Alternative Investments

Making Sense of the Oil Markets

June 18, 2017

The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) has surprised markets with increased production levels in May. According to official reports, the total production of oil increased by 336,100 BPD last month, for a total of 32.1 million barrels in May. This news is surprising, given that OPEC has been desperate to cut production of crude […]

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How to Screen Loans on Lending Club for Big Returns

June 16, 2013

Screening and scrubbing through available loans on Lending Club is a lot easier once you know what you’re doing. Using the net return and default rates screener at Nickel Streamroller, one can quickly “backtest” various selection strategies to find the loans with the best ROI. I’ve tested a few different ways to weed out Lending […]

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5 Reasons You Should NEVER, EVER Sell Your Pension

June 2, 2013

Over the past several years, we’ve seen every manner of “financial innovation” which ultimately led to hardship. We’ve seen the securitization of mortgage loans which helped fuel the housing boom/bust, we’ve seen reverse mortgages leaving many seniors and heirs in the dust and now, there’s a major move afoot to buy pensions from Americans. Sure, […]

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Investing in Tax Liens for Substantial Returns

September 30, 2012

What if you could turn $1,000 into a $100,000 home? Controversial as it might be, thousands of real estate investors are doing this every day of the week. It’s become a common topic in the media, which frequently runs stories like this one from CNN that profiles one person who lost her $85,000 home to […]

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Why Target Date Bond Funds Beat Bond Index Funds

September 23, 2012

Picking a stock fund is fairly easy – a stock index fund built around a market index like the S&P 500 should do just fine. Bonds are a different animal, however, and index funds may not be the best choice for your investment dollars. Bond Funds vs. Target Date Bond Funds In general, there are […]

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Brokered CDs: 8 Things to Consider Before You Invest

September 9, 2012

Brokered CDs give banks the chance to raise capital from far-flung corners of the country, and investors the opportunity to earn better than average returns on their savings since 10 Year Treasury Yields are driving all traditional income investments to near zero yields. But there are a few things you should know before you buy […]

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