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How Brian slashed his home loan interest by one-third – for free

Hi Nicole. Thanks for your encouragement in a recent article to haggle mortgage rates with our bank. I was able to get a 1.1 per cent discount from our existing loan with ME Bank. Being on aged pensions, with $60,000 left to pay off, it may improve our chances of home ownership before we die and in time to enjoy a few extra dollars. We were able to get an interest-rate reduction from 4.72 per cent to 3.62 per cent. I was offered slightly better variable rates from other lenders but transfer costs made it uneconomical. Are you able to calculate how much saving this means for us, given the new rate? Until this rate was offered, we were told the mortgage would take another 16 years to pay out. Brian

Well done you Brian! And what cheek to not give you this discount from the get-go… although ME Bank is certainly not alone in this "don’t-offer-unless-asked" pricing policy.

The “up-stumps-but-still-stump-up strategy” can save you thousands in mortgage interest over the life of the loan.Credit:

Now, I don’t know for how much your loan was originally, which dictated your minimum monthly repayment. But with $60,000 left, assuming you have not accelerated repayments and have so far held the loan for nine years (of a 25-year term), it may have been $80,000.

(Of course, your loan could have been for far more and, perhaps upon diminished income, you what is called re-amortised, or spread, the repayments on what was left of your loan over a fresh 25-year period. Or your circumstances may be different again, but these assumptions allow me to demonstrate a powerful point.)

That would mean you previously had a minimum monthly repayment of $455, which would also mean you were on track to pay interest of $24,779 (and yes, had a remaining 16 years).

Now, however, your interest bill has overnight fallen to $19,584 over that time.

You have cleverly positioned yourself to apply my "up-stumps-but-still-stump-up strategy," without even having to switch lenders.

I’ve created a free app that automatically calculates your savings from just this, called My Mortgage Freedom Date.

You simply keep your loan repayment at its original level – what you have long been used to repaying – to slash both your interest and the time left on your loan.

You would save an extra $3000 – down to a total of only $16,626 in interest – and get out of debt nearly two years early. For free.

Other readers, with the flexibility to move and very possibly larger loans, can input into the app the best value rates in the overall market right now, below 3 per cent, to see their own savings soar.

Nicole Pedersen-McKinnon is the author of How to get mortgage-free like me, available at nicolessmartmoney.com. Send her a question at [email protected], or follow her on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram. 

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MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred apologizes for calling World Series trophy a ‘piece of metal’

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (AP) — MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred apologized Tuesday for what he called a disrespectful reference to the World Series trophy as a “piece of metal.”

Even before being asked about it, Manfred said he made a mistake with those comments while trying to deliver a rhetorical point in an interview two days earlier.

“I referred to the World Series trophy in a disrespectful way, and I want to apologize for it,” Manfred said. “There’s no excuse for it. … It was a mistake to say what I said.”

See also: The basketball shoe industry is being crushed by the athleisure wave

MLB players, already upset with Manfred’s handling of the Houston Astros’ sign-stealing scandal and some of his comments in trying to explain it, became further infuriated by his “piece of metal” comment during a lengthy interview with ESPNDIS, +1.55%  on Sunday, the same day he spoke in Florida.

Even NBA superstar LeBron James joined the anti-Astros chorus, voicing his anger on social media Tuesday.

Manfred suspended Houston manager AJ Hinch and general manager Jeff Luhnow for one season for the team’s actions in using video to steal catcher’s signs in 2017 and 2018, and the pair were fired by Astros owner Jim Crane. Manfred fined the Astros $5 million and stripped them of their next two first- and second-round draft picks.

Players were not disciplined and their 2017 World Series title remained intact.

Dozens of big leaguers have criticized the penalties as being too lax, including Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout, NL MVP Cody Bellinger, and All-Star pitchers Yu Darvish of the Cubs and Trevor Bauer of the Reds.

Manfred said he’s never seen so much “commentary from players about other players.”

The commissioner said MLB reached out to the players’ association for player cooperation after early efforts in making progress in the investigation were unsuccessful. Manfred said that cooperation came in exchange for blanket immunity for players, an agreement reached to end a stalemate.

