I don’t like the name Harvey. And, after the events of the past week in Houston, I really don’t like the name Harvey. Ok, if your name is Harvey, I apologize. And hey, in the interest of fairness, I do like the actor Harvey Keitel, and the tire magnate Harvey S. Firestone, Jr. However, I

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Preferred stock shares are issued by a company as debt instruments, much like corporate bonds. The company promises to repay the money lent by the investor and to pay interest (usually quarterly) to the preferred shareholder in the form of dividends. The first group of stock a company issues is common stock; a company may

Treasury zero coupon bonds are a special kind of Treasury for growth-oriented investors. Like T-bills, notes, and bonds, they are loans you make to the government. However, they pay no interest while the loan is outstanding. Instead, the interest accrues, and you get paid all at once, along with the return of your principal, at

I advise you to maintain a constant balance in your portfolio between fixed-income securities, blue-chip stocks (and/or assorted mutual funds), and gold and foreign currencies. Your most important task is asset allocation. Portfolio balance and diversification tower above your securities selection as the foundation for your investment success. For most investors, I advise a 50-40-10

For portfolios less than $350,000, absolutely go with mutual funds–the commissions you’ll pay for individual stocks are a killer. Of course, even if you have the minimum or more, you may find mutual funds to be easier and more rewarding. If mutual funds are your bag, stick with them in the equities portion of your

George Gershwin’s classic jazz/folk song, “Summertime” comes to mind when thinking about the markets over the past couple of weeks. In fact, summertime in markets often is when we see greater volatility, and a general sense of unease. One reason why is the lack of trading volume and a significant decrease in staffing among large

The hope of tax reform. It’s what I’ve been telling you, as well as telling readers of my Successful Investing newsletter, has been the key to this market rally since November 9, 2016. That, of course, is the day after Donald Trump was elected president. And ever since then, markets have rocketed higher on the