Young Research & Publishing Inc.

Investment Research Since 1978

Disclosure

196,000 Millionaires Agree That This Is the Place to Keep Your 401(k)

By

At Fidelity, 196,000 401(k) accounts are worth at least $1 million. It turns out, I'm not the only one who likes working with Fidelity. In the past, I have written to you about my positive experience with Fidelity's services. You can read more about Fidelity here: Fidelity Investments: Why it’s #1 My Personal View on Fidelity Investments for You This Money Market Fund is Paying 47 Times More than its Competition Identity Fraud on the Rise: Here’s Fidelity’s Customer Protection Guarantee Now, Fox Business reports that the number of millionaires at Fidelity is rising. Ken Martin … [Read more...]

Stores Remake Retail to Fight Amazon’s “Transactional” Experience

By

If you know exactly what you want to buy, is there any better way than to pull it up on the internet, and have it shipped directly to your home in as little as a day? Sometimes you can even get your products in hours. It's hard to beat that type of transaction. But what if you're looking to try new things, and want to experience a variety of products before choosing which is right for you? The internet is not so well adapted for that sort of shopping. That's where a number of smaller companies are working to beat Amazon and other e-commerce companies. Creating a better buying experience is … [Read more...]

Can You Rely on the Experts to Protect Your Privacy?

By

Unfortunately, the short answer to my headline question is, no. You cannot rely on cybersecurity experts to protect your personal financial information, as evidenced by the numerous breaches of personal information at companies employing large staffs of such experts. Marriot, Equifax, J.P. Morgan, Yahoo (twice), and now Capital One, among many others, have all fallen prey to serious breaches of their customers' information. The Wall Street Journal reports of Capital One's recent breach: The cybersecurity unit—responsible for ensuring Capital One’s firewalls were properly configured and … [Read more...]

The Problem Plaguing California is About to Hit the Entire Country

By

In the Orange County Register, veteran California journalist and political analyst Dan Walters, examines the hard choice facing city officials in Sacramento, and state officials in California. The problem both governments have is their pensions. Despite problems with its pensions, Sacramento officials are already thinking up ways to spend money they haven't received from future taxes on things like "infrastructure, affordable housing, cultural amenities and incentives to attract new business," while ignoring the massive hole in the city's retirement funding. Walters writes: As they pore … [Read more...]

Will Facebook’s Libra Pass the Anti-Trust Test in Europe?

By

Over the last two years Facebook has been a regular target of European regulators, and the plan for its new crypto-currency, Libra, is bringing the social media giant under new scrutiny. The FT reports: Facebook’s new digital currency, Libra, is under early scrutiny from the EU’s antitrust regulators, according to two people familiar with the matter. The European Commission has sent out questionnaires to groups involved with the Libra project as part of a preliminary information-gathering operation, amid concerns the currency could unfairly disadvantage rivals, the people … [Read more...]

This is the Best Summer for Teenagers in Over 50 Years

By

The American summer unemployment rate for those between 16 and 24 is the lowest it has been since 1966. Sarah Chaney reports at The Wall Street Journal: In July, the largest percentage of young working Americans were in leisure-and-hospitality jobs, which includes restaurant work. A sizeable share of youth also worked in retail. Employers like fast-casual chain Mooyah, based in Plano, Texas, are eager to snatch up workers. Tony Darden, the franchised burger chain’s chief operating officer, said there are fewer teens filling out applications as they opt to pursue education and competitive … [Read more...]

Tesla Finally Getting the Competition it Deserves?

By

Companies like GM, Toyota and Nissan have been trying to compete against Tesla for years with sub-par electric vehicle offerings. Inexpensive, but ultimately not up to the standards of vehicles produced under Elon Musk's guidance. Now, however, Tesla's years of minimum competition may be over. High-end automakers like Jaguar and Audi are bringing new models to customers with features and performance that rival Tesla, and according to some analysts are stealing market share from the electric vehicle pioneer. Maggie Fitzgerald reports for CNBC: Competition is weighing on Tesla’s sales, … [Read more...]

The Final Richard C. Young’s Intelligence Report

By

After meeting monthly strategy report deadlines since 1978, I have decided it’s time to switch gears. The name Intelligence Report will survive, but with no contribution from Richard C. Young. Instead, I am transitioning aggressively to full-time research on behalf of private clients of our family investment management firm, Richard C. Young & Co. Ltd. In this expanded venture, I will completely shift away from common stock mutual funds. I will concentrate laser like on “Dividends Around the World” from domestic and foreign common stocks with track records of increasing dividends … [Read more...]

Dividends Then and Now Are the Answer

By

I learned from Ben Graham nearly six decades ago that there's no better way to assess an investment than the cold hard cash it returns to you in the form of dividends or interest. In September of 2012 I wrote: While at Babson College, I studied Ben Graham’s Security Analysis. I still return to it regularly. In Chapter 35, Ben Graham writes, “For the vast majority of common stocks, the dividend record and prospects have always been the most important factor controlling investment quality and value…. In the majority of cases, the price of common stocks has been influenced more markedly by the … [Read more...]

The World Just Got Serious About Regulating Cryptocurrencies

By

For years anonymous crypto-currencies have been criminals' favorite method of hiding and laundering their money. That could all be about to end. Mike Orcutt explains at the MIT Technology Review that the Financial Action Task Force, a global standard-setting group, has put cryptocurrencies in its crosshairs. The group wants to clamp down on cryptocurrencies being used as a way to launder money. Orcutt reports: One of the biggest knocks against cryptocurrency has always been its status as a refuge for tech-savvy criminals. Even as some bigger players—particularly exchanges that handle many … [Read more...]