How to Earn 5% Tax Free on Your Money

New York Tax Free Municipal Bond

We are in the midst of tax season right now, and many investors are looking at the interest and dividends showing up on their tax returns. It would be great if you could convert that taxable income into non-taxable income. The best way to get tax free interest is from municipal bonds.

You have a couple options: one is to owns the bonds directly and the other is by purchasing municipal bond closed end funds, often referred to as tax-free CEFs or tax-free stocks. These CEFs own municipal bonds that pay interest which is exempt from Federal income taxes and may be exempt from state income taxes if issued in the state you live in or issued by one of the US territories, such as Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, or Guam. Municipal bonds are usually issued by states, counties, cities, and other governmental entities such as school districts, sewer districts, bridges, and water and power departments. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has list of over 100 tax-free income CEFs, and more than 85 with yields more than than 5%.

The advantages of these CEFs are numerous. Almost all of them pay dividends on a monthly basis, whereas, if you by an individual bond, the interest is paid semi-annually. CEFs have no minimum investment, whereas municipal bonds are sold in $5,000 denominations and many brokers have minimum purchase requirements of $15,000 to $25,000. You also have better liquidity with CEFs as prices are quoted real time and quotes are immediately available on the Internet, unlike individual bonds. In addition, CEFs provide diversification by owning many bonds in the portfolio. One other advantage is that you can often buy many of these CEFs at a discount from net asset value.

The Nuveen Insured Municipal Opportunity Fund (NIO) pays a generous yield of 6.0% and is selling at a 7.9% discount. The Net Asset Value, also known as the NAV, is the intrinsic value of the shares if the entire fund were liquidated and all the funds distributed among the shareholders. The leverage ratio is 36.84%, about average of the ratios of all the leveraged muni CEFs. The management fee is 0.63%.

The Dreyfus Strategic Municipal Bond Fund (DSM), founded in 1989, also yields 6.0%, and is selling for a 4.3% discount to Net Asset Value. The fund does utilize some leveraging, currently 31.27%, which is a bit lower than many other tax free CEFs. The advisor fee is 0.50%.

For New Yorker, there is the Eaton Vance Insured New York Municipal Bond Fund (ENX) yielding 5.4%, and was founded in 2001. It trades at a 7.2% discount to NAV. Leverage is 38.16%.

California residents may consider the Invesco Van Kampen California Value Municipal Income Fund (VCV), with a payout rate of 5.9%. It has a discount to NAV of 4.2%, with leverage of 35.57%. The company was founded in 1992.

Here are some issues to watch out for before investing in tax free CEFs:
* a highly leveraged portfolio
* high management/advisor fees
* trading at a premium to net asset value
* bonds which are subject to the Alternative Minimum Tax
* low quality bonds in the portfolio

But there is one other significant risk: an increase in interest rates, which will cause the bonds to drop in price and therefore causing the CEFs to fall also. Over the last several years, rates have remained low. Interest rates will rise eventually, but when rates rise is the big unknown.

A list of tax free income closed end funds, which includes yields, discounts and premiums, leverage, management fees, date founded, and other information, is available at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Tim Cook & Jesse Jackson Speak at Apple Annual Shareholder Meeting

Rev. Jesse Jackson outside the
Apple (AAPL) Headquarters

The annual shareholder meeting for Apple (AAPL) was held at the Apple Headquarters in Cupertino, California at 9:00 am PT. The meeting was well attended with the main room filled to capacity and the overflow room almost filled.

First, the resolutions were voted upon. The resolutions along with the results were:

1. Election of Directors: All voted in
2. Appointment of Ernst & Young as registered public accountant: Passed
3. Executive compensation: Passed
4. Employee Stock Plan: Passed
5. Net-Zero Greenhouse Gas Emissions: Failed
6. Diversity: Failed
7. Human Rights Review: Failed
8. Shareholder Proxy Access: Failed

Then they moved on to Tim Cook giving a review of operations during the last year. Highlights are:

• 19 acquisitions
• 116,000 employees worldwide
• $50 billion in capital returned to shareholders
• Dividend increases
• Moving forward with diversity
• Education - teaching coding to students in stores
• Looking at equality and equal pay
• All operations in the US now operating on renewable energy, 77% worldwide with 100% goal
• Raising the standards of suppliers

Finally the question and answer period.

