It is an exciting time to be an income-focused investor. Business results are improving, yet share prices have not recovered from the February-March crash. The lack of share price recovery allows us to pick up shares of solid income stocks at excellent yields. Who wouldn’t like earning 9%, 11%, or even 15% from an investment where the dividend looks secure, and there is tremendous potential for share price appreciation?

For fun, here are five that I find interesting:

Credit Suisse Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI - Get Rating)

GAMCO Global Gold, Natural Resources & Income Trust (GGN)

I’m lumping together the first two investments: GAMCO Global Gold, Natural Resources & Income Trust (GGN) and the Credit Suisse Gold Shares Covered Call ETN (GLDI). 

The two funds take different strategies to provide high-yield exposure to gold and natural resources. 

These days I am somewhat of a gold bug. The massive dumping of stimulus cash into the global economy could lead to currency devaluation, which is very good for the price of gold. 

GGN has a current yield of 10.3%, and GLDI yields 12.7%.

Lumen Technologies (LUMN - Get Rating)

I thought I was was not familiar with Lumen Technologies (LUMN) and its 10% dividend yield; however, with some digging, I discovered that Lumen is actually a rebrand of CenturyLink. 

The recent history of CenturyLink has been extremely troubled. 

The dividend was cut by 54% in March 2019, well before we had heard about the coronavirus. 

I suggest not being taken in by the new fancy name.

I often refer to the closed-end fund universe as a junkyard. As with any junkyard, you can sometimes find something valuable if you shift through the junk. 

John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (HTD - Get Rating)

The John Hancock Tax-Advantaged Dividend Income Fund (HTD) may be such a nugget. 

The fund invests in utility common shares and preferred stock shares. 

I suggest further research to determine the level of tax advantage that applies to your particular situation.

The Invesco Dynamic Energy Exploration & Production ETF (PXE - Get Rating) offers a very contrarian play for future energy production. 

The fund owns a portfolio of oil drillers and refiners. Both ends of the carbon-based energy spectrum are significantly out of favor. 

PXE currently yields 6.5%.

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GLDI shares . Year-to-date, GLDI has gained 10.25%, versus a 11.58% rise in the benchmark S&P 500 index during the same period.

About the Author: Tim Plaehn

Tim is the lead income and dividend investing analyst at Investors Alley. He is the editor for The Dividend Hunter, a popular investment research advisory focusing on high-yield dividend stocks for investors who want a steady and growing income. Prior to joining Investors Alley Tim was a stock broker, financial planner, and F-16 fighter pilot and instructor in the U.S. Air Force. More...

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