Throughout much of Wall Street's history, investors who wanted to buy stocks had no choice but to use expensive full-service brokers. But the rise of discount pioneer Charles Schwab (NYSE: SCHW ) , and other discount brokerage companies, changed all that. Thanks to the convenience of the Internet, choosing an online broker has given investors a much better option to buy stocks and other investments. By using your online broker to take advantage of investing opportunities, you'll be much more likely to reach your financial goals than if you use higher-cost alternatives.
How Wall Street gets rich at your expense
Despite the lucrative returns that the stock market has given investors over the decades, investors historically had to share a much larger portion of their investing profits with the professionals who facilitated those investments. With brokerage commissions often costing hundreds of dollars just for a single simple stock trade, investors had a big hurdle to overcome just to get back to break-even.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Asset Acceptance Capital Corp.(AACC)
Asset Acceptance Capital Corp. engages in the purchase and collection of defaulted and charged-off accounts receivable portfolios from consumer credit originators in the United States. The consumer credit originators primarily include credit card issuers, consumer finance companies, healthcare providers, retail merchants, telecommunications, and utility providers, as well as resellers and other holders of consumer debt; private brokers; and debt resellers. The company periodically sells receivables from these portfolios to unaffiliated companies. It also finances the sales of consumer product retailers; and licenses a collection software application. The company was founded in 1962 and is headquartered in Warren, Michigan.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Banco Santiago S.A.(SAN)
Banco Santander-Chile provides commercial and retail banking services to corporate and individual customers in Chile. The company offers time and demand deposits, checking accounts, and debit card accounts, as well as savings products; and peso and foreign currency denominated loans to finance various commercial transactions, trade, foreign currency forward contracts, and credit lines. Its loan portfolio comprises consumer loans, auto loans, residential mortgage loans, mutual funds, foreign trade financing, mortgage loans, and commercial loans. The company also provides factoring, credit cards, cash management, treasury services, short?term financing and funding, interest rate and foreign currency derivatives, and securitization services. Further, it offers various financial services, including leasing, financial leasing, financial advisory, mutual fund management, securities brokerage, insurance brokerage, and investment management services. As of December 31, 2010, the company had a branch network of 504 branches. Banco Santander-Chile was founded in 1977 and is headquartered in Santiago, Chile.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Jeff Reeves]
If you��e looking for a more aggressive play in the financial sector, consider Spain financial player Banco Santander (SAN).
Battered by the downturn in Europe, Santander has had a lot of trouble since 2009 but is finally showing signs of turning around as Spain starts growing once more. Furthermore, Santander has extensive operations in Latin America to fuel growth in addition to being a play on Europe�� recovery.
- [By Dan Burrows]
Getting Smaller: A big knock on Citigroup is that it’s too big to manage. In response, the bank has been slimming down, shedding business and selling assets over the last several years. That’s fine for now, but not for the long run if Citi hopes to compete with sprawling domestic giants like JPMorgan Chase, as well as foreign powerhouses like Banco Santander (SAN).
- [By Dan Carroll]
That doesn't make either of these nations a safe bet for investors -- and especially not Spain, with its skyrocketing unemployment rate and bleak prospects for real economic growth in the near future. Still, that doesn't mean there aren't deals to be found among the best companies in these countries. Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN ) has lost more than 11% year to date, but this financial firm has diversified well away from Europe's fiscal mess and toward developing Latin America, making the bank stock an intriguing emerging-markets play. With a massive 10.8% dividend yield and an optimistic earnings projection for the year, Santander isn't without appeal for investors. Still, Spain's risky economic situation makes nearly any stock from the country -- even a geographically diversified one -- a tough call.
- [By Sean Williams]
For investors with more of a penchant for risk who are willing to bet against individual companies, they might consider angling a short sale against a large EU banking giant such as Banco Santander (NYSE: SAN ) �or focus on a Greece-based bank like the National Bank of Greece (NYSE: NBG ) .
