 2020, the number of Americans 65 and older will grow +36%, compared with a growth rate… Read More
People in the United States only hear about “the middle class” in an election year, when candidates promise not to raise taxes. The rest of the time, Americans don’t think much about the middle class, even though that’s where most people find themselves. That hasn’t been the… Read More
Only 313 U.S. companies have increased sales every year for the past decade. These are companies that have improved every year since 1999 — growing through three presidents and two bear markets. Some of the biggest names that have pulled off this financial feat… Read More