What do all of these companies have in common? They all operate boring, predictable businesses that see steady demand in any sort of environment. This means even in a slow-growing economy, these companies can prosper.
And as you would expect, investing in these irreplaceable assets has proven to be extremely profitable.
Each year we publish our annual "Top 10 Stocks" list. Put simply, these are the 10 stocks my research staff and I think have the best chance of beating the market in the coming year.
Since 1986 he has mentioned this single trait 20 times in his annual shareholder letters. He calls it "essential for sustained success."
While you can't invest in Hoover Dam, there are dozens of irreplaceable assets around the world -- including many hydroelectric dams -- that you can invest in.
Telecom is a "recession-proof" industry. Regardless of what's happening with the economy, people will still need cell phones and cable TV.
I'm not saying you should have a portfolio of just two or three holdings. But at the same time, I'm not at all concerned with having a portfolio of dozens of holdings that represent every sector of the market.
As global credit conditions deteriorated, Canadian banks were less vulnerable to mounting bad loans and problem debts.
The point is, if you're smart and don't let the cyclical nature of the market fool you, you can snap up incredibly high yields from quality international stocks for an amazing price.
While ultra-low rates may have made it cheap for qualified borrowers to borrow money, they're also punishing savers. Yields on most savings accounts and certificates of deposit are well below 1%, and the picture isn't much better overseas.
If you're a regular Investor Update reader, then you know I'm a fan of buying stock in the world's greatest businesses. Put simply, these are companies that dominate their industries and return billions to shareholders in the form of dividends and share buybacks.
While there's no question that foreign markets harbor some of the best income stocks in the world -- if you're simply searching for stocks that offer fat dividend yields, then you're taking on far more risk than you might imagine.
Right now this stock yields 4.7%... and it's one of the most stable dividend-payers in the United States. During the recession, dividends stayed steady, but in the past five years, investors have enjoyed five annual dividend increases.
It's little surprise Coca-Cola has increased its annual revenue every year since 2001. Meanwhile, its dividends have increased every year since 1962.
I don't know which is worse: the fact that insider trading was legal for some of our nation's wealthiest politicians... or that Congress refused to do anything about it for decades.
In past years, electric utilities like Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) and American Electric Power (NYSE: AEP) have become extremely popular among income investors.
Investing for a short period in a stock like Apple is like ordering a seven-course meal and only sticking around for the appetizer. Sure you get a taste... but wouldn't you rather have the whole meal?
The preferred stock I'm going to tell you about belongs to one of the largest financial institutions in the world. It has branches all over Latin America, the United States and Europe.
Most U.S. investors dismiss the idea of investing abroad. They tend to think other countries are "riskier" than the United States.
In a nutshell, royalty trusts exist for one reason... to take in millions of dollars in royalties and pass that money to investors in the form of distributions.