The first was a representative from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, who didn't ask a question, but she spoke in support of Tim Cook and Apple Inc. with regards to the privacy issue of the iPhones and the conflict with the FBI.

Rev. Jesse jackson being
interviewed by
FOX, CNBC, and CBS

Second, Reverend Jesse Jackson spoke. First, he talked about how he supported Tim Cook's and Apple's stance against the FBI. He mentioned the historical abuses of privacy by the government. He also complimented Tim Cook on the diversity progress. Finally, he was concerned about the diversity shareholder proposal not passing.

"It will not stop at one phone." ~ Jesse Jackson

Another question was about the concerns of revenues continuing from China considering the country's shaky economic situation. Cook said that Apple got $60 billion in revenues from China last year. He said that the Chinese middle class should increase ten-fold in five years over what it was five years ago, growing from 50 million to 500 million. Four of the five top cell phones in China were iPhones.

Another question was about the growth of sales in India, which was only $1.5 billion in revenues last year. This is because there is no LTE now, but once the infrastructure limit is dealt with, then revenue growth should take place. Cook also mentioned that half the people in India are under the age of 25, and that India is where China was ten years ago.

The new Apple headquarters campus is on target; but may not be ready for next year's annual meeting.

Cook also refused to talk about an Apple electric car.

The following is a brief podcast of Jesse Jackson speaking about Apple's fight with the FBI. Please note that recordings and pictures were not allowed in the shareholder meeting. This recording took place outside with a lot of ambient noise, so unfortunately, the first part of the recording is very hard to hear. It gets better later on in the recording.

Jesse Jackson speaking

Disclosure: Author owns AAPL.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the First Week of March

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Mosaic Co.	MOS	3/1/2016	4.5%
Whitestone REIT Cl B	WSR	3/1/2016	10.9%
Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.	AJG	3/2/2016	3.8%
American National Bankshares	AMNB	3/2/2016	3.9%
General Cable Corporation	BGC	3/2/2016	9.1%
Brooks Automation	BRKS	3/2/2016	4.3%
Chemical Financial	CHFC	3/2/2016	3.1%
Coach, Inc.	COH	3/2/2016	3.7%
Dominion Resources	D	3/2/2016	4.0%
Flowers Foods	FLO	3/2/2016	3.5%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Capitalism in Cuba? Here are the Stocks

President Castro & President Obama

President Obama is planning to travel to Cuba next month, the first sitting president in almost a century to do so. In addition, the first U.S. based company has received approval to build a factory in Cuba, according to National Public Radio.

With the trend of Americans being allowed to travel to Cuba and use credit and debit cards there, Cuba is moving forwards into the free enterprise era.

I'm sure many American companies will begin to move forward and set up operations Cuba. For stocks of companies that already have a foothold in Cuba, there are a several companies that have Cuban connections, according to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Habana Lonja del Commercio
Stock Exchange
(Cuba Stock Exchange 1907)

The most diversified way of investing in Cuba is with the Herzfeld Caribbean Basin Fund (CUBA). It is a closed end fund which is a diversified way of playing the Cuba economy. It invests in stocks of the Caribbean Basin Countries and the US, which are expected to benefit from economic growth in Cuba, Jamaica, the Bahamas and other countries. Over the last two years and last five years, the CEF is almost unchanged. .

Sherritt International (SHERF) is a Toronto, Ontario based mining, and oil, and gas company that is one of the largest foreign investors in Cuba, having more business in Cuba than any other Canadian company. A major portion of their revenues are generated by the Moa Mine in Cuba, formerly owned by Freeport-McMoRan (FCX), as a joint venture with a Cuban government company. They also operate Varadero, Canasí, Yumuri, Puetro Escondido oil and gas fields which they have leased in Cuba. In addition, Sherritt owns, Energas, the Cuban electric utility. The stock trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange in Canada and on the Pink Sheets in the United States. Unfortunately, the company revenues are down 24.7% for the latest quarter, and is generating negative earnings.

