"The stocks in our Cash Cows portfolio keep the checks coming regardless of riots in Europe, revolutions in the Middle East, or natural disasters in the Pacific," says income specialist Neil George.

The editor of The Pay Me Strategy explains, "This doesn't mean that our Cash Cows won't occasionally see negative price action on a given day or week; but you can be confident that any price setbacks will be temporary.

"The the foundation of this portfolio is four core global bond investment funds.

Continue reading Cash Cows: Four Favorites for Global Income

Cash Cows: Four Favorites for Global Income originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Investors should not forget that we tend to have the best news at market tops and the worst news at or near the bottoms; that means that a rising tide of bad news is an important part of the bottoming process," explains Keith Fitz-Gerald.

Emphasizing the need for patience in the current environment, the editor of The Money Map Report is maintaining a diversified portfolio including several quality income-oriented positions from Nuveen, PIMCO ad Vanguard. Here's a trio funds for safety and income.

"Nuveen Quality Income Municipal Fund (NYSE: NQU) seeks current income exempt from regular federal income tax. A lot of folks are fleeing munis right now because they're fearful of the credit crisis and an anticipated wave of municipal defaults.

"What makes NQU appealing is that it concentrates substantially all of its assets in a diversified portfolio of AA federal tax-exempt investments, which gives it an added safety cushion. Right now the taxable equivalent distribution rate is 9%.

"And don't forget: Right now it's selling at 7.97% below its net asset value. This gives us a super way to potentially achieve over 16% this year. That's especially appealing given how the markets are behaving lately.

Continue reading 'Money Map' to safe returns: A trio of income funds

'Money Map' to safe returns: A trio of income funds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 05 Dec 2008 11:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"With the government set to bail out a trillion dollars in debt, what should you buy?" asks Neil George, editor of Personal Finance. "Bond funds are the foundation that steadies your portfolio."

"While the Fed and the Treasury work to bail out a trillion dollars in debt, other governments around the planet seems to be jumping on board this train; similar deals are being cut from the UK to Russia to Japan and beyond.

"The result is a big surge of short-covering and rampant buying as the markets trade and party like it's 1999 again. But is this a good thing?

"Although it might satisfy the political agendas of government leaders, these moves do pretty much nothing to restore normal risk and reward characteristics that make for a productive free market system.

"Meanwhile, bonds are what continue to perform. The rally in stock might continue for a time, but when more and more serious investors and traders begin to figure out the ramifications of the government's heavily expanded role in the formally private sector, it won't take long for another selloff to materialize.

Continue reading Bailout blues? 'Buy closed-end bond funds'

Bailout blues? 'Buy closed-end bond funds' originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Wed, 24 Sep 2008 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Here's a peek at what analysts surveyed by Thomson Financial are expecting from companies scheduled to report quarterly results in the first week of June, 2008.

The following companies are expected to post earnings growth, compared to the same period in the previous year:

• Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) up 136.6% (from a loss) to $1.12 per share, on $499.1 million in revenue
• Lululemon Athletica Inc. (NASDAQ: LULU) up 58.3% to 12 cents per share, on $71.8 million in revenue
• Vimpelcom Communications (NYSE: VIP) up 54.2% to 59 cents per share, on $2.1 billion in revenue
• Focus Media Ltd. (NASDAQ: FMCN) up 36.4% to 33 cents per share, on $161.3 million in revenue
• Ciena Corp. (NASDAQ: CIEN) up 29.7% to 37 cents per share, on $238.4 million in revenue
• Greif Inc. (NYSE: GEF) up 24.1% to 87 cents per share, on $839.9 million in revenue
• Vail Resorts Inc. (NYSE: MTN) up 18.4% to $2.44 per share, on $474.8 million in revenue
• Guess? Inc. (NYSE: GES) up 17.4% to 46 cents per share, on $451.6 million in revenue
• Del Monte Foods Co. (NYSE: DLM) up 15.4% to 26 cents per share, on $1.0 billion in revenue
• Cooper Companies Inc. (NYSE: COO) up 14.6% to 48 cents per share, on $256.7 million in revenue
• Jackson Hewitt Tax Service Inc. (NYSE: JTX) up 1.9% to $2.08 per share, on $161.6 million in revenue

Continue reading Earnings expectations: Take-Two, Lululemon, Williams-Sonoma, Toll Bros. and others

Earnings expectations: Take-Two, Lululemon, Williams-Sonoma, Toll Bros. and others originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 16:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

"Buy bonds," says income expert Neil George, adding "More and more folks are heading for the door on stocks and are moving toward quality."

The senior editor of Personal Finance explains, "This means bonds-but not just any bonds: government and upper-tier corporate bonds." Here's a trio of favorites.

"We start with AllianceBernstein Global High Income Fund (NYSE: AWF). This fund owns a collection of government and government agency bonds, along with some selected high-quality domestic and foreign corporates that add to our stability.

"We aren't just locked into the US and the US dollar; we have exposure to the best of Europe, Asia and elsewhere, too. The average duration (measurement of price against changes in yield) is a conservative but attractive 7.4 years.

"The fund generates a yield just shy of 8% and has given us a positive performance of near 100% during the past five years. It trades at a discount of more than 6% to meltdown value.

Continue reading Income expert bets on trio of closed-end bond funds

Income expert bets on trio of closed-end bond funds originally appeared on BloggingStocks on Fri, 21 Mar 2008 09:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.