“One of the principal complaints seems to be that the Houston players were not disciplined,” Manfred said. “And that lack of discipline immunity was negotiated with the union that represents the players.”

See also: ‘It’s kind of like in the mafia when you get made’ — how baseball players cash in after entering the Hall of Fame

Union head Tony Clark said in a statement Tuesday night that “any suggestion that the association failed to cooperate with the commissioner’s investigation, obstructed the investigation, or otherwise took positions which led to a stalemate in the investigation is completely untrue. We acted to protect the rights of our members, as is our obligation under the law.”

The players’ association also said it has been working with MLB for the past two weeks on potential rules changes regarding “sign stealing, in-game technology and video, data access and usage, club audits and disclosures, player education, and enforcement — including the potential for player discipline.”

“We have made it clear to MLB that no issue is off the table, including player discipline,” the statement added.

As for not stripping the Astros of the 2017 World Series title, Manfred said he was “very concerned about opening the door to altering results that took place on the field. There are a lot of things that have happened in the history of the game that arguably could be corrected. And I just think it’s an impossible task for an institution to undertake.”

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UK Inflation At 6-month High On Higher Petrol Prices

UK consumer price inflation rose more-than-expected in January, after easing in the previous month, to its highest level in six months, led by higher petrol prices.

The consumer price index rose 1.8 percent year-on-year following a 1.3 percent increase in December, preliminary data from the Office for National Statistics showed on Wednesday. Economists had forecast 1.6 percent inflation.

The January inflation rate was the highest since July, when prices rose 2.1 percent annually.

Meanwhile, core inflation which excludes energy, food, alcoholic beverages and tobacco, climbed to 1.6 percent in January from 1.4 percent in December. In November, it was 1.7 percent. Economists had forecast core inflation of 1.5 percent.

Inflation based on the CPI including owner occupiers’ housing costs (CPIH) climbed to 1.8 percent from 1.4 percent. This rate was also the highest since July.

Housing and household services, transport, clothing and footwear, and restaurants and hotels made upward contributions to inflation, while furniture, household equipment and maintenance; and food and non-alcoholic beverages acted as drags.

On a month-on-month basis, consumer prices decreased 0.3 percent, after remaining unchanged in the previous month. Economists had expected a 0.4 percent fall. The CPI decline was the first in three months. The core CPI fell 0.6 percent from the previous month.

“The rise in inflation is largely the result of higher prices at the pump and airfares falling by less than a year ago,” ONS Head of Inflation Mike Hardie said.

“In addition, gas and electricity prices were unchanged this month, but fell this time last year due to the introduction of the energy price cap.”

ING economist James Smith said the rising trend in inflation is unlikely to last and expects price growth to slow to 1.1-1.2 percent by June, driven by falls in household energy costs.

“[Bank of England] Policymakers will be looking for signs that rising business sentiment is translating into faster economic growth, although we think it would take a material deterioration in the economic backdrop for them to ease policy in the near-term,” Smith said.

In January, the central bank projected to remain below the 2 percent target throughout this year and then expect it to rise towards the target over 2021 and reach 2 percent in the first quarter of 2022.

ONS data also showed that output price inflation accelerated to 1.1 percent from 0.9 percent in December. Economists had expected 1 percent price growth. This was the highest rate since September.

The input price inflation climbed to 2.1 percent from 0.9 percent in December. Economists had expected a 0.1 percent fall. Crude oil remained the largest contributor to cost inflation, while other components also influenced.

The house price inflation rose to 2.2 percent in December from 1.7 percent in November. For the first time since February 2018, all regions have seen a positive annual growth rate, the ONS said.

London house prices logged its strongest growth since October 2017.

The ONS noted that the increased London house price growth may reflect a larger shift in the type of properties being sold than usual, with more sales of very high value properties.

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Bloomberg, Steyer lavish campaign spending includes food tab

Bloomberg has good shot at winning Democratic nomination: Doug Schoen

Bloomberg pollster Doug Schoen discusses Democratic candidate and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg’s campaign strategy and how he will perform in the Democratic debate.

