ETF Monkey

Based on the principles I outline in this article , I added a small amount of AT&T and Verizon to the portfolio this morning. My personal portfolio hit a recent high on March 17. This morning, I ran my personal report and evaluated the respective weightings of T & VZ as of 3/17 vs. this morning. Due to some recent uncertainty in the case of both companies, and a soft quarterly report from Verizon, their prices have softened and their relative weightings had slipped compared to the overall markets. I just thought it was a nice opportunity to pick up some dividends in the 5% range.

Based on a recent investment outlook from Vanguard, I wrote an article offering some suggestions on how to position your portfolio for the remainder of 2017. In the article, I made the following observation:​ If you have been heavily invested in U.S. stocks, likely your portfolio has performed extremely well of late, particularly since Donald Trump's surprising win in the presidential election. Following an initial overnight drop in futures in the early-morning hours on November 9, the markets rocketed upwards once they opened and, more or less, have not stopped since. At their closing prices on March 31, the Dow was up 12.7%, the S&P 500 up 10.4% and the Nasdaq up a whopping 13.8% from their respective closing prices on November 8, 2016. However, I went on to note some of the reasons Vanguard offered to suggest that, at best, market returns will be muted for the foreseeable future. Along with that, I shared the view of several market commentators who believe valua...

The U.S stock market has had a great run. Let me give you just a couple of numbers to ponder. On March 1, 2017, the S&P 500 index closed at an all-time high of 2,395.96. That represented a 254% gain from its close of 676.53 at the low point of the bear market on March 9, 2009. Alternatively, viewed from a more recent perspective, it also represented a 31% gain from its most recent low close of 1,829.08 back on February 11, 2016. Given all of this, investors may rightly be concerned with finding a good balance between maintaining some exposure to the possibility for gains while at the same time ensuring at least a reasonable level of capital preservation. After all, if the markets experience a sudden, sharp selloff, paying attention to this now may help to allay investors’ fears while also preserving capital to take advantage of subsequent market recoveries. With all of this in mind, I decided to write a brief post for my friends over at Whotrades.com featuring a 7-E...

Once you have established the core of your portfolio with a world-class total U.S. market or S&P 500 ETF, you may wish to add one or more ETFs that focus on dividend-paying stocks. Broadly speaking, these fall into two categories: 1). High Dividend Yield and, 2). Dividend Growth. As can quickly be surmised, the priority for the first type is to select stocks that pay a high current dividend yield while the second type focuses on stocks that, while perhaps not currently paying as high a yield, are judged to have excellent prospects of growing that yield over time. In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices for high dividend yield . Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Gr...

Once you have established the core of your portfolio with a world-class total U.S. market or S&P 500 ETF, you may wish to add one or more ETFs that focus on dividend-paying stocks. Broadly speaking, these fall into two categories: 1). High Dividend Yield and, 2). Dividend Growth. As can quickly be surmised, the priority for the first type is to select stocks that pay a high current dividend yield while the second type focuses on stocks that, while perhaps not currently paying as high a yield, are judged to have excellent prospects of growing that yield over time. In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices for dividend growth . Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growin...

The S&P 500 index holds a special place in stock market lore and history. It is widely regarded as the most accurate gauge of the performance of large-cap American equities. While it focuses on the large-cap sector, it includes a significant portion of the total value of the market. It is perceived as more representative of the market than the Dow Jones Industrial Average because it is made up of 500 companies, compared to the DJIA's 30.  In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices in this sector. What makes this article a little special is that one of these is the very first ETF. Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growing one's readership base is critical to any ...

In a previous 'ETF Monkey Focus' article, I explained why there are good reasons to include exposure to foreign, or international, markets in your portfolio. Two key reasons are potential for growth and diversification . That article featured 3 international total market ETFs , which basically package exposure to all markets outside the U.S in a single ETF. However, countries outside the U.S. are actually broken down into two categories; developed markets and emerging markets.  In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices for investing in emerging markets. Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growing one's readership base is critical to any author and I am no exceptio...

In a previous 'ETF Monkey Focus' article, I explained why there are good reasons to include exposure to foreign, or international, markets in your portfolio. Two key reasons are potential for growth and diversification . That article featured 3 international total market ETFs , which basically package exposure to all markets outside the U.S in a single ETF. However, countries outside the U.S. are actually broken down into two categories; developed markets and emerging markets.  In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices for investing in developed markets. Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growing one's readership base is critical to any author and I am no excepti...

As I feature in this educational article from my personal blog, there are good reasons to include exposure to foreign, or international, markets in your portfolio. Two key reasons are potential for growth and diversification . In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices in this sector. Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growing one's readership base is critical to any author and I am no exception. Your support will enable me to continue my efforts.

Since the two broadest asset classes are stocks and bonds, a well-diversified portfolio does well to add as one of its core ETFs a first-rate U.S. Total Bond Market ETF. In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 4 best choices in this sector. I pick 3 winners, and one runner-up. Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growing one's readership base is critical to any author and I am no exception. Your support will enable me to continue my efforts.

For most U.S. investors, the first ETF you add to your portfolio should be a top-quality U.S. total stock market ETF . As opposed to the S&P 500, which is comprised solely of large companies (large-cap), the landscape covered by these ETFs also encompasses many smaller companies (mid-cap, small-cap, and even micro-cap). Such companies, while offering a higher level of risk than their larger brethren, also offer greater opportunities for growth . In this article I wrote for Seeking Alpha, I review what I consider to be your 3 best choices in this sector, with comments on 2 additional ETFs as a bonus. Enjoy! ----------- Authors Note: If you like my work, I would be profoundly grateful if you would take a minute to follow me on Twitter , Facebook , and/or Google+ , as well as feature my work to friends, colleagues and/or relatives who may be interested in the subject matter. Growing one's readership base is critical to any author and I am no exception. Your suppor...

If you have been heavily invested in U.S. stocks, likely your portfolio has performed extremely well of late, particularly since Donald Trump's surprising win in the presidential election. Following an initial overnight drop in futures in the early-morning hours on November 9, the markets rocketed upwards once they opened and, more or less, have not stopped since. At their closing prices on March 31, the Dow was up 12.7%, the S&P 500 up 10.4% and the Nasdaq up a whopping 13.8% from their respective closing prices on November 8, 2016. At the same time, while the Nasdaq managed a small gain in March, both the Dow and S&P 500 actually declined slightly for the month. Several market commentators have discussed the stretched valuations in U.S. stocks. Additionally, a combination of increased utilization of technology, aging populations in the developed world, and the rise of globalization point to a high probability of muted returns for the remainder of the year, and indeed po...