No one can consistently predict where stocks will go in the short run, but everyone can predict, with reasonable confidence, where stocks will go in the long run: Up. If your time horizon is long enough, you can be reasonably confident (though of course not 100% sure) that a diversified portfolio of stocks will make money.

Market unpredictability can be nerve wracking without a doubt, particularly in case you're in or close to retirement. Be that as it may, it can likewise prompt some valuation inconsistencies: excellent, high-yielding organizations at a bargain. So we've done some screening to discover a few great companies worth investing in.

I spend a lot of time helping people understand how much money they will need to meet their retirement goals. I have found that many people thinking about retirement are making simple calculations that can lead to disastrous decisions. For example, I have come across countless people who simply add up their social security and pension payments, assume a high rate of return on their investments, and apply a best-guess tax rate to all of that income. They then compare that to their expected expenses in retirement.

Even with dividend yields falling over the past few years as the stock market continued to rise, the growth of dividends over that time frame has more than offset the declining yield.

The carnage in the energy industry continues as oil has dropped below $40 per barrel, a level not seen since 2009. The biggest name of the bunch, Exxon (XOM), has not been unaffected either. Exxon's stock price is down 25% from the peak seen in mid-2014.