Profitable Investing Tips
Should You Really Sell Your Investments in May?
“Sell in May and go away” is an old investment adage that seems to be true more often than not. Should you really sell your investments in May or simply stop trading stocks? CNBC notes that the recent rally might be a concern because after the previous early year rally stocks plummeted over the summer.
Stocks have surged through April in their best start to a year in 32 years.
But, markets don’t have a good track record of following up on a rally of that size.
“There are four other years since World War II that the S&P was up at least […]
Investing in Canadian Banks
Bank stocks in the USA have been suspect ever since they led us into the financial crisis with their predatory lending practices. However, right next door in Canada, the banks have followed more conservative practices and several are ideal long term investment opportunities. A common practice, among Canadians, is investing in Canadian banks when their stock price falls, dividend percentage rises, and P/E ratio drops. The three Canadian banks we have in mind are these.
Toronto Dominion (TD)
Royal Bank of Canada (RY)
Scotiabank (BNS)
These are the three largest Canadian banks.
New banks are rare in Canada because the regulatory hurdles are so difficult […]
Can You Diversity Your Investments too Much?
It is a good idea to diversify your portfolio of investments. Doing so reduces the risk of loss by spreading out your investments over several vehicles and several sectors of the stock market. But, can you diversify too much? The answer is, yes. There comes a point where adding more stocks, for example, does not improve your risk profile but makes it harder to keep track of your individual investments. And it takes you away from investments that you understand. If you are a dedicated long term investor, you will routinely review your portfolio and assess intrinsic stock value. While […]
How to Buy Stock Directly
Long term investing works out well when you choose secure investments whose value appreciates over time. Investments like dividend stocks are a good choice because the dividends can be reinvested during the early years and taken as income during retirement. Many dividend stock investors take advantage of dividend reinvestment plans but these plans are also how to buy stock directly without ever going through a broker.
How to Buy Stock Directly with Dividend Reinvestment Plans
If you already own stock in a company that has a dividend reinvestment plan, all you need to do is sign up and the company will reinvest […]
Would “Medicare for All” Kill Your Health Care Investments?
The next U.S. presidential election is 19 months away and politicking is already in full swing. An issue that was raised by candidate and Senator Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential campaign has come back with a bang. It is “Medicare for all.” Sanders, and now several others, are proposing that all Americans be covered by a health care program run by the U.S. government instead of private insurance under the current Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). While this may or may not be a good idea for taking care of sick people, investors need to wonder, would “Medicare for […]
Choosing Undervalued Investments
Choosing undervalued investments that the market has ignored or misunderstood can be very profitable. But, the key to this manner of investing in stocks is to find investments with hidden value and not just use a stock screener to find cheap investments. There are always reasons why the market prices a given stock as it does. Investments that are really undervalued are being ignored by the market because they are small stocks, stocks that no analysts are following, or stocks that the market in general does not understand and therefore gives them a too-low stock valuation.
Because the stock is being […]
Best Way to Find Good Stocks
The stock market has been going up for a decade ever since the depths of the Financial Crisis. During that time S&P 500 has more than tripled in value. Many investors who were hurt badly by the stock market crash of 2008 to 2009 have hesitated to reenter the market. And, many who might have invested in stocks are unsure of how to find good stocks and how to avoid losing everything should the market correct or crash again. A valid concern for investors today is not buying overpriced stocks in an aging bull market. Likewise, investors want to find […]
When Is a High Dividend Yield Dangerous?
Dividend stocks are generally good investments. When a company is well-run and routinely making money, it can afford to reward its shareholders with quarterly dividend payments. Companies that have been paying and routinely increasing their dividends for decades or even more than a century are cornerstones of a strong investment portfolio. When looking for dividend stocks, investors often screen for the highest yields. But, when is a high dividend yield dangerous? In this article, we are going to look briefly at dividend stock investing and dividend reinvesting. Then, we will look at when to avoid a too-high dividend when choosing […]
Which of Your Safe Investments Will Amazon.com Kill Next?
We invest to make more money, do the things in life that we want, and have enough for a comfortable retirement. It has always been good advice to balance your investment portfolio with a combination of the very safe and the somewhat risky investments with growth potential. We often mention our article about how to invest without losing any money. Although the main focus is on cash in the bank, treasuries, and corporate bonds we also give a nod to value investments which are “safe stocks.” Unfortunately, many investments previously thought to be safe have been destroyed in the era […]
What is Intrinsic Stock Value?
Intrinsic stock value is a concept that emerged from the carnage of the 1929 to 1932 stock market crash. It is a way to invest rationally as opposed to investing by guess work, which is closer to gambling. To get a sense of the way this concept changed the face of investing we need to go back to an era where investing in the stock market really did resemble gambling at the casino.
“Playing the Market” in the 1920s
A common expression during the steady rise of the American stock market in the roaring twenties was to “play the stock market.” Many […]