Low-risk is a relative term when it comes to investing. The classic risk-free investment is Treasury securities, but even they carry some degree of price risk. For those looking for low-risk investments, here are some to consider….
— Read on www.thestreet.com/personal-finance/low-risk-investments-with-high-returns-15170504
Stay the course.
Regardless of what happens in the markets, stick to your investment program. Changing your strategy at the wrong time can be the single most devastating mistake you can make as an investor. (Just ask investors who moved a significant portion of their portfolio to cash during the depths of the financial crisis, only to miss out on part or even all of the subsequent eight-year—and counting—bull market that we have enjoyed ever since.)
“Stay the course” is the most important piece of advice Jack Bogle can give you.
John Bogle, founder of the Vanguard Group, provides his seven investing rules for successful stock market investing.
— Read on www.valuewalk.com/2017/06/john-bogle-7-rules-successful-stock-market-investing/amp/
Over half of Americans, 55%, say they are not participating in the stock market, according to a new poll from MetLife of over 8,000 U.S. adults over the age of 18. The survey finds that age is definitely a factor. Gen Z (ages 18 to 24) and millennials (defined here as ages 25 to 34) are opting out in far greater numbers than older Americans.
But gender also plays a role — 44% of men report they aren’t investing, compared to 59% of women. And men tend to be more likely to invest in some type of mutual or index funds and stocks.
Yet when it comes to building long-term wealth, saving alone typically isn’t enough.
— Read on www.cnbc.com/2019/10/09/over-half-of-americans-arent-taking-this-simple-step-to-grow-wealth.html
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Save, invest, start early and delay retirement as long as possible are the conventional points of wisdom about retirement planning. But an investor should also consider what their income needs will be in retirement.
Here are some tips to move your thinking from saving for to living in retirement:
THINK INCOME, NOT JUST DOLLARS SAVED.
Instead of focusing on a target number (i.e., “I want to save $500,000 by age 60”), think about income.
Business development companies (BDCs) were literally designed with dividends in mind. These 10 BDCs to buy yield up to 10.9%.
Business development companies provide firms with debt and equity capital, or a combination of the two, to help them grow. Many of the largest BDCs available to investors today provide equity and debt financing to middle-market companies, a considerable number of which operate industrial businesses with stable cash flows.
They first came to be in 1980 when Congress passed an amendment to the Investment Act of 1940 that created a new category of closed-end investment company: BDCs.
For tax purposes, BDCs must pay out 90% or more of their taxable income in the form of dividends so they can retain the tax benefits of regulated investment companies. BDCs may raise their dividends in boom times, however it’s not uncommon for some to cut their payouts depending on the business environment.
BDCs have become popular with retail investors over the past decade because of the significant income they generate. These companies often yield more than 8% on their distributions.
One thing to pay attention to when evaluating BDCs is costs. Externally managed BDC pay advisory fee and typically pay a low double digit percentage of returns or profits to the fund advisory manager. Internally managed BDC do not pay advisory fees. It does, however, incur the operating expenses of employing investment professionals to do investment analysis, research and other duties.
— Read on www.kiplinger.com/slideshow/investing/T018-S001-10-bdcs-to-buy-for-big-time-income/index.html
Prosper in this volatile market (or any other) by focusing on fundamentals.
In investing, it’s as important to practice good habits as it is to avoid bad ones, and the stakes have rarely been higher. The longest bull market on record is in its 11th year, volatility is sky-high, the economy is uncertain and market sentiment is skittish.
But long-term investors should rise above the fray and focus on the fundamentals. You already know you shouldn’t buy stock on a tip from your Uncle Fred. But it’s even more important to set appropriate goals, save regularly and monitor your progress. Don’t beat yourself up for the occasional mistake. But if you follow the seven steps below, you’re likely to feel good about your portfolio over the course of a long investing career.
— Read on www.kiplinger.com/article/investing/T023-C000-S002-7-secrets-of-highly-successful-investors.html
This could be the first year ever where stocks, bonds, gold and crude oil all returned double digits, according to LPL Financial.
The S&P 500 has returned nearly 22% in 2019 while gold and crude are sporting returns of 16.1% and 17.8%, respectively. Treasuries are right on the cusp, with the the 10-year Treasury note up more than 9%
Through Wednesday’s close, just 75 stocks in the S&P 500 were down for the year while 361 were up at least 10%.
Assets have gotten a boost from lower Federal Reserve rates as well as generally strong consumer spending.
A recent survey conducted by UBS found that only 23% of women globally take charge of long-term financial-planning decisions. And it isn’t a generational problem: 56% of women aged 20 to 34 defer to their spouse compared with 54% of women over 51 years of age.
A report from the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority suggests that women’s financial understanding is going in the wrong direction, too. Baby boomer and Generation X women revealed higher levels of financial literacy than millennial women based on a five-question quiz.
— Read on www.wsj.com/articles/womens-other-economic-gap-financial-acumen-11567432800
The Oracle of Omaha says the U.S. economy has plenty of runway left before the next recession. “Right now, there’s no question: It’s feeling strong. I mean, if we’re in the sixth inning, we have our sluggers coming to bat right now,” Buffett said in an interview with Becky Quick on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Thursday morning.
Buffett added: “Business is good. There’s no question about it.”
— Read on money.com/money/5304816/warren-buffett-just-made-a-surprising-prediction-about-the-economy/