Big is in. The question marks lingering about the strength of the recovery has prompted many investors to seek shares in large, stable companies that have weathered the downturn in good shape. The 100 largest public companies in the world have beaten the MSCI… Read More

An often-overlooked industry may just be the best place in the entire market to find steady income. Major players are paying rock-solid yields as high as 7% to 10%. When you think of energy companies, you probably think of oil and natural gas. Or maybe you even… Read More

A few months ago the nation was locked in the throes of the financial crisis. Markets were crashing. Experts spoke of financial calamity and depression. Hope evaporated. This was to be a financial disaster for the ages. Look what’s happened. The Dow Jones… Read More

Not sure how to best judge the dividend safety of an investment? Let Standard & Poor’s do it for you. “AAA” credit ratings are hard to come by. The S&P sets the bar extraordinarily high for its top tier. These are the elite of… Read More

I just found one of the safest 13.0% yields I’ve ever seen — and it’s in a place practically no income investor dreams of looking right now. In addition, I’ve found securities few American investors even know exist that are offering incredible dividend growth… Read More

Income investors are exposed. The U.S. government has racked up $10 trillion in debt and Washington continues to spend more money we don’t have. No one’s talking about balancing the budget: The Obama Administration estimates budget deficits will soar to $1.8 trillion this year and $1.3 trillion… Read More

Most income investors ignore small companies. Conventional wisdom says that large, mature companies pay dividends and small companies don’t. That’s hardly the case. Nearly 10,000 small caps trade on U.S. exchanges. Of those, 3.3% carry a yield of 6% or more. Believe it… Read More

Longtime readers of my Dividend Opportunities newsletter know I’m a big fan of master limited partnerships (MLPs). There’s not much to dislike. The partnerships don’t have to pay corporate income taxes as long as they earn 90% of… Read More

You could find a boring stock with a solid, dependable dividend. No problem. Or you might want to take your chances with some high-flying, hotshot growth company. Plenty of them have made lots of money, there’s no doubt about it. But the problem is… Read More

The financial crisis felled some banks. Others were left crippled and may never recover. Still others were hardly affected at all. Those institutions are the ones in the best position to profit going forward. Investors should look at these stable… Read More