Earn dividends every month of the year
A regular paycheck isn’t the only way to ensure a steady flow of income. Whether you are already retired or simply planning ahead for retirement, by carefully selecting stocks that pay dividends on the right schedule, you can build a portfolio that guarantees you cash every month. Here are a dozen great stocks that do just that.January: Occidental PetroleumYield: 4.1 percent52-week... READ MORE
Bypass probate for brokerage accounts
Q: I need to designate a beneficiary for my brokerage account. Is a transfer-on-death account a better option than adding a joint owner to my account or including the account in my will? A: Life insurance, IRAs, 401(k) plans and other retirement accounts pass directly to the beneficiaries you designate outside of your will. Brokerage accounts, on the other hand, generally pass to your ... READ MORE
Earn dividends every month of the year
A regular paycheck isn’t the only way to ensure a steady flow of income. Whether you are already retired or simply planning ahead for retirement, by carefully selecting stocks that pay dividends on the right schedule, you can build a portfolio that guarantees you cash every month. Here are a dozen great stocks that do just that.January: Occidental PetroleumYield: 4.1 percent52-week... READ MORE
Rule on short hospital stays may change
Medicare has proposed to ease a coverage policy on short hospital stays that has been criticized because it can result in higher costs for seniors.Under Medicare, coverage for inpatient and outpatient care is determined under different payment rules. A hospital admission classified as inpatient is covered by Medicare Part A, which can result in lower hospital bills for beneficiaries and,... READ MORE
Good reasons to invest in foreign stocks
Many investors are second guessing their decision to move into international stock funds, largely at the expense of U.S. stocks, in recent years. That’s because fear is spiking about economic troubles in Greece and China, while the U.S. economy continues to trudge along.Investors are feeling those big swings in global markets more now, after pumping $208 billion into international... READ MORE
Crime may not pay, but fighting it does
Who said crime doesn’t pay? You can make money off of lawlessness by investing in companies involved in the prevention and punishment of misdeeds. Analysts say there’s promise in outfits that do everything from building and operating prisons to making guns and surveillance equipment for law enforcement agencies.Although the number of serious crimes has been trending down over... READ MORE
High-yield (junk) bonds: hold or sell?
Don’t know what to make of the junk-bond market? Join the club.One month, dollars are flooding into junk-bond mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. The next, dollars are pouring out the opposite direction.Consternation is nothing new for this part of the market: Junk bonds are essentially loans made to companies with poor credit ratings, and they have to offer relatively big yields... READ MORE
Healthcare continues to offer good returns
Healthcare stocks, traditionally defensive investments, are proving to be the market’s best all-weather sector. Since the start of the last bear market on October 9, 2007, Standard & Poor’s Healthcare index has been by far the best performing of S&P’s ten sectors, climbing 140.3 percent, or 12.2 percent annualized.Over that period, health stocks beat the number two ... READ MORE
Investment guru offers his take on stocks
Russ Koesterich is Global Chief Investment Strategist at BlackRock, an investment firm with $4.8 trillion under management. Here are excerpts from Kiplinger’s recent interview with him.Kiplinger: How much life is left in this bull market?Koesterich: We’re definitely in the late innings. Stocks can go higher, particularly overseas, but that is likely to happen with a lot more... READ MORE
Don’t fall for these five infomercial tricks
Infomercials that sell shampoos, zit creams and the latest weight loss gadgets can be hard to turn away from. But before you pick up that phone, you should know that the “low, low prices” and “easy monthly payments” advertised are not always what you’ll pay.“There are many problems with infomercials,” said Edgar Dworsky, the editor of consumer... READ MORE