The two billionaires in the Democratic presidential race, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg, have used their fortunes to self-fund their campaigns by pouring millions into everything from 2020 advertisements to hiring hundreds of social media influencers.

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Their tabs also include offering unprecedented amounts of free, and often lavish, food and booze to woo potential voters, according to two separate Eater reports published this week.

Bloomberg, the three-time New York City mayor who’s worth a staggering $60 billion, according to Forbes, is putting out sumptuous spreads. Last week, on the first day of early voting in North Carolina, Bloomberg offered an all-you-can eat feast of quiches, smoked salmon with capers and chopped eggs, a fruit platter, cookies and assorted pastries to event-goers.

At Steyer’s events, the hedge fund billionaire, who’s spent nearly $200 million on campaign advertising, adopted a more laid-back approach to food. At an event outside of the Culinary Union headquarters in Las Vegas, he had a food truck called Las Delicias de Mexico handing out tacos and the Cookie Bar, another truck, serving cookies and hot chocolate. Both truck owners declined to tell Eater how much they were paid.

BLOOMBERG AIMS CAMPAIGN JUGGERNAUT AT SANDERS IN NEW 2020 AD

The food has become a hallmark of Bloomberg's campaign events throughout the country. Even as he eschews a traditional campaign — he skipped the four early-voting states and is not accepting individual donations, instead, he's relying on his massive fortune — he’s adhering to the old adage that the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach.

At a Miami rally in late January, Bloomberg’s campaign served wine to voters, alongside Cuban sandwiches and kosher pigs in a blanket. Then, two weeks ago, in Philadelphia, more than 1,000 attendees were offered hoagies, honeyed brie and cheesesteaks compliments of Bloomberg.

The 78-year-old billionaire has already spent an estimated $400 million on advertisements throughout the election, and he has suggested he’s willing to spend at least $1 billion as he vies to become the Democratic nominee to take on President Trump in the November general election.

BLOOMBERG CAMPAIGN ZEROES IN ON SANDERS, CASTS OFF BIDEN

The huge ad blitz, a swath of which is concentrated on the 14, delegate-rich states that will cast their ballots on March 3, or Super Tuesday, has elevated him to third place nationally, according to an aggregate of polls by RealClearPolitics, and that has secured him a spot on the ninth debate in Nevada on Wednesday.

Although Congress passed a law in 1948 banning the use of expenditures to influence voting, Bloomberg offers the food and drink freely, and not in exchange for the promise of a particular vote, making the practice perfectly legal.

Eater reported that traditionally, campaigns stick to the basics when it comes to food: Pizza and bagels. A press director for former South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg’s campaign said they typically stick with pizza or homemade sweets.

BLOOMBERG TARGETS WALL STREET IN NEW LEFT-LEANING PROPOSAL

The Culinary Union, one of the most powerful forces in Nevada politics with a 60,000 strong membership, is not endorsing anyone in this election cycle.

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How to get a $20,000 personal loan

A variety of loan options are available, but your credit score is a deciding factor. (iStock)

If you need to borrow a significant amount of money, you can typically get it in the form of a personal loan from a bank, credit union or online lender. Depending on your financial and credit situation, though, your options may be limited or too expensive to be worth it.

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The application process for a personal loan is typically simple and quick. But there are some steps you should take before you even make the decision to apply.

Here’s how to get a loan and what to consider before you apply.

1. Check your credit score and report

If you have a FICO credit score of 670 or higher, you may have a good shot at a loan with favorable rates and terms. While it’s possible to get approved with a credit score lower than that, it could get expensive. Many mainstream lenders charge as high as 36 percent.

HOW TO GET A PERSONAL LOAN WITH FAIR CREDIT

If your score needs some work, get a copy of your credit report through AnnualCreditReport.com to determine which areas you need to address. This may include disputing inaccurate or fraudulent information to the credit bureaus.

2. Learn how to get preapproved for a loan

Many lenders allow you to get preapproved for a personal loan before you apply. This process requires a soft credit check, which won’t hurt your credit score. The result is a conditional rate offer based on the limited credit information the lender received—you’ll get a final offer after you apply.

