Author: Tim Plaehn

Leverage: It’s Why Portfolios Blow Up

Leverage: It’s Why Portfolios Blow Up

Last week, the forced unwinding of the Archegos Capital Management hedge fund put fears of a market collapse into investors’ minds. While it appears to have been an isolated case, the fund’s collapse vividly points out the dangers of using leverage to boost investment returns. Let’s discuss how excess leverage can turn declines in security […]

When Do You Sell Your Dividend Stocks?

When Do You Sell Your Dividend Stocks?

When it comes to money, humans primarily react to the emotions of fear and greed. The effect of greed is to push investors to buy when prices are high, and fear triggers selling when investment prices are low. For most stock market investors, the goal is to buy low and sell high, yet the emotions […]

Stocks to Buy When the Bull Market Fizzles Out

Stocks to Buy When the Bull Market Fizzles Out

Just over a year ago, the U.S. stock market bottomed out following a pandemic-triggered economic shutdown. From the trough, the major stock indexes marched steadily higher. In the 12 months following the bottom, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF (SPY) gained 77%. The Invesco QQQ ETF (QQQ), which tracks the Nasdaq 100 stock index, is up […]

Your Dividend Life Raft For Unsettled Markets

Your Dividend Life Raft For Unsettled Markets

The first two months of 2021 were marked by heightened stock market volatility. I am sure you watched the GameStop stock price game, where billions were made and then lost. Shares of high-flying Tesla (TSLA) have lost 20% in a few short weeks. For investors who bought at $900, looking at a $700 share price […]

Stock market index. Word S&P500 of the yellow square pixels on a black matrix background. 3D illustration image

How to Outperform 98.8% of the S&P 500 With Dividend Stocks

For 2020, the S&P 500 index returned 18.40%, so if you didn’t earn almost 20% in your stock portfolio, you might be wondering what happened. But just because the overall returns are high, it doesn’t mean all stocks are performing the same way. For example, Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway (BRK.A, BRK.B) managed to earn just […]