Category: Investments
Why Series “I”? The Benefits of Investing in Savings Bonds
With the Federal Funds rate hovering around 5%, there are many places to park your cash and receive a good deal of interest. Some of these investments include high-yield savings, certificates of deposit, treasury bills, and treasury notes. With so many choices, how is a saver to choose? How to invest is a deeply personal…
Treasury Bonds vs. Options Trading: Graduate to the Next Phase of Investing
We rarely get to compare two completely opposite things—usually, there is no point. However, let’s make an exception in this case because both investment vehicles can help us reach our financial goals. Buying treasury bonds and trading options are about as far apart on the risk totem pole as possible. Treasuries give investors a risk-free…
Trading Long Strangles for Passive Income
Trading options on the stock market is not for the faint of heart. However, you have come to the right place if you want big returns (for taking big risks). Trading options can be a very emotional experience because the stock market can make you feel like an idiot sometimes. Therefore, finding the options strategy…
How to FALL into Investing 3
Every fall season brings a new set of change and intrigue. We go into the holiday season filled with love, joy, and excitement. We may as well also enter the season with a lot of money. To be the giving person we want to be, we need additional income outside our job—passive income. Building a…
Investing for Interest 117: Treasury Bills vs. Treasury Notes vs. Treasury Bonds
Choice is the spice of life. When it comes to building an emergency fund, saving for our children, or investing for the future, we have many options. To effectively use these options, you must understand each of their individual metrics and make decisions that best suit your income needs. Welcome to the Investing for Interest…
Income for Retirement: Understanding High-Yield Dividend Stocks
Retirement can be scary because you lose the safety and security of receiving a monthly paycheck from your company. What if you could still get monthly paychecks from Fortune 500 companies during retirement? We need a high level of income to satisfy our financial needs during retirement so we can invest in companies that pay…
T-Bill & Chill: What Are Treasury Bills?
Welcome to the world of Treasuries, where we maximize returns by investing with the US Government. I have covered Treasuries extensively over the last two years. However, I haven’t peeled back the onion on Treasury Bills, also referred to as T-Bills. Let’s take a look at how T-Bills compare to other Treasuries. What are Treasuries?…
Income for Retirement 5: Understanding Business Development Companies
America is the land of small business. When small businesses thrive, so does the American economy. We need to leverage these small businesses to build income for our retirement. Picking small-cap stocks can be tricky. You must do a lot of research to stay on top of small companies as the media covers them less…
Income for Retirement: Understanding Dividend ETFs
I love being a hands-on dividend investor and picking individual stocks along the way. Reading stock market news every night before bed gives me great pleasure. However, most people don’t want to spend this much time and effort to get great returns from the stock market. Everyone needs income for retirement, so what can more…
The Dividend Debit Card 3: Dividends in Daily Life
Every day with dividends is a gift, and it’s even better when they arrive directly in your checking account. I have been dividend investing for over four years; it becomes more interesting and fun each year. The key to successful dividend investing is enjoying the fruits of your labor. Dividends are best when you can…
Income for Retirement: Understanding Mortgage REITs
We all need some bonus income throughout our retirement. Wouldn’t it be nice to have an extra $200 to $400 arriving in our checking account every month? Mortgage Real Estate Investment Trusts (mREITs) make great sources of bonus income. Of all the types of income investing products, mREITs are the toughest to master. Welcome back…
Income for Retirement: Understanding Closed-End Funds
Throughout our working lives, we depend on income to sustain our lifestyles. Why should things be different during retirement? No matter our age, we must pay bills, purchase food, and allocate resources for travel; these things will never fade away. Therefore, we need to create a consistent paycheck to match or exceed our monthly expenses—enter…
Income for Retirement: Understanding Preferred Shares
Retirement comes for all of us; whether we prepare appropriately for it is a different story. But we all have time to ensure our income is sufficient to last our entire lives. The first step to living a great retirement is determining how much income you need. Then, you can choose the instruments that best…
Dividend Investing vs. Options Trading: Let’s Start with $10,000
The world of high finance is a fantastic place to build wealth and live your dreams. However, without financial education, your dreams can become nightmares. If you can save $10,000, you can consider yourself an Elite Saver of America. But now it’s time to make your money generate more money. Dividend investing and options trading…
Investing for Interest 116: Series “I” Bonds vs. Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities
We all must position our money to beat inflation. We can do this by investing in dividends, real estate, royalties, and businesses. Once we start earning additional cash, we must invest it into securities that also attempt to beat inflation. Two safe government-sponsored inflation-beating products are Series “I” Bonds and Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS). Financial…
How to Become an Income Investor
Are you ready to make the leap into earning passive income? Do you want to live the life of your dreams without restraint? There are many ways to earn passive income; however, dividends require the least amount of physical work. On the flip side, dividends require the most cash to generate significant returns for you…
Investing for Interest 115: Tips for Buying T.I.P.S.
Writing this article on Treasury Inflation-Protected Securities (TIPS) took me over a year because they are incredibly complex and tough to understand. Over the last year, I have come to understand them more; however, I have yet to become an expert. I will direct you to others who have even more guidance about TIPS. I…
5 Takeaways from “Mean Reversion Trading”
“Mean Reversion Trading” by Nishant Pant is a deep dive into the world of options trading. I am new to the options trading scene, and this book provided a lot of information I needed. Trading options can be quite lucrative; however, you must balance fear and greed daily. You can use a hefty amount of…
CDs versus Bonds: The Battle for Your Hard-Earned Cash
The first step to becoming an investor is earning interest on your money. It may sound trivial, but most people don’t arrive at this achievement. I wrote an entire series on the benefits of earning interest from multiple sources such as high-yield savings accounts, certificates of deposit, Series “I” Savings Bonds, and Treasury Bonds. Today,…
Retirement & Dividends: Enjoy Your Time Off
Today was my first day of retirement, and it was incredible. There is something extraordinary about waking up and not having to go to work. I retired from the Marine Corps after 24 years. My wife and I chose Pensacola, Florida, to lay our heads. The weather in Pensacola is beautiful; however, it is definitely…
