This is an excerpt from ETF Battles on ETFguide TV between LQD vs. JNK – two bond ETFs at opposite spectrums of credit risk. Who wins the battle? In our latest ETF Battles, Ron DeLegge at ETFguide referees the match-up between the iShares iBoxx $ Investment Grade Bond ETF (LQD) and the SPDR Barclays Capital …
News flash: Investors who assumed their investments in conservative bonds and bond funds (Nasdaq:LSBRX) were safe from losses are learning otherwise. Since mid-2016, the performance for U.S. bonds (NYSEARCA:BND) with top credit grades have sunk almost 4%. For perspective, the 12-month yield on ETFs tracking the Barclays U.S. Aggregate Bond Index is just 2.40%. Put another …
How many people sold their stocks at the 2009 bottom, went to cash and then bought gold at its 2011 peak? In my latest Index Investing Show podcast episode, I explain how “double whammy” effect has damaged certain investment portfolios so severely, the losses could be catastrophic. The solution for investors sitting on big losses from precious metals (NYSEARCA:GLTR) is …
(Podcast) Deconstructing the “Double Whammy” Effect on Gold Portfolios Read More »
Many investment portfolios reflect the lives of their owners; they’re cluttered, scattered, and completely disorganized. In my latest podcast, Welcome to Portfolio School!, I talk about how good organization within your investment portfolio contributes to better results. And a big part of being organized means having smart asset location. This boils down to making sure you’re …
(Podcast) Well Organized Portfolios Aren’t Accidental Read More »
Multi-asset class funds and ETFs are designed to invest across various asset classes like stocks, bonds, commodities, real estate, and other alternatives. In the ETF marketplace, examples of these types of multi-asset class funds are the Multi-Asset Diversified Income ETF (NYSEARCA:MDIV), iShares Core Growth Allocation ETF (NYSEARCA:AOR), and the iShares Morningstar Multi-Asset Income ETF (NYSEARCA:IYLD). (Audio) Portfolio …
Q&A: Is Buying a Multi-Asset Fund Near Retirement a Good Idea? Read More »
“If investing is entertaining, if you’re having fun, you’re probably not making any money. Good investing is boring,” observed George Soros. Which sector of the stock market fits that description? “Boring” is the one adjective that aptly describes the ho-hum utilities (NYSEARCA:XLU) sector. This particular segment of the stock market has been long associated with …
The financial services industry likes to preach the benefits of compounding returns and long-term investing. Have they overstated or even misstated their cause? It’s common for industry types to illustrate unrealistic long-term time horizons of 100 or 200 years of equity returns (NYSEARCA:DIA) to prove that we should be long-term investors. The problem with this …
Diversification means different things to different people. In some cultures, diversification means having large families to diversify so that when mom and dad get old, there will be plenty of children and grandchildren to care for them in their old age. For the individual investor, diversification boils down to spreading your risk across a variety …
Portfolio Report Card: A $512,000 One-Trick Pony Read More »
At the beginning of the year, the yield on 10-Year U.S. Treasuries was just shy of 3% and appeared ready for takeoff into the stratosphere. Alas, the long-awaited period of runaway interest rates had arrived! The something weird happened. U.S. Treasury yields (ChicagoOptions:^TNX)– like a schizophrenic mad scientist straight out of the movies – suddenly …
Don’t Let the ‘Great Yield Slide’ Punch You in the Nose Read More »
Will dividend yields test 1999 lows? That was the title of my post from a few weeks ago in which I explained to readers how the dividend income drought facing investors continues into 2014. Interestingly, the Federal Reserve’s initiation of ZIRP (zero interest rate policy) on Dec. 16, 2008 wasn’t the beginning of the bear …
The past six years have been brutal for dividend and income investors. Zero percent interest rates have depressed bond yields (NYSEARCA:BOND) and with major stock indexes (^DJI) now trading at all-time highs, dividend yields relative to prices have fallen too. Last year, the number of S&P 500 (NYSEARCA:SPY) stocks paying a dividend touched a 17-year …
What’s better? A covered call options strategy executed by the individual investor or a covered call ETF or fund that proposes to do the heavy lifting? Selling covered calls is a popular investment technique used by investors with high income or cash flow as their primary goal. The investor is “covered” because they own the …
Debt ceilings have done little to curb the U.S. government’s escalating debt load and if you thought overspending was a serious problem before, welcome to the next cycle. That’s because U.S. politicians just approved a bill that suspends the government’s borrowing limit until March 16, 2015. That means no more last minute showdowns about a …