Income in 2014: Consider Re-upping in REITs

Income in 2014: Consider Re-upping in REITs (Bloomberg)

In 2013, you would have been hard-pressed to talk someone into playing