For investors, each week in every month and every quarter has its own rhythms.Sometimes, it's almost quiet.This week will not be one of those quiet weeks. It has two hugely important economic events — and more that would be big deals if it wasn't for this week's calendar.Markets also must digest an absolute flood of earnings, including reports from two of the most valuable companies in the world.
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I've been investing for about 15 years. During that time, the vast majority of my investments have gone toward individual stocks. But I recently put a significant amount of my wealth, about 12%, into an exchange-traded fund, or ETF. The ETF provides exposure to a segment of the market where I previously had none. It was a big hole in my portfolio, but it presents a great opportunity for long-term.
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Buying stocks based on one aspect of a company is a mistake, but often, investors get fixated. Income-focused investors, for example, often give dividend yield too much sway in their investment decisions. That can be a mistake. Take three of the highest yielders in the S&P 500 index as a starting point. Altria (NYSE: MO), AT&T (NYSE: T), and Healthpeak Properties (NYSE: DOC) have huge yields.
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