"Return of Investment" Different From "Return On"

Whenever market volatility surges, a flood of articles and ads touting investments offering “safety” and “stability” usually follows. This time, in the wake of March’s slide, there was a lot of chatter about low-volatility ETFs and other gimmicky, complex tools. But something more traditional also gained fanfare: high-dividend stocks. For weeks, we have seen a steady drip of pieces hyping high-paying stocks to own “for life,” casting them as lifetime annuities shelling out “free money.” We aren’t against high-dividend stocks, but those portrayals just aren’t true. Read Full Article »