Top Gold Stocks To Buy Right Now: Western Asset/Claymore U.S. Treasury Inflation Prot Secs Fd(WIA)
Western Asset/Claymore Inflation-Linked Securities & Income Fund is a closed ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by Western Asset Management Company. It invests in fixed income markets. The fund invests primarily in U.S. treasury inflation protected securities. It also invests in corporate bonds or other securities and instruments. The fund?s portfolio of investments includes investments in electrical, energy, environmental services, media, medical care facilities, oil and gas, paper and forest products, photo equipment and supplies, banking and finance, and food, beverage and tobacco sectors. Western Asset/Claymore Inflation-Linked Securities & Income Fund was formed on September 25, 2003 and is domiciled in United States.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Wilshire Bancorp Inc.(WIBC)
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Wilshire State Bank that offers a range of financial products and services. It accepts various deposit products that include certificates of deposit, regular savings accounts, money market accounts, checking and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, installment savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate and home mortgage loans, commercial business lending and trade finance, and small business administration lending, as well as consumer loans, including personal loans, auto loans, and other loans. It also provides trade finance services that include issuance and negotiation of letters of credit, handling of documentary collections, advising and negotiation of commercial letters of credit, transfer and issuance of back-to-back letters of credit, and trade finance lines of credit. In addition, the company offers Internet banking services, auto matic teller machines, and armored carrier services. It has 24 full-service branch offices in Southern California, Texas, New Jersey, and the greater New York City metropolitan area; and 6 loan production offices in Colorado, Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, and Virginia. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By Rich Smith]
Los Angeles-based Wilshire Bancorp (NASDAQ: WIBC ) is acquiring some Korean banking customers... in New Jersey.
On Monday, Wilshire announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire�New Jersey's BankAsiana, a commercial bank�with three branches serving the Korean-American community in the New York/New Jersey market, boasting total assets of $207.3 million, total net loans of $161.2 million, and total deposits of $164.6 million.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Retail Opportunity Investments Corp.(ROIC)
Retail Opportunity Investments Corp., a real estate investment trust (REIT), engages in the acquisition, ownership, and management of necessity-based community and neighborhood shopping centers in the eastern and western regions of the United States. As of December 31, 2011, its portfolio consisted of 30 owned retail properties totaling approximately 3.2 million square feet of gross leasable area. The company has elected to be taxed as a REIT, for U.S. federal income tax purposes. The company is based in White Plains, New York.
Advisors' Opinion:- [By David Trainer]
Kroger (KR) is one of my favorite stocks held by All Cap Blend ETFs and mutual funds and earns my Attractive rating. Kroger has grown profits (NOPAT) consistently since 1998 with a compounded annual growth rate of 8%. While Kroger's return on invested capital (ROIC) of 7% may not be top of the heap, its cost of capital (WACC) is less than 5%, allowing it to achieve positive economic earnings that have grown at a rate of 45% compounded annually since the financial crisis in 2008. Despite KR's excellent past few years, the stock is still trading at ~$37.63/share, giving KR a price to economic book value ratio of 0.7, implying that the market expects KR's profits to permanently decline by 30%. Judging by KR's past few years and its recent acquisition of expanding rival Harris Teeter (HTSI), this looks extremely unlikely, and investors should jump on while the stock still trades at a discount.
