Roger S. Conrad

Fear-mongering pundits often point to Germany's energy policy to illustrate the risk that the boom in renewable-energy development poses to the US. Australia provides a better analogue for the US experience, though investors should understand the American energy landscape's unique features before placing their bets.

Four more Portfolio holdings report, plus we take a look at the Kinder Morgan Mega-Deal and SCANA Corp's negotiations with South Carolina regulators.

The seller's market for bonds favors dividend-paying equities, but investors need to remain disciplined and avoid overpaying for quality.

Kinder Morgan Inc.'s plan to consolidate Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, Kinder Morgan Management LLC and El Paso Pipeline Partners LP enriched investors and punched short sellers in the gut.

Last night, Kinder Morgan Inc. announced a series of transactions to acquire all outstanding equity interests in Kinder Morgan Energy Partners LP, Kinder Morgan Management LLC and El Paso Pipeline Partners LP. Here's our take.

While the partisan battle for the US Senate this November makes headlines, the real action for investors is in the gubernatorial elections. Winning governors will appoint state regulators, who set policy for everything from mega-mergers and customer rates to carbon dioxide emissions. Much will depend on what happens in the six states where incumbents look vulnerable: Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas and South Carolina. Picking the best opportunities to bet against short sellers helped us to book a 52 percent gain in Windstream Holdings (NSDQ: WIN) and a 58.2 percent profit on Enel (Milan: ENEL, OTC: ENLAY).  We expect our latest addition to the Aggressive Income Portfolio to also confound short sellers and reward us with solid returns.

We sold Aggressive Income Portfolio member Windstream Holdings (NSDQ: WIN) for a roughly 52 percent profit since October 2013, and look at four other companies facing challenges.

Earlier this summer, momentum chasers bid the stock price up to an all-time high, but now's the time to invest in this exceptionally solid electric utility and pipeline owner at a favorable price.

Our Portfolio holdings continue to post solid quarterly results. Even better, the market’s recent pullback gives us an opportunity to buy our favorites at appealing prices.

Don’t panic! The long-awaited correction has finally arrived, giving patient investors an opportunity to pick up high-quality utility stocks at reasonable valuations.