01-07-2016, 09:07 PM
Welcome, Matt.
I'd steer away from mREITs right now. Actually, I'd steer away from any REITs in your situation while getting started. It sounds like you'll be using a taxable account and REIT's dividends are generally considered "not qualified" meaning you don't get the tax break on dividend income.
Kerim has some good advice. VZ is up there in yield too and XOM is yielding almost 4%. Not bad for an energy company with a AAA credit rating. If you can stand some lower income, JNJ, JCI & UNP are all reliable companies now yielding over 3%. Be aware that the stock price is going to swing quite a bit lately with the market gyrations, especially the industrials. You could also look at some utilities for the income.
I wouldn't be too worried about commissions. Although I wouldn't recommend buying with just $100 but if you can keep transaction costs under 2% ($10 commission on a $500 trade) and hold long-term you should be fine.
Don't rush into anything just on a tip. Steady, regular investing will go far and don't panic and sell just because Mr. Market is doing something stupid.
I'd steer away from mREITs right now. Actually, I'd steer away from any REITs in your situation while getting started. It sounds like you'll be using a taxable account and REIT's dividends are generally considered "not qualified" meaning you don't get the tax break on dividend income.
Kerim has some good advice. VZ is up there in yield too and XOM is yielding almost 4%. Not bad for an energy company with a AAA credit rating. If you can stand some lower income, JNJ, JCI & UNP are all reliable companies now yielding over 3%. Be aware that the stock price is going to swing quite a bit lately with the market gyrations, especially the industrials. You could also look at some utilities for the income.
I wouldn't be too worried about commissions. Although I wouldn't recommend buying with just $100 but if you can keep transaction costs under 2% ($10 commission on a $500 trade) and hold long-term you should be fine.
Don't rush into anything just on a tip. Steady, regular investing will go far and don't panic and sell just because Mr. Market is doing something stupid.
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“While the dividend itself is merely a rearrangement of equity, over time it's more like owning an apple tree. The tree grows the apples back again and again and again, and the theoretical value of the tree doesn't change just because of when the apples are about to fall.” - earthtodan
“While the dividend itself is merely a rearrangement of equity, over time it's more like owning an apple tree. The tree grows the apples back again and again and again, and the theoretical value of the tree doesn't change just because of when the apples are about to fall.” - earthtodan