Getting preapproved for a loan with multiple lenders allows you to compare rates, repayment terms, fees and other features that could affect how much you pay and your loan experience. Try to focus on unsecured loans, which don’t require any collateral to get approved.

3. Consider your own bank or credit union

If you’re already a customer of a bank or credit union, your relationship may help you qualify for better terms than what you can find elsewhere. Also, note that credit unions legally can’t charge interest rates higher than 18 percent on most personal loans.

4. Look into alternatives

You can use a personal loan for just about anything, but another loan type may be a better fit for your needs. For example, some credit cards offer 0% APR promotions on purchases and balance transfers, which can save you money.

3 PERSONAL LOAN LENDERS THAT ACCEPT COSIGNERS

If you own a home, a home equity loan or line of credit could save you money on interest—though they also present the danger of losing your home if you can’t repay the debt. And if you’re looking to fund a business, a business loan may provide better terms for your situation.

Also, consider whether you need to borrow money at all. It may be better for your financial health to save up for your expenses.

5. Get your paperwork together and apply

During the application process, you may be asked to provide various documents, including:

  • Photo ID
  • Proof of income (pay stubs, W2 form, tax returns or bank statements)
  • Other financial statements
  • Proof of residence (lease agreement, mortgage statement or utility bill)

Once you have these documents, apply with the lender that provides the best terms for your situation. Make sure you understand the terms before you accept the loan, then create a plan to pay it back on time.

The bottom line

If you’re wondering how to get a loan, the process is relatively simple. But depending on your situation, it may be difficult or even impossible to borrow affordably. Take these steps to determine whether getting a loan is the right decision for you and what your options are based on your situation.

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California homeless flocking to Malibu beaches, dumping sewage

Malibu officials consider removing homeless from beach areas

FOX Business’ Robert Gray reports on Malibu, California, officials considering removing homeless people from beachfront properties citing public health concerns.

Officials in Malibu, California, are considering relocating dozens of homeless residents who are staying in RVs along Malibu’s coastline.

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Officials say more people are moving to public beaches, using public parking spots and staying for days and weeks at a time. This movement has caused many problems, beyond just denying other residents beach access and parking spots.

AUSTIN HOMELESS CAMPS BEING CLEARED OUT

“Motorhomes have 30- to 40-, 50-gallon capacities in the septic systems,” Malibu councilmember Jefferson Wagner told FOX Business on Wednesday. “They're dumping [sewage] right onto the rocks or onto the beach, into the public right of way.”

Wagner said this is “a health violation, and it's a humanitarian violation.”

BILL DE BLASIO PINS NYC HOMELESS CRISIS ON WASHINGTON 

Wagner calls this an abuse of public lands.

Officials are trying to combat this by prohibiting overnight parking, changing signage to instruct people to move vehicles every couple of hours and offering vouchers for inland housing.

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Earlier in February, the Los Angeles Times editorial board stated its support for the relocation of these homeless residents, calling the city’s approach “comprehensive and empathetic.”

Other safety concerns of the homeless camps include open fires for cooking and heating (an issue important to Californians who have battled many wildfires in the past years), as well as petty crime.

At least 81 vehicles were tallied in January’s homeless count of Malibu up from 61 in 2019, according to Fox News.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

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Here’s why investors are shrugging off coronavirus earnings warnings

“Earnings don’t move the overall market, it’s the Federal Reserve Board… focus on the central banks, and focus on the movement of liquidity… most people in the market are looking for earnings and conventional measures. It’s liquidity that moves markets.”

That was famed investor Stanley Druckenmiller, speaking in 2015 about the most important lessons he’d learned throughout his career.

But it’s also a good way to frame the current moment, in which investors are buying everything in sight, even as the marathon-length U.S. economic expansion gets jolted by massive unknowns. As research firm DataTrek put it in a note out Wednesday, “Increasing market confidence in Fed rate cuts this year and lower structural interest rates are offsetting investor concerns over corporate profitability.”

