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Contributing Writer Kiplinger.com
Michael Foster is the Lead Research Analyst for Contrarian Outlook, where he writes CEF Insider. He has written on high-income assets, dividends, closed-end funds and exchange-traded funds for a number of publications including Forbes, Bankrate and SeekingAlpha. Michael finished his PhD in 2008 and has been advising investors since 2011.
If you ask most financial advisers how to retire on a half-million dollars, they’ll likely say it can’t be done. Many financial advisers point to the “4% rule” (also the “Bengen rule”) for ...
See More From: Dividends
Investors looking for a high income stream often balk at closed-end funds (CEFs) because of their higher fees. CEFs’ average annual fees sit at 1.09% (or $109 for every $10,000 invested), according ...
See More From: Mutual Funds
Anyone looking to tamp down their tax bill for next year need look no further than municipal bonds. They’ve been around for decades, but many people still aren’t familiar with this particular debt ...
The stock market appears poised to at least make a run on the all-time highs set in 2018. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index gained 13% during the first quarter of 2019 alone and has kicked off Q2 ...
See More From: ETFs
Closed-end funds (CEFs) joined the rest of the market in steeply selling off late last year. The result, however, was an excessive selloff resulting in greater distribution rates and larger discounts to ...
The stock market suffered two massive bouts of selling and volatility in 2018. The Nasdaq fell into correction mode, and most of the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index’s components slipped into either ...
Preferred stocks – a high-yield asset that’s typically referred to as a stock-bond “hybrid” because it has characteristics of each – are treading water this year after a strong showing in 2017. But ...
If 2017 was the year without fear, 2018 feels like the year of … well, fear. And that means investors should have income funds and other dividend strategies at the top of their minds right now. The ...
In Warren Buffett’s most recent letter to shareholders, he updated a data point that never gets old: Just how much Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) shares have outperformed the Standard & Poor’s 500-stock ...
It's difficult to find funds that can consistently beat the market over time. The Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index is barely scraping above breakeven in 2018, sure, but it averages 8% gains annually. ...
See More From: Stocks & Bonds
It might be difficult to top 2017’s performance by closed-end funds. Last year, CEFs — which typically invest in stocks, bonds or a blend of both — returned 12.4% on average, according to data compiled ...
Does “FOMO” – fear of missing out – have you down? If you’re in the stock market but too scared of tech stocks, you might be feeling a twinge of regret right now. The famous FAANG stocks – ...
The Northeast and the Midwest were brought to a standstill in late 2017 thanks to a nasty winter storm, followed by record-breaking cold to start the new year. Two groups have rejoiced at the wintry onslaught: ...
Investors often must accept a bit more risk to get more income out of their investments – often, but not always. Preferred stocks are one of a handful of high-yield exceptions to that norm. Preferred ...
Doom and gloom sells. It’s easy to tap into people’s deepest fears and cry “the sky is falling.” And sadly, we’ve seen a lot of that ever since the financial crisis and bear market of 2007-09 ...
See More From: Economic Forecasts
Investors already know that dividend growth is a powerful tool for gaining financial independence. Dividends provide passive income that investors can use to augment their salary (and replace it in retirement), ...
We've all heard that the Federal Reserve is considering a December hike in interest rates, which would be the third bump in 2017. If and when it does increase rates, the new target would be a mere 1.5%. ...