There may be more cruise travel to Cuba. So companies such as Carnival Corp. (CCL), and Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. (RCL) should also benefit. Carnival has a trailing price to earnings ratio of 21 and a forward PE of 12. The stock generates a yield 2.6%.

 Royal Caribbean trades at 24.5 times trailing earnings and 10.5 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter spiked by an impressive 88% on a 4.6% boost in earnings. The stock pays a yield of 2.1%.

For a list of some Cuba related stocks, which includes such information as the PE ratio, the forward PE, the PEG, and the yield, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fifth Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

First Financial Bancorp	FFBC	2/29/2016	4.13%
Qualcomm, Inc.	QCOM	2/29/2016	3.96%
Xilinx	XLNX	2/29/2016	2.56%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Odds On: The Making of an Evidence-Based Investor

The book Odds On: The Making of an Evidence-Based Investorby Matt Hall,, covers the incredible journey of the author who started out working for a major brokerage firm which had as its only goal to make money for the company (not the clients) and ended up starting his own firm which puts the clients needs first and uses evidence-based investing.

 Evidence-based investing is a strategy that involves investing in a globally diversified portfolio of index funds with low management fees, using appropriate asset allocation. But the book isn't so much about evidence-based investing as it is about the journey to get there.

The author's discussion about being hired by a large stock brokerage firm when he first begins his career is fascinating. (Some of it reminds me of my days as a stockbroker years ago.)

He basically discovers that the brokers use any means possible to generate as many commissions as possible to make as much money as possible for themselves, and the clients be damned.

 One interesting tidbit in the book is how one of the top brokers in the firm would yell and scream at any client who would ask questions about a proposed stock recommendation, and would keep yelling at the client until they agree to buy the stock.

Hall eventually sees the light and finds company that really does put the customers first, utilizing evidence-based investing. He later starts his own firm, and is able to survive many substantial obstacles, such as a market crash and a very significant medical issue.

 I highly recommend that you read about Hall's incredible journey and order Odds On: The Making of an Evidence-Based Investor.

Would You Pay $80 for a Cup of Coffee Made with Cat Poop?

Have you ever had a cup of Kopi Luwak coffee? You would probably remember if you did, as it would have cost you as much as $80 for a cup. If you have never heard of Kopi Luwak, let me enlighten you. It is coffee that is made with part-digested coffee cherries which have been eaten and defecated by the Asian palm civet. A civet is an animal that is also called toddy cat. Supposedly, the digestion makes the coffee taste better.

I'm not sure if any of the major coffee chains sell Kopi Luwak, but you can buy a box of 48 ten gram sachets of Kopi Luwak Specialty Arabica House Blend Ground Gourmet Coffee for only $1,090.

There are seventeen stocks in the caffeine industry, according to the free list of coffee stocks at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. Five of them pay dividends.

Starbucks (SBUX) is the largest coffee retailer in the world, which has in excess of 21,000 shops worldwide in 65 countries. The stock trades at 35 times trailing earnings and 26 times forward earnings. Earnings dropped by 30% for the latest quarter on a revenue increase of 12% year-over-year. The stock pays a yield of 1.4%.

Coffee Holding Co. (JVA) is one of the largest wholesalers of coffee. It has almost 100 varieties of raw green coffee beans which it purchases worldwide. It resells to both small and large coffee roasters. Apparently, the huge drop in the price of coffee beans has affected this company as earnings tanked 73% on a revenue drop of 24%.

Keurig Green Mountain (GMCR), which is based in Waterbury, Vermont, trades at 30 times trailing earnings and 25 times forward earnings. Earnings for the latest reported quarter dropped 22.4% on a 9% reduction in revenues. The stock sports a yield of 1.4%.