Investors are looking past the Fed’s guidance, first articulated in December and reiterated in January, that it would likely keep interest rates unchanged throughout 2020. Fed funds futures put the odds of a Fed rate cut in the first half of the year at over 50%, up from 14.7% a month ago, when the coronavirus first emerged as a threat to markets, noted DataTrek co-founder Nicholas Colas.

“The odds that the Fed will cut rates at some point in 2020 are now 84.5%, up from 53.9% a month ago,” Colas wrote. “We came into the year with some concerns about a slowing US economy, but now markets are almost certain that the coronavirus will force the Fed’s hand.”

Bond market investors are also increasingly coming around to the view that inflation and rates will be lower for longer as investors flock to haven assets. DataTrek shared a chart showing that the benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasury noteTMUBMUSD10Y, +0.28%  was yielding 1.55%, less than the inflation rate implied by Treasury Inflation Protected Securities.

“That does not happen unless the Fed is buying bonds (2012 – 2013) or when recession fears climb suddenly (June 2016, August 2019),” Colas said.

Investors aren’t just snatching up bonds. The S&P 500SPX, +0.62%  stock index is up nearly 5% in the year to date, the U.S. dollarDXY, +0.23% index is about 3.4% higher over that same period and approaching its highest in years, while goldGCJ20, +0.43%  has gained nearly 6%.

Why does that matter?

“Uncertainty over first-half 2020 corporate earnings continues to grow,” Colas noted. Apple Inc.AAPL, +1.64%  has been one of the highest-profile companies to warn of a profit hit from the outbreak, but it certainly won’t be the last.

As previously reported, 138 of the 364 publicly-traded companies that have reported Q4 earnings through last Friday mentioned the coronavirus on their earnings calls, and of those, about a quarter have adjusted their guidance or otherwise estimated some sort of impact from the epidemic. Meanwhile, over the same period, Wall Street analysts have been adjusting their 2020 earnings forecasts down.

Markets won’t just benefit from Fed liquidity, Colas thinks.

“Companies now have a chance to reset expectations lower because of the uncertainty around the effect of the coronavirus,” he wrote. “In an odd (but very real) way, that is a market positive since investors will treat Q1 (and perhaps Q2) as ‘throwaway’ quarters and look to 2H results as more indicative of underlying earnings power.”

That’s an ironic turn of events: last fall, DataTrek suggested that 2020 earnings could simply look better by comparison to 2019’s tepid growth.“2019’s no-growth earnings will make for easy [comparables] in 2020 if the U.S.-China trade war abates,” Colas said in November.

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Obama takes credit for the economic boom and Trump attacks him for it — here’s why they’re both wrong

Barack Obama generally takes the high road — at least publicly — when it comes to his feelings toward Donald Trump, but there was plenty of subtle shade thrown in the president’s direction this week when this tweet hit the internet:

Trump, of course, couldn’t possibly let that stand:

Plot twist: Jeff Snider of Alhambra Investments says both Obama and Trump got it wrong and would perhaps be better off letting the other guy “win” this one.

“An economy that on the tablet of history actually falls somewhere in between the Great Inflation and the Great Depression?” he wrote in a recent research note. “Yes, the two worst periods in the modern economic chronicle. It really is that bad and these guys are arguing over who’s responsible.”

Snider said that the two men, along with George Bush, should actually “hang their heads in shame” over what’s happening to the economy.

“Obama said he started it, made it, kept it going when the ‘stimulus’ bill was signed,” he wrote. “Trump fired back that Obama’s terms were economic disasters (true) and that he was the one who changed everything around (very much untrue).” He said the real con is the measuring stick, and that the BLS’s report showing a hefty economic winning streak is misleading.

“Compared to each and every modern business cycle case the latest one seriously, significantly, obviously under performs every time. And not by a little… The gap is enormous,” Snider explained. “Even though the current ‘win’ streak is up to 112 months, and those prior cycles were punctuated by additional recessions, the earlier examples come out way, way ahead every single time.”

What matters, he said, is the elevation gained when the economy is growing, now how many times it might fall back in between.

“Growth is not a succession of avoiding minus signs,” he wrote. “There can be no more irrelevant measure of economic success.”

