Growth Investing

With Rising Rates, It’s Time To Take A Look At Regional Bank Stocks…

Nathan Slaughter
February 4, 2022

Back in the summer of 1996, and I had a few months to relax before starting my senior year of college. I wasn’t really looking for work, but like most students, was a little short on funds. So when I saw a poster for a marketing intern position (this was long before internet job sites), I decided to turn in an application. A few days later, I was the newest hire at Premier Bank, a Baton-Rouge-based lender with 150 branches scattered throughout Louisiana. The position had nothing to do with my chosen fields of finance and investment management. But it… Read More

Back in the summer of 1996, and I had a few months to relax before starting my senior year of college. I wasn’t really looking for work, but like most students, was a little short on funds. So when I saw a poster for a marketing intern position (this was long before internet job sites), I decided to turn in an application. A few days later, I was the newest hire at Premier Bank, a Baton-Rouge-based lender with 150 branches scattered throughout Louisiana. The position had nothing to do with my chosen fields of finance and investment management. But it was an easy gig. My primary responsibility was to rotate from branch to branch instructing customers how to deposit checks using the ATM. How things change. Today, you can make an electronic deposit from your mobile phone without ever leaving the house. I came onboard during a time of transition. Premier Bank had been recently acquired by Bank One. So with new branding inside and new signage outside, much of my workday also consisted of informing customers of the switch and assuring them that their accounts were still in good hands. I’ve probably still got an old Bank One checkbook… Read More

Our Prediction About The Bond Market In 2022 (And How You Can Profit…)

Brad Briggs
January 31, 2022

In previous coverage, we’ve devoted some space to tell you a little about our latest investment predictions for 2022. As you know, these come from our colleague Jimmy Butts and his research team over at Top Stock Advisor. We’ve told you just how profitable some of these predictions have been in the past. We’ve also made the case for why it makes sense to carve out a little space in your portfolio to swing for the fences with high-upside picks like these. But what we haven’t done yet is really dive into the specific predictions themselves. So today,… Read More

In previous coverage, we’ve devoted some space to tell you a little about our latest investment predictions for 2022. As you know, these come from our colleague Jimmy Butts and his research team over at Top Stock Advisor. We’ve told you just how profitable some of these predictions have been in the past. We’ve also made the case for why it makes sense to carve out a little space in your portfolio to swing for the fences with high-upside picks like these. But what we haven’t done yet is really dive into the specific predictions themselves. So today, let’s do just that. I’m going to tell you about one of our predictions that’s pretty straightforward. In fact, if you’ve been following along with us, then you know we’ve seen it coming from a mile away, beginning last year. If you haven’t guessed by now, I’m talking about inflation. Our “Shocking” Prediction About Inflation (And Bonds) In 2022 So without further ado, here’s prediction #3: Interest rates will surge in 2022, slaughtering bonds, and devastating millions of unprepared income investors. If the bond market crashes, that’s bad news for everyone — even if you don’t own bonds. There… Read More

Two Things You Need In The Market Right Now: Patience And Discipline

Jimmy Butts
January 24, 2022

I’m not going to sugar-coat this… This is a tough market environment to trade. I’ve seen this before, and I’ll give it to you straight. Not many traders will be able to stomach it. We will see a lot of traders fold their cards, becoming “buy and fold” investors. I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to say… Don’t let this happen to you. The biggest reason traders fail, or blow up their accounts, is because they don’t have any sell signals or stop losses in place. And if they do, they usually don’t have the discipline to… Read More

I’m not going to sugar-coat this… This is a tough market environment to trade. I’ve seen this before, and I’ll give it to you straight. Not many traders will be able to stomach it. We will see a lot of traders fold their cards, becoming “buy and fold” investors. I don’t say this to scare you, but rather to say… Don’t let this happen to you. The biggest reason traders fail, or blow up their accounts, is because they don’t have any sell signals or stop losses in place. And if they do, they usually don’t have the discipline to follow them. They let small losers dwarf into big ones. When it comes to selling a stock, it’s easy to kick the can down the road. The voice in the back of our heads says, “sell tomorrow, when the stock turns green.” If the stock is still trading down the following day, we throw up our hands and quickly log out of our accounts. If the stock happens to be trading in the green the next day, most people still never sell. That green day gives them hope that the stock is turning around. You don’t want to be the… Read More