Waylon Jennings can teach you a lot about being a successful investor. The most important part of Jennings’ success was his go-it-alone, do it himself strategy. Jennings didn’t attempt to sound like anyone else, he charted a musical course that was unique to him. He avoided the herd, and made his own decisions. That’s how I want you to invest. In March 1995, I wrote of Waylon and his success: “Well, I Nearly Got Caught at a Burger King.” “And a couple of times on a plane./I thought I was safe from detection with all of the weight I had gained./But walking around in a jumpsuit—that didn’t … [Read more...]
Retailers Rebound on Strong Consumer Spending
American consumers are confident. Low unemployment is putting money in their pockets, and they are spending strongly. Retailers are feeling the strength, with sales climbing. The Wall Street Journal reports: Buoyed by rising wages and employment as well as tax cuts, Americans are spending more on products as diverse as jeans, handbags and wall paint. That has translated to rising sales at not just Walmart and Nordstrom, but also Home Depot Inc. HD 0.72% and Coach ownerTapestry Inc. TPR -1.33% “Customers tell us that they feel better about the current health of the U.S. economy as well as … [Read more...]
Cities of the Future
With as many as 3 million people moving to cities each day, experts are focusing on what the city of the future will be. Harriet Agnew reports at the FT: By 2050, it is estimated that 70 per cent of the world’s populations will be in cities. Three million people migrate to cities every week and of the top 10 largest cities in 1950 — a list that included London, Paris and New York — only one of them, Tokyo, is among the top 10 largest cities today. The others have been pushed out by fast-growing cities in Asia and Africa such as Shanghai, Lagos, and Delhi. Already some of the ecological and … [Read more...]
Prophetic Statements to be Studied: Investors be Warned
“If ye are prepared ye shall not fear,” is from the Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and is quoted in Prophetic Statements on Food Storage for Latter-day Saints, by Neil H. Leash. In the forward to Leash’s book, Duane S. Crowther, author of Inspired Prophetic Warnings, advises to avoid fear and anxiety by making sound preparations, and to approach the subject with an “urgent calm” rather than anxiety and alarm. Leash and Crowther aren’t simply talking about food storage. They’re talking about preserving your well-being beyond food, including money … [Read more...]
Is Voice Shopping Already Dead?
Amazon has dominated the market for smart speakers with Alexa. The allure of being able to shop via voice may have helped Amazon sell its speakers, but voice shopping isn’t catching on. Bloomberg reports that Amazon has sold about 50 million Alexa devices, but only 2% of people have made a purchase using their voice. And 90% of people who tried to make purchases using Alexa haven’t tried it again. Sans the shopping is Alexa anything more than a better sounding Siri? About 2% of people with devices that use Amazon’s Alexa intelligent assistant, mostly Amazon’s own Echo line of speakers, … [Read more...]
The Good News Continues for Dividend-Centric Investors
There’s a certain discipline required of the stock investor whom adheres to a dividend-centric investment strategy. It’s not for the FOMO (fear of missing out) crowd that talks up their latest stock heroics at cocktail parties—a never in doubt but often wrong crowd if I’ve ever seen one. At the end of the day, it’s the dividend investor whom usually has the last laugh. Looks like a truckload of cash from the recent tax cut will be paid out in the form of dividends. Young Research's Retirement CompoundersSM Portfolio, a dividend-centric stock portfolio, has outperformed the DJIA and the … [Read more...]
Australia’s Bad Drought Puts Farmers at Risk
Rob Taylor reports in The Wall Street Journal that the long dry spell in Australia is putting farmers at risk of going completely out of business. He writes: A severe drought has gripped an area of Australia more than twice the size of Texas, turning normally fertile crop areas into dust bowls, draining water reserves and leaving wine-producing regions parched. Hungry kangaroos are turning up in cities. Millions of dollars of farm equipment is idle across vast expanses of agricultural land in the continent’s east, and farmers are wondering if they should bother planting summer … [Read more...]
A $35k House that Makes its Own Water, Grows Food, and Is Energy Self-Sufficient.
Bloomberg reports on micro houses that may provide a solution to the global housing shortage. The tiny 22-square-meter (237-square-foot) prototype, on display on United Nations Plaza, is designed for a family of four. It’s self-sustaining, producing drinkable water from the air, energy from the sun and food from a vertical vegetable garden embedded in the exterior walls. And at an expected price of about $35,000, it may provide an affordable answer to a global housing shortage. “In this climate, this home would produce enough food for a family of four for about 260 days” out of a year, … [Read more...]
Where Brick and Mortar Retail is Actually Having Success
Brick and mortar retailers have been in taking it in the neck for a few years now, but one area where it still pays to have a physical location is selling building supplies. Kimberly Chin reports in The Wall Street Journal that Home Depot has raised it earnings and sales targets for 2018. She writes: Home Depot Inc. HD -0.54% raised its earnings and sales targets for the year as it continued to benefit from robust home-improvement activity and a strong U.S. economy in the latest quarter. The Atlanta company on Tuesday said it is targeting sales growth of about 7% and comparable-store sales … [Read more...]
Can Crypto-Currencies Ever be Safe?
After hackers stole digital currency assets from South Korean currency exchange Coinrail recently, the question must be asked, can bitcoin and other crypto-currencies be safe? The problems don't seem to lie in the blockchain technology, but instead in the exchanges that provide servicing to crypto-currency users. This isn't the first time an exchange has been hacked, or even the second or third time. So users must take into account the idea that the place housing their crypto-currencies may not be altogether safe. Can you imagine a rash of bank robberies in your town, but without any FDIC … [Read more...]
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