From there, Snider posted a series of charts, like this one, to illustrate his point.

He even included this one from 1950s, “when there were three pretty substantial recessions all taking place within 10 years.”

Snider said that, in reality, perhaps the recent economic streak would be better served by some additional recessions sprinkled in along the way, “because that would’ve meant actual growth in between them instead of the dead, lifeless but heavily smoothed ‘recovery’ we actually have experienced.”

Now, he says, the same lack of growth that delivered us President Trump might end up bringing us President Bernie Sanders.

“Everyone says the economy is booming but it actually isn’t, and it hasn’t for such a very long time people have largely forgotten what a boom looks like (it doesn’t look anything like this),” Snider wrote. “Therefore, claims like these go unchallenged. Everyone just nods their angry heads and gets back to finding their way to overturn the whole ‘booming’ system.”

And there you have it: “American’s infatuation with populism and socialism.”

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Europe unveils its new digital strategy. Here’s what it means for Facebook, Google owner Alphabet, and Amazon

Facebook FB, -0.09% Google owner Alphabet GOOGL, +0.57%, and Amazon AMZN, +1.36% are facing a raft of new restrictions after the European Commission unveiled its new digital strategy today.

The White Paper is focused on regulating artificial intelligence and data and it contains proposals to:

• Launch a debate about when it is justified to use facial recognition for remote biometric identification

• Establish the right regulatory framework on data governance, its access and reuse between businesses, between businesses and government, and within administrations.

• Launch sector specific actions to build European data spaces in for instance industrial manufacturing, the green deal, mobility or health.

• Ensure AI systems in health, policing, or transport, are transparent, traceable and guarantee human oversight.

A final draft is expected by the end of the year, aimed at redressing the balance for European companies competing in the digital space with powerful state-backed Chinese firms, and the American tech giants.

The fresh proposals were unveiled by Thierry Breton, European industry chief.

He wants to put people first and open up “new opportunities for businesses,” and boost “the development of trustworthy technology to foster an open and democratic society and a vibrant and sustainable economy.”

Breton, said: “Our society is generating a huge wave of industrial and public data, which will transform the way we produce, consume and live. Europe has everything it takes to lead the ‘big data’ race, and preserve its technological sovereignty, industrial leadership and economic competitiveness to the benefit of European consumers.”

Reuters claimed the Commission will also address “complaints about the power wielded by large online platforms” and is considering introducing rules to “stop these companies from unilaterally imposing conditions for access, and use of data, or benefiting from this in a disproportionate manner.”

The Wall Street Journal suggested there will be more restrictions on machine-learning-enabled technologies, which will extend from self-driving cars to closed-circuit television cameras and medical equipment.

Watch: Jeff Bezos Pledges $10 Billion To Fight Climate Change:

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Here are 25 Dividend Aristocrat stocks screened for ‘quality’

Dividend stocks are always a popular topic for investors. Some are attracted to payout yields that may be much higher than bond yields. Others believe that consistently raising dividends is a good sign that a company’s management team is strong and that the stock will perform well in the long run.

MarketWatch’s Michael Brush has a list of nine secrets of dividend investing, based on his interview with Matthew Page and Ian Mortimer, who manage the Guinness Atkinson Dividend Builder Fund GAINX, -0.52%, which is rated four stars (out of five) by Morningstar. The managers give practical advice, including focusing on companies with consistent records of increasing payouts, with high returns on capital and moderate dividend yields.

A high dividend yield may be a signal that a majority of investors don’t trust the company to maintain the payout. A dividend cut is typically associated with a severe drop in a company’s stock price. A long-term investment in a quality company with a moderate dividend yield may be much better, as the company will be more likely to increase the payout over the years.

Here’s an example: If you had bought shares of McDonald’s MCD, +0.02% at the close Feb. 18, 2015, your share price would have been $94.58 and the quarterly dividend of 85 cents a share would have made for a dividend yield of 3.59%. If you held those shares through the close Feb. 18, 2020, and had not reinvested your dividends (to keep our math simple), your share price would have more than doubled to $216.15, while the dividend yield based on your cost in 2015 would have risen to 5.29%, based on the current quarterly payout of $1.25 a share.

