You don't have to have a ton of money to have a retirement worth living for. I was reminded of this last week while spending time at our log cabin in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. The highlight of our trip ended up being a hike, which was basically free, and not all of the other attractions that drain the wallet and add to the waistline. We did three hikes. Two were pretty easy and one was tough. Mount Jackson was the tough one. It's one of the 4,000 footers in the Presidential Range. The nice thing about this 4,000 footer is you start at around 1,000 ft. What stands above … [Read more...]
The Monday Melee: Sunken Ships and Sinking Yields
What We're Reading: David Epstein: Are athletes really getting faster, better, stronger? Finance 101 in Kindergarten. (The Wall Street Journal) A hawk in a sea of doves. (The Wall Street Journal) This time is different...really, I promise! (Yahoo! Finance) Secrets of ancient ship found beneath World Trade Center revealed (Washington Post) Another huge default threatens China. (Bloomberg) China's hill of beans. (Foreign Policy) High Yield Bonds Send Signal of Caution … [Read more...]
Top 10 S&P 500 Stocks: 2014
You can learn a lot about the nature of a stock market rally simply by observing which stocks are leading the market. Below I present to you the list of the 10 best performing S&P 500 stocks since the Federal Reserve officially announced the third round of its quantitative easing program in September of 2012. It is true that the last leg of this bull market started earlier, but since QE3 officially started, the gains have been relentless and the corrections shallow. COMPANY SYMBOL RETURN SINCE 9/13/12 NETFLIX INC NFLX 628.8 MICRON … [Read more...]
How Much for a BTU?
Record low temperatures in much of the U.S. have kept air conditioners from running, and electricity demand low. The low demand, coupled with an inventory buildup running at a record pace, has led to price declines for natural gas. As you can see on my chart of estimated energy costs per million BTUs for various fuel sources, natural gas is heading toward parity with coal. Meanwhile prices for oil remain elevated, and post-Fukushima Uranium prices continue to fall. … [Read more...]
Piping Hot Growth
Four Percent! Can you believe it? The first estimate of second quarter GDP growth was released this week and it came in at a piping hot 4%. That is the third highest quarterly growth rate since the recovery began and only the seventh time in the last 56 quarters that growth has been so high. But before you start celebrating, I should note that the 4% growth rate comes with an asterisks. Much of the growth in the second quarter was simply catch up from an especially weak first quarter. After revisions, the Bureau of Economic Analysis said GDP in the first quarter contracted at an annual … [Read more...]
Gut Check: Confidence Rises to Post Recession High
Consumer confidence has risen to another post-recession high. The Conference Board's Index of consumer confidence has nearly topped its historical mean, something it hasn't done since October of 2007. … [Read more...]
Your Best One-Two Punch
For my money the best balanced fund combination is a 50/50 mix of Vanguard Wellesley and Wellington. For clients I prefer a mix of Young Research's retirement compounder stocks and individual bonds and bond funds. The key difference from the Wellesley and Wellington mix is our stocks provide an eclectic group of international holdings and the bonds have a shorter maturity. But as you can see with my chart it's the balanced approach that gives you the confidence to stay in the fight. … [Read more...]
The Only Stocks We Buy
You read last week about putting margin of safety to work in your portfolio. I told you about three strategies we use to pick stocks with the margin of safety in mind. The first and most important is that the only stocks we buy pay dividends. Below you’ll read an excerpt explaining the benefits of dividend investing from our free special report, Collecting Rare and Hard to Find Dividends. I’ll detail the other strategies in the weeks ahead. Reduce Risk with Dividend Stocks What’s more, dividends help reduce portfolio volatility. Figure 3 shows that high-yielding stocks have been less … [Read more...]
Words from the Wise
Richard Russell's timeless Rich Man, Poor Man has been there for me when I needed some perspective. I hope it will do the same for you. RICH MAN, POOR MAN: In the investment world the wealthy investor has one major advantage over the little guy, the stock market amateur and the neophyte trader. The advantage that the wealthy investor enjoys is that HE DOESN'T NEED THE MARKETS. I can't begin to tell you what a difference that makes, both in one's mental attitude and in the way one actually handles one's money. The wealthy investor doesn't need the markets, because he already has all the … [Read more...]
The Investment Idea that made Warren Buffett Billions
Last week E.J. posted part I in his series on Benjamin Graham’s The Intelligent Investor. You may have heard this from us before, but it is worth repeating for the benefit of those who have not. The Intelligent Investor truly is the best investment book ever written. It is a timeless classic that remains as relevant today as it was when it was first published over six decades ago. Not a single investment book comes close to providing the fundamental insights that Graham so masterfully delivers in The Intelligent Investor. If you don’t yet have a copy, order one today. It will be the best … [Read more...]
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