fbpx

Big Yields

Dear Mr. Berko: I’m 77. I have an $86,000 certificate of deposit that came due, from which I need more income. CDs, which used to give me good income, don’t work anymore. I must have at least $435 more a month in income to meet my expenses. A stockbroker guaranteed me that I could get 7.1 percent from an annuity, which would be $508.80 a month. That sounded like a good return for me. But my daughter doesn’t like annuities, as their fees are very high and when I die, there would be nothing left for her because the insurance company would keep the money. So she had a broker put together a list of 12 stocks that pay 11.6 percent, and I think I will buy them instead of the annuity. I would appreciate your thinking on the list, which I have enclosed. And if you have any other stock suggestions, I would like to know them. — LD, Jonesboro, Ark.

Dear LD: Your daughter’s right. She would get nothing from an annuity when you pass. And annuity commissions are enormous, but that’s why broksters sell those things.

Yes, THL Credit, Stellus Capital Management, Chimera Investment and the nine other high-yield stocks that a brokster put together do yield over 11 percent. However, the longevity of those yields may be shorter than the life span of a t quark. Then you’d be up the proverbial crick without an oar and with a hole in the bow. You and your daughter had better get off that turnip truck real quick-like, ’cause those 12 stocks are ticking time bombs.

I guesstimate that there are 513 U.S. stocks paying over 11 percent and that 492 of them will reduce or eliminate their dividend and trade lower a year from now. Though I can’t identify the 21 stocks that won’t fail, I’m sure that none of the stocks presented by that brokster is among them. Therefore, I suggest that you consider the annuity once more and tell your daughter to suck it up or blow away.

While I understand your concern for her concern, I urge you to be more concerned for your concerns and the comforts you’d lose if you made the wrong choice. If you must own dividend stocks, then please consider the following seven, which will produce a 7.3 percent yield with significantly better protection (by orders of magnitude) than that dirty dozen the brokster put together. And five of the following issues should increase their dividends modestly and annually over the years you will own the portfolio.

AmeriGas (APU-$44.36) is a $2.3 billion-revenue distributor of propane, plus related equipment and supplies. The yield is 8.5 percent, and management has consistently raised its dividend and will do so again next year.

Buckeye Partners (BPL-$70), a $3.1 billion-revenue company, operates a liquid petroleum products pipeline. The 6.9 percent dividend has increased yearly since 1993.

HCP Inc. (HCP-$37) is a $2.5 billion real estate investment trust that invests in medical office, hospital and skilled care facilities. The $2.30 dividend yields 6.1 percent and has been raised annually for over 25 years.

Pimco Dynamic Income Fund (PDI-$28.48) is a five-star high-income fund that is highly leveraged and owns a portfolio of global debt obligations. The 22.1-cent dividend, paid monthly, yields 9.3 percent, and year-end capital gains have been generous.

America First Multifamily Investors (ATAX-$5.82) acquires and owns a portfolio of multifamily and student housing bonds issued by state and local governments. The quarterly 12.5-cent dividend, which has been reduced once in 20 years, is tax-free and yields 8.4 percent.
Omega Healthcare Investors (OHI-$34.38) pays 60 cents quarterly and yields 6.8 percent. OHI invests primarily in long-term health care facilities and has raised its dividend yearly since 2003.

Royal Dutch Shell (RDS-B-$53.80), with $235 billion of revenue, is one of the largest oil companies in the world and one of the few companies with an A-plus financial rating. The $3.76 dividend is secure, according to management, and yields 6.9 percent.

This 7.3 percent yield is far from the 11.6 percent yield that this lamebrain ganef proposed, but it’s much safer. I wish him 60 months of intense pruritus while his scleras turn chartreuse. May you live long and wealthier.

Please address your financial questions to Malcolm Berko, P.O. Box 8303, Largo, FL 33775, or email him at mjberko@yahoo.com. To find out more about Malcolm Berko and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.
COPYRIGHT 2016 CREATORS.COM

You May Also Like

Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival Hosts Oscars Watch Party

Space is limited and advance purchase of tickets is required.

Desai Foundation Hosts Holi Celebration in Miami

The aim is to raise awareness and support for health, livelihood, and menstrual equity programs in India.

Set Sail for Fun: Inaugural Red Shield Regatta Launches in March

The evening will be hosted by Captain Lee Rosbach of Bravo TV’s Below Deck.

Editor’s Letter: A Heartfelt Return

If you are a longtime SFBW reader and are wondering what the heck I am doing back here with an editor’s column, well there’s a story behind that. It was

Kevin Gale

Other Posts

Screen Gems

“The Price for Freedom,” a chronicle about Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore, will begin pre-production of the monumental civil rights story in the Fort Lauderdale area.

Chef Aarón Sánchez Prepares to Shine at Visit Lauderdale Food & Wine Festival

We spoke with Sánchez about current culinary trends, food festivals, and his own approach to cooking.

American Heritage Schools Hosts Virtual Job Fair for Teachers

Educators around the U.S. are invited to attend.

Editor’s Letter: A Man of Nearly Unlimited Interests

Kevin Kaminski, Lifestyle Group Editor, was an honor to the profession of journalism.

Drew Limsky

Drew Limsky

Editor-in-Chief

BIOGRAPHY

Drew Limsky joined Lifestyle Media Group in August 2020 as Editor-in-Chief of South Florida Business & Wealth. His first issue of SFBW, October 2020, heralded a reimagined structure, with new content categories and a slew of fresh visual themes. “As sort of a cross between Forbes and Robb Report, with a dash of GQ and Vogue,” Limsky says, “SFBW reflects South Florida’s increasingly sophisticated and dynamic business and cultural landscape.”

Limsky, an avid traveler, swimmer and film buff who holds a law degree and Ph.D. from New York University, likes to say, “I’m a doctor, but I can’t operate—except on your brand.” He wrote his dissertation on the nonfiction work of Joan Didion. Prior to that, Limsky received his B.A. in English, summa cum laude, from Emory University and earned his M.A. in literature at American University in connection with a Masters Scholar Award fellowship.

Limsky came to SFBW at the apex of a storied career in journalism and publishing that includes six previous lead editorial roles, including for some of the world’s best-known brands. He served as global editor-in-chief of Lexus magazine, founding editor-in-chief of custom lifestyle magazines for Cadillac and Holland America Line, and was the founding editor-in-chief of Modern Luxury Interiors South Florida. He also was the executive editor for B2B magazines for Acura and Honda Financial Services, and he served as travel editor for Conde Nast. Magazines under Limsky’s editorship have garnered more than 75 industry awards.

He has also written for many of the country’s top newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe, USA Today, Worth, Robb Report, Afar, Time Out New York, National Geographic Traveler, Men’s Journal, Ritz-Carlton, Elite Traveler, Florida Design, Metropolis and Architectural Digest Mexico. His other clients have included Four Seasons, Acqualina Resort & Residences, Yahoo!, American Airlines, Wynn, Douglas Elliman and Corcoran. As an adjunct assistant professor, Limsky has taught journalism, film and creative writing at the City University of New York, Pace University, American University and other colleges.