- [By David Trainer]
Over the past few years, SWK has demonstrated little ability to grow NOPAT organically. Instead, the company has relied on big acquisitions to fuel growth. This strategy is unsustainable because the company cannot indefinitely pump more capital into the business while getting back proportionally less cash flow (NOPAT). That strategy leads to declining ROICs, which is what the company is doing now. Figure 1 contrasts SWK's rising NOPAT with its declining return on invested capital (ROIC). Investors should focus on the bottom line, which is ROIC, not the top line revenues or earnings because those metrics ignore the amount of invested capital used to generate them.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Jardine Lloyd(JLT.L)
Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc provides risk management advisory, insurance and reinsurance broking, underwriting, and employee benefit services worldwide. Its Risk and Insurance group provides accident and health, affinity partnerships, captives, caravan park owners, cargo, casualty, claims consultancy, clinical trials, construction insurance facilities, corporate recovery, credit and political risk, cyber and IT risk, directors and officers liability, environmental impairment liability, financiers insurance due diligence, football agents, insurance management, healthcare, kidnap and ransom, marine, performance bond enhancement, PPP/PFI, professional indemnity, property, reinsurance, residual value, risk consultancy, SME/commercial, specie and fine art, tenant risks, terrorism, transactional liabilities, and wholesale insurance services. The company?s Employee Benefits group offers advisory services, including pensions consulting, actuarial consulting, flexible benefit s, benefit communications, employee healthcare and protection, pension capital strategies, retirement, wealth management, pension, and discontinuance; and outsourcing services comprising pensions administration, administration consulting, and financial institutions services. This group also provides pensions administration software and complementary services; and various products, such as Classic, P3, and oPen administration systems, as well as the Aviary accounting system, Web-based solutions, workflow, and electronic document management systems for third-party administrators. Jardine Lloyd Thompson also markets its products on a non-advisory basis to affinities, SME, and retail markets, as well as to third party brokers primarily through open-market placements, delegated authorities, and managed general underwriting arrangements. The company is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: SeaBright Holdings Inc.(SBX)
SeaBright Holdings, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides multi-jurisdictional workers? compensation insurance for maritime customers, state act customers, and employers in the construction industry. It offers insurance coverage for prescribed benefits that employers are required to provide to their employees, who may be injured in the course of their employment. The company also involves in general liability insurance business in conjunction with workers? compensation insurance for construction projects written under a controlled insurance program. In addition, it provides medical bill review, utilization review, nurse and physician case management, and related services. SeaBright Holdings, Inc. distributes its products through independent insurance brokers, licensed wholesale insurance brokers, and third-party managing general agents. The company was formerly known as SeaBright Insurance Holdings, Inc. and changed its name to SeaBright Holdings, Inc. in May 2010. Se aBright Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1986 and is headquartered in Seattle, Washington.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Clearbridge Energy MLP Total Return Fund Inc (CTR)
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10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: Old Mutual(OML.L)
Old Mutual plc operates as a long-term savings, protection, and investment company. The company provides investment management and life assurance-based solutions, which address protection and retirement savings needs; and banking, short-term insurance, and asset management solutions in Europe, the Americas, Africa, and Asia. It offers life assurance, pensions, and investment products to individuals, businesses, corporates, and institutions. The company also offers investment banking solutions to institutional and corporate clients; corporate banking services, including commercial, industrial, retail, and residential property finance solutions to retail and corporates markets; commercial banking solutions to small to medium-sized businesses; and transactional, card, lending, and investment products and services to individuals and small businesses. In addition, it provides short-term insurance products, including property, accident, motor, engineering, marine, and crop insur ance to customers ranging from small businesses to large corporations; protection, fire policies, accident policies, and motor fleet insurance to corporate clients ranging from mid-size companies to large multi-nationals; domestic household, motor, and all risk short-term insurance products to domestic customers; and alternative risk transfer products primarily to medium-sized commercial customers. Further, the company provides investment management solutions to institutional and individual investors. It offers its products and services directly, as well as through financial advisers. Old Mutual plc was founded in 1845 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
10 Best Financial Stocks To Buy For 2014: American Select Portfolio Inc.(SLA)
American Select Portfolio Inc. is a close ended fixed income mutual fund launched and managed by FAF Advisors, Inc. It is co-managed by Nuveen Fund Advisors, Inc. and Nuveen Asset Management, LLC. The fund invests in the fixed income markets of the United States. It primarily invests in mortgage-related assets that directly or indirectly represent a participation in or are secured by and payable from mortgage loans. The fund has an overall credit quality of BBB. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Lehman Brothers Mutual Fund Government/Mortgage Index. The fund will not invest in inverse floaters, principal-only securities, interest-only securities, inverse interest-only securities, Z-bonds. American Select Portfolio Inc. was formed on September 21, 1993 and is domiciled in the United States.
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