For a free list of coffee, tea and caffeine companies which you can download, sort, and update, go to WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclaimer: Author didn't own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Selling Free Real Estate Investing Books

Do you own an Amazon (AMZN) Kindle? If so, lots of free books on real estate investing and stock market investing are available to you. Usually these books are available for a short time, so t if you have any interest in these books, you should get them right away before Amazon starts charging for them. Here are some of the best sellers. All of the following have Amazon ratings of at least four stars.

The Ultimate Real Estate Investing Blueprint: How to Quit Your Job in 19 Weeks or Less by Sean Terry

Flipping Houses Exposed: 34 Weeks In The Life Of A Successful House Flipper by Danny Johnson

Real Estate: The Sustainable Investmentby Glen Sweeney and John Gordon
[this book is now free only if you have Kindle Unlimited]

No BS Real Estate Investing - How I Quit My Job, Got Rich, & Found Freedom Flipping Houses ... And How You Can Too by Preston Ely

BiggerPockets Presents: The Ultimate Beginner's Guide to Real Estate Investing by Joshua Dorkin and Brandon Turner

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Fourth Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

ONE Gas Inc	OGS	2/24/2016	2.62%
Arlington Asset Investment	AIC	2/25/2016	9.51%
Assurant, Inc.	AIZ	2/25/2016	2.52%
Bank of Hawaii	BOH	2/25/2016	3.13%
Brookfield Canada Office Prop	BOXC	2/25/2016	4.88%
Crane Co.	CR	2/25/2016	2.84%

Exelon Corp.	EXCU	2/25/2016	7.99%
Full Circle Capital Corporation	FULL	2/25/2016	18.03%
JMP Group	JMP	2/25/2016	4.90%
Stellus Capital Investment	SCM	2/25/2016	14.20%
Spark Energy Inc	SPKE	2/25/2016	5.75%
STAG Industrial, Inc.	STAG	2/25/2016	7.37%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Third Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

Gladstone Land Corporation	LAND	2/16/2016	19.02%
Microsoft	MSFT	2/16/2016	2.76%
Maxim Integrated Products	MXIM	2/16/2016	3.71%
Resources Connection Inc	RECN	2/16/2016	2.74%
Summit State Bank	SSBI	2/16/2016	3.46%
Universal Insurance Holdings	UVE	2/16/2016	3.06%

Johnson & Johnson

JNJ

2/19/2016

2.97%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Valentines Day Stocks

Have you shopped for your Valentine yet? Valentine's Day is this Sunday, February 14. If you are wondering what stocks will benefit from this day of love, think flowers, chocolate, jewelry, greeting cards, and gift wrap.

If you don't have time to pick them up yourself, you can order flowers from 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS). The comany is the largest publicly traded company of flowers, plus sells cookies, cakes, candy, wines, gift baskets, and other gifts for your valentine. The stock trades at 13.5 times both trailing and forward earnings. Earnings for the latest quarter were up 34.4% on a revenue rise of 2.6%.

All valentines enjoy the gift of chocolate. The Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory Inc. (RMCF), based in Durango, Colorado creates and sells various types of chocolate candy including caramels, creams, mints, and truffles. The company was founded in 1981, has over 300 franchise locations. The trailing price to earnings ratio is 18.5. Unfortunately, earnings tanked 54% for the latest reported quarter. Rocky Mountain pays a very generous dividend yield of 4.7%.

What valentine doesn't like jewelry. Tiffany (TIF), founded in 1837, is one of the top jewelry companies in the world, with more than 60 U.S. stores and numerous international locations. Something like a Platinum Pear Cut Emerald And Round Diamond Pendant would make a nice gift (price is only $120,443). The stock trades at 16.2 times trailing earnings, and 15.9 times forward earnings. This stock also pays a dividend, with a yield of 2.5%.

CSS Industries Inc. (CSS) markets gift wrap, gift bags, boxed greeting cards, gift tags, tissue paper, decorations, and decorative ribbons and bows. The stock trades at 15.5 times trailing earnings, and pays a decent yield of 3.0%.