For someone who just bought shares of McDonald’s on Feb. 18, 2020, the dividend yield was “only” 2.3%.

You may have heard of the S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats Index SP50DIV, -0.14%, which is made up of the 57 companies in the S&P 500 that have increased their regular dividends for at least 25 consecutive years. That’s the criteria — it makes do difference how high a company’s current dividend yield is. You can invest in this group all together with the ProShares S&P 500 Dividend Aristocrats ETF NOBL, +0.25%. 

But S&P Dow Jones Indices also maintains an expanded list of 119 High Yield Dividend Aristocrats SPHYDA, +0.12%, which is tracked by the SPDR S&P Dividend ETF SDY, +0.07%. These are companies included in the S&P 1500 Composite Index (made up of the S&P 500, the S&P 400 Mid-Cap Index MID, +0.32% and the S&P Small-Cap 600 Index SML, +0.11%) that have increased their regular dividends for at least 20 straight years.

Despite the name, it makes no difference how high a company’s yield is when it is included in the High Yield Dividend Aristocrats Index.  

Getting back to focusing on companies with “moderate” payouts, we are paring the High Yield Dividends Aristocrats to a list of 25 with minimum dividend yields of 2% that have had the highest average returns on invested capital (ROIC) over the past 20 reported quarters through Feb. 19. Here’s the list, sorted by ROIC:

Company Ticker Industry Average ROIC – five years Dividend yield
Colgate-Palmolive Co. CL, -0.33% Household/Personal Care 33.41% 2.26%
Clorox Co. CLX, +0.31% Household/Personal Care 32.14% 2.57%
Automatic Data Processing Inc. ADP, +0.27% Data Processing Services 28.67% 2.02%
C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc. CHRW, +1.17% Air Freight/Couriers 27.17% 2.82%
T. Rowe Price Group TROW, +0.83% Investment Managers 26.85% 2.61%
Kimberly-Clark Corp. KMB, +0.54% Household/Personal Care 25.67% 2.98%
Fastenal Co. FAST, +0.50% Wholesale Distributors 25.44% 2.61%
3M Co. MMM, +0.49% Industrial Conglomerates 22.08% 3.70%
Polaris Inc. PII, -0.03% Recreational Products 19.82% 2.64%
International Business Machines Corp. IBM, -0.25% Information Technology Services 19.49% 4.29%
McDonald’s Corp. MCD, +0.02% Restaurants 18.76% 2.31%
Illinois Tool Works Inc. ITW, +0.72% Industrial Machinery 18.50% 2.30%
General Dynamics Corp. GD, -0.21% Aerospace & Defense 18.33% 2.17%
A. O. Smith Corp. AOS, +0.27% Building Products 17.82% 2.18%
PepsiCo Inc. PEP, +0.07% Beverages: Non-Alcoholic 16.95% 2.62%
Eaton Vance Corp. EV, +1.33% Investment Managers 16.92% 2.98%
Emerson Electric Co. EMR, +1.36% Electrical Products 16.87% 2.80%
Genuine Parts Co. GPC, +2.95% Wholesale Distributors 16.51% 3.27%
V.F. Corp. VFC, +0.93% Apparel/Footwear 16.17% 2.32%
AbbVie Inc. ABBV, +0.18% Pharmaceuticals 15.91% 5.04%
Lincoln Electric Holdings Inc. LECO, -0.48% Industrial Machinery 15.62% 2.15%
Johnson & Johnson JNJ, -0.17% Pharmaceuticals 13.95% 2.55%
Leggett & Platt Inc. LEG, +0.31% Home Furnishings 13.62% 3.55%
Target Corp. TGT, -0.23% Specialty Stores 11.89% 2.24%
Aflac Inc. AFL, -0.11% Life/Health Insurance 11.86% 2.16%
Source: FactSet

You can click on the tickers for more about each company.

A company’s ROIC is its after-tax profit divided by the total of its debt and equity. It provides an indication of how good a management team is at deploying money to expand, improve products and services, expand distribution and sales methods, etc.

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