Financial system reform has taken a back seat to health care in the Obama administration’s first nine months. This won’t last forever. And that has profoundly unfortunate implications for investors in one group of MLPs: investment partnerships. Read More

There is one sector of the MLP universe that’s more exposed to commodity prices than the producers over the near term: Gathering and Processing (G&P) MLPs. But this segment is showing signs of recovery and we're monitoring some beaten down names for potential inclusion in our Aggressive Growth Portfolio. Read More

Systematic asset expansion that consistently boosts cash flow and dividends: That’s what our six Conservative Holdings have in common. Read More

As always, quality counts: The best-positioned, best-capitalized MLPs can raise money at favorable rates and grab assets from weaker, undercapitalized partnerships at attractive prices. Read More

Focused on steady, fee-generating assets but able to profit from rising commodity prices: That’s the common thread uniting the five MLPs that populate the Growth Portfolio. Read More

For many Aggressive MLPs the question is no longer whether they’ll be able to maintain their current payout but how long investors will need to wait before these firms start boosting distributions again. Read More

The recommendations in our Conservative Portfolio represent the pinnacle of quality. This week, we’re adding a fee-fueled energy infrastructure MLP that focuses on oil. Read More

Last week Roger Conrad and I gave several presentations and participated in a number of panel discussions at the San Francisco Money Show. Not surprisingly, Master Limited Partnerships (MLPs) and MLP Profits were popular topics of discussion. Here’s a rundown of three of the most commonly posed questions and my answers to each. Read More

A focus on reliable fee-based energy infrastructure, supplemented with commodity price sensitive cash flows with the promise of dramatic upside as economic conditions improve: That’s the hallmark of our Growth Portfolio holdings. Read More

Not all E&P plays are inherently risky. A handful of partnerships have carved out profitable and surprisingly steady businesses. Better still, the average E&P-focused MLP in our coverage universe yields over 11 percent, a significant premium to the average 8.5 percent yield offered by the Alerian MLP Index. Read More

Two more Conservative Holdings reported earnings this week, and the news continues to be positive. Read More

Of the 48 companies in the industry benchmark Alerian MLP Index, only three have cut their payouts over the past year. Even better, 37 stocks in the index have boosted distributions over the past year, and 20 hiked payouts in the second quarter. Read More

Two years into one of the worst recessions in US history, the four primary US propane pure-play MLPs are all holding up well. There have been zero distribution cuts, and three of the four have continued to increase their payouts at least once over the past year. Read More

Partnerships engaged in the gathering and processing business have taken their lumps over the past year thanks to lower commodities prices and weaker drilling activity. But these conditions won't persist forever; we highlight a high-yielding MLP that offers significant growth potential for aggressive investors. Read More

Steadily growing, recession-proof yields of 7 percent and up: That’s what the four current MLP Profits Conservative Holdings have in common. This week we’re adding another dividend power play to their ranks. Read More

High, tax-advantaged yields are the prime attraction for most investors in master limited partnerships (MLP). And there’s good reason for that: The average MLP in the industry benchmark Alerian MLP Index yields nearly 9 percent, far higher than the 4.3 percent yield available in US Treasury bonds, the 7.2 percent yield on BBB-rated corporate bonds and the 7.8 percent average yield on the Bloomberg REIT Index. Read More

MLP Profits’ Growth Holdings aren’t wholly immune from economic ups and downs or fluctuations in energy prices. Compensating for that risk, however, are double-digit yields and generally aggressive business plans that offer strong potential for robust dividend growth. And all of our picks are also battle-hardened, tested to withstand all but the worst possible macro conditions. Read More

Q: Do all the Publicly Traded Partnerships (PTPs) you recommend send out K-1s each year to all shareholders or does each shareholder have to access the websites in order to get the information needed? Read More

The shipping business is well-suited for master limited partnerships (MLP), and several companies in our coverage universe are involved in the industry. The key to investing in maritime transport MLPs is to look for firms that have signed time charter contracts and have little exposure to spot rates or expiring contracts. Read More

Rising distributions with limited risk are what set apart MLP Profits Conservative Holdings. We look for MLPs primarily that own and operate energy infrastructure, such as pipelines and storage facilities that generate a steady stream of fees. Read More