For more stocks that could increase sales from the Valentine experience, such as candy and chocolate stocks, check out the free lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com. The lists can be downloaded, sorted, and updated.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Bernie Madoff Books

Did you watch the Bernie Madoff TV show last night, the first of two episodes of the miniseries on ABC? The second episode will be this evening. I found it interesting; not sure how entirely accurate it is, but much of the acting was well done.

So, do you want to know more of the true story about Bernard Madoff and the collapse of Madoff Securities? Several books have been written about this notorious character. Here are some books worth perusing:

The Wizard of Lies: Bernie Madoff and the Death of Trust by Diana B. Henriques

The Madoff Chronicles (Inside the Secret World of Bernie and Ruth) by Brian Ross

Betrayal: The Life and Lies of Bernie Madoff by Andrew Kirtzman

The End of Normal: A Wife's Anguish, A Widow's New Life by Stephanie Madoff Mack

No One Would Listen: A True Financial Thriller by Harry Markopolos

Madoff's Other Secret: Love, Money, Bernie, and Me by Sheryl Weinstein

Truth and Consequences: Life Inside the Madoff Family by Laurie Sandell

The Club No One Wanted to Join: Madoff Victims in Their Own Words by Alexandra Roth and Erin Arvedlund

Madoff with the Money by Jerry Oppenheimer

Too Good to Be True: The Rise and Fall of Bernie Madoff by Erin Arvedlund

Catastrophe: The Story of Bernard L. Madoff, the Man Who Swindled the World by Gerald Strober and Deborah Strober

65 billion reasons why you cannot trust Wall Street: A first person journey into the underworld of Bernard Madoff by Michael T. De Vita and Emma S. De Vita

Stocks Going Ex Dividend the Second Week of February

Here is our latest update on the stock trading technique called 'Buying Dividends,' also commonly referred to as 'Dividend Capture.' This is the process of buying stocks before the ex dividend date and selling the stock shortly after the ex date at about the same price, yet still being entitled to the dividend. This technique generally works only in bull markets, and can work in flat or choppy markets, but you need to avoid the technique during bear markets.

In order to be entitled to the dividend, you have to buy the stock before the ex-dividend date, and you can't sell the stock until after the ex date. The actual dividend may not be paid for another few weeks. WallStreetNewsNetwork.com has compiled a downloadable and sortable list of the stocks going ex dividend in the near future. The list contains many dividend paying companies, lots with market caps over $500 million, and yields over 2%. Here are a few examples showing the stock symbol, the ex-dividend date, and the yield.

American Electric Power	AEP	2/8/2016	3.85%
IBM Corp	IBM	2/8/2016	4.24%
MDC Holdings	MDC	2/8/2016	4.68%
Parker Hannifin Corp.	PH	2/8/2016	2.75%
Tessco Technologies, Inc.	TESS	2/8/2016	4.60%
Berkshire Hills Bancorp	BHLB	2/9/2016	3.01%
S&T Bancorp	STBA	2/9/2016	2.87%
U.S. Steel	X	2/9/2016	2.57%
A. H. Belo Corporation	AHC	2/10/2016	5.61%
Antero Midstream Partners LP	AM	2/10/2016	4.63%
American Software	AMSWA	2/10/2016	4.26%
Artisan Partners Asset Mgt	APAM	2/10/2016	7.73%
Boeing Co.	BA	2/10/2016	3.41%

The additional ex-dividend stocks can be found at wsnn.com. (If you have been to the website before, and the latest link doesn't show up, you may have to empty your cache.) If you like dividend stocks, you should check out some of the other high yield stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com or WSNN.com. Most of the lists are free. 

Dividend definitions:

Declaration date: the day that the company declares that there is going to be an upcoming dividend.

Ex-dividend date: the day on which if you buy the stock, you would not be entitled to that particular dividend; or the first day on which a shareholder can sell the shares and still be entitled to the dividend.

