But an excellent, and simple, way to get exposure to the precious metal is via the SPDR Gold MiniShares ( GLDM (opens in new tab), $36.08). Investing in gold is not easy for the average retail investor, though. And after hitting highs in the fourth quarter of last year, the dollar has been trending lower. The dollar has traditionally gone through long bull markets followed by long bear markets. dollar has been exceptionally strong against most major world currencies since 2008. Gold has also traditionally been a good dollar hedge. But gold has traditionally been a strong inflation hedge over time. There's no easy escape from inflation, as it has a way of permeating throughout the capital markets. And there is no immediate sign of price pressures receding. In January, the personal consumption expenditures (PCE) price index, the Fed's preferred inflation gauge, saw its biggest month-over-month jump since June, up 0.6%. Learn more about VIG at the Vanguard provider site. The ETF is a who's who list of solid American blue chip stocks – and some Wall Street's best dividend stocks – like Johnson & Johnson ( JNJ (opens in new tab)), Microsoft ( MSFT (opens in new tab)) and Home Depot ( HD (opens in new tab)). The dividend in this case is less about raw yield and more about quality. VIG is not an exceptionally high-yielding fund, with a dividend of just under 2%. The index excludes the top 25% highest-yielding eligible companies from the index in order to avoid 'yield traps,' or companies at risk of cutting their dividends. companies that have consistently increased their dividends every year for at least 10 consecutive years. Dividend Growers Index, which includes U.S.

With all of that as an intro, investors seeking out the best ETFs to buy now will want to take a look at the Vanguard Dividend Appreciation ETF ( VIG (opens in new tab), $152.49). And a CEO that is on the hook to pay a dividend is a CEO less likely to blow the company's cash on vanity projects that destroy value. It shows that they take their investors seriously and like to reward them.

Dividends are paid in cold, hard cash.įurthermore, the payment of a dividend encourages good behavior from management.

A creative accountant can even fudge the numbers on sales. And one of the best measuring sticks for a company's quality is a long history of raising its dividend.Īccountants can fudge the numbers on earnings. In a high-inflation environment, it makes sense to focus on quality.

Expenses: 0.06%, or $6 annually for every $10,000 invested.

Outlook 2019 buy