I took a glance around the gym from my courtside seat on the baseline.

Yup, I was definitely the only person in attendance without a kid playing in the game. My face was the giveaway. I wasn’t emotionally invested. I was detached. Analytical. Calculating.

I was a scout.

That’s right, your investment strategist—who coached the previous game—waved farewell “for a few minutes” to his wife and kids in the parking lot to watch the “beginning” of the next contest.

Forty minutes later, I was excitedly texting my assistant coaches with my findings. No reply, however, because they were likely having dinner with their families like normal people.… Read more

A major AI upgrade just crushed software stocks. We’re going to cash in with two “volatility-loving” dividends paying 7.5%+.

Just days ago, new AI tools were rolled out that let bots make entire apps by themselves. It’s not a big leap from there to the question a lot of people are asking now:

“Why would anyone buy software from a Microsoft (MSFT) or a Salesforce (CRM) if AI can just build for free?” 

It’s legit, and it sent these stocks tumbling. It’s frankly hard to know which breakthrough will come next, though financials and office REITs have been pressured in the last couple days.… Read more

The recent plunge in software stocks is another reminder that AI is rattling through the economy, setting off rapid change and disruption wherever it goes.

Investors sold software stocks on fears that new AI tools will make it easier for individuals to create their own apps, potentially taking business from software developers.

This is a big change—and here’s some news that might surprise you: For income investors, it sets up another way to tap AI’s growth for dividends. We welcome that; in the early days of AI, the only real ways to get in were through low- (or no-) payers like NVIDIA (NVDA).… Read more

The broader market is expensive right now. Price-to-earnings (P/E) ratios in the 20s and even 30s and higher are the current “norm.”

No thanks—we’ll take a look in the bargain bin.

Today we’ll discuss a four-pack of dirt-cheap dividend payers dishing between 4% and 9.2%. They are much cheaper than their peers. Check it out:

• The S&P 500’s forward P/E (22.2) has only been this high twice in the past 40 years: the COVID bottom and recovery, and the dot-com bubble and burst.

• The small-cap Russell 2000’s forward P/E (26.5) isn’t in as rarefied air, but it’s still near the top of its historic long-term range.

We need to talk about this bitcoin plunge.

I know. We’re income investors, so you may be wondering why we need to talk about crypto at all, right?

Two reasons.

First, there are bitcoin-driven income ETFs out there. And I’m concerned this latest drop might convince some people that these funds are a good value now. (Hint: They’re not.)

Second, I’m concerned the cryptocurrency’s latest drop might ward investors off of income-focused closed-end funds (CEFs) that focus on the technology sector as a whole. That would be a mistake. The truth is, bitcoin’s struggles have given us an opening on these high-yield funds.… Read more

Real estate investment trusts (REITs) tend to shine when there is a lid on interest rates. And that rate top is secure, for reasons we’ll review shortly.

Net lease REITs, in particular, are compelling here. They are the boring landlords of the real economy. (Yawn? Love that reaction from vanilla income investors!)

The net lease landlords own the pharmacies down the street, the big-box retailers at the busy intersections, and the warehouses and distribution hubs we pass on the highway. These REITs sit back and collect rent checks while the tenants pay their own way.

Here’s how the business model works:

1. The REIT buys the property and builds (or renovates) the facility to rent out.

This administration is set on cutting interest rates—and they have the tools to do it.

The last thing we contrarian income investors want to do is fight Uncle Sam. Instead, we’re going to front-run his moves with an 11% payer that’s set up nicely for what’s coming.

The reason behind the lower-rate push is pretty obvious: 2026 is an election year, and the administration wants lower borrowing costs heading into the vote.

Bessent, Not Powell (Or Warsh) Is the One to Watch Here

Most people think Jay Powell, or newly nominated Fed chief Kevin Warsh, are the lynchpins here. But when it comes to rates, the real power lies with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.… Read more

Utility stocks have been on a roll as more people come to see them as a way to play AI’s bottomless power demand.

Let me say off the top that this does not mean the “AI-power trade” is played out. Far from it.

But it does mean we need to pick our spots when investing in the sector. To that end, I’m going to give you my two-part strategy on how to approach utility stocks now.

The first part: We go with 8%+ paying closed-end funds (CEFs) to play this sector. There’s a simple reason for that: Utility CEFs pay far higher yields than individual utilities or ETFs.… Read more

New tariffs. A government shutdown. A brutal selloff in the software sector with speculation that AI will eat everything in its wake.

Concerned about a pullback? An outright bear market? Fair enough and, if so, let’s talk about beta.

Low beta stocks are our best friends for surviving a bear market. Stocks with betas below 1 are considered less volatile than the overall market. For example, we’d expect a stock with a beta of 0.5 to drop only half as much as the S&P 500 during a pullback.

Let’s consider low-beta fund iShares MSCI USA Min Vol Factor ETF (USMV), which did its job in the leadup to the “Liberation Day” panic last year.… Read more

A multi-year disconnect in high-yielding REITs is about to turn on its head. When it does, these solid income plays are poised to shoot ahead of stocks.

I’m talking about a quick reversal of pretty well everything investors thought had REITs left for dead, interest rate trends and the work-from-home shift among them.

Now is the time to buy. And we contrarian income investors know the play:

At times like these, we look to 8%+ paying closed-end funds (CEFs) to reap the strongest dividends and potential upside.

I say this as REITs, long-time market outperformers, have been stuck in an unusually long slump.… Read more