Monthly Dividend Stock List
Record date: the day when you must be on the company's books as a shareholder to receive the dividend. The ex-dividend date is normally set for stocks at two business days before the record date.

Payment date: the day on which the dividend payment is actually made, which can be as long at two months after the ex date.

Book now available: Buying Dividends Revised and Expanded

Book now available: Stock Market Trivia Makes a Great Gift!

Don't forget to reconfirm the ex-dividend date with the company before implementing this technique.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Top Short Squeeze Oil Stocks

Oil related stocks have dropped long and hard, and many short sellers have profited handsomely. However, at some point, the short sellers need to cover their position. The first sign of a rise in the price of oil could cause a short squeeze.

One trading technique is buying short squeeze stocks. Here is what a short squeeze stock is and what a short squeeze is.

When you short a stock, it means that you expect to make money from a drop in the price of a stock. Technically what happens is that you borrow shares of a stock, sell those shares, then buy back those shares at a hopefully lower price so that those shares can be returned. Of course, this all happens electronically, you don't actually see all the borrowing and returning of shares; it just shows up on your computer screen as a negative number of shares.

Short sellers can make a lot of money, but sometimes when the stock moves against them, the stock starts to move up, and the short sellers jump in at once to buy shares to cover their position. This is called a  short squeeze. When a short squeeze takes place, it can cause the stock to rise fast and hard. Any type of positive news can trigger the short squeeze.

So other traders take advantage of this situation buy looking for stocks to buy that may have a potential short squeeze. Here is what they look for:

• Short Percentage of Float ~ The float is the number of freely tradable shares and the short percentage is the number of shares held short divided by the float. Amounts over 10% to 20% are considered high, and potential short squeeze plays. 
• Short Ratio / Days to Cover / Short Interest Ratio -This is probably the most important metric when looking for short squeeze trades, no matter what you call it. This is the number of days it would take the short sellers to cover their position based on the average daily volume of shares traded. This is a significant ratio as it shows how "stuck" the short sellers are when they want to buy in their shares without driving up the price too much. Unfortunately for the shortsellers, the longer the number of days to cover, the bigger and longer the squeeze.
• Short Percentage Increase ~ This is the percentage increase in in the number of short sellers from the previous month.

Here are some stocks that are heavily shorted that may warrant a closer look. Remember that some stocks are heavily shorted for a reason.

Stock	Symbol	Short Interest	Days To Cover
Rex Energy Corporation	REXX	43%	7.7
CARBO Ceramics Inc.	CRR	43%	9.7
EP Energy Corp	EPE	42%	7.1
Basic Energy Services, Inc	BAS	41%	7.9
Chesapeake Energy Corp.	CHK	37%	8.6
Transocean Ltd	RIG	35%	9.1

Beware of the risks. For other stock ideas, check out many of the free stock lists at WallStreetNewsNetwork.com.

Disclosure: Author did not own any of the above at the time the article was written.

By Stockerblog.com

Over 50 and Out of a Job? Read 50 Plus!

If you are over the age of 50, nd have lost your job for one reason or another, you need to invest in the book, 50 Plus!: Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life, by Robert L. Dilenschneider. You obviously realize that it is very difficult to find employment for baby boomers at this time. Fortunately, the author has come up with a thorough guide to get a job and continue on with your career.

The book covers everything from looking for job prospects (even if not advertised) to writing your resume to becoming a successful interviewee. It even discusses the way you should dress, which is covered in Chapter 3.

One interesting section of the book mentions ten ways to tell if you are going to be laid off. There are plenty of tips included throughout the book, such as how to handle an interview question relating to a job for which you were laid off for cause.

And if you are sick and tired of working for a big corporation, Dilenschneider describes a couple other options: starting your own business and buying a business. Chapter 9 covers a very important topic, Bridging the Generation Gap.

So if you are stuck in the status of unemployment, this guide will help you out. I highly recommend you get  50 Plus!: Critical Career Decisions for the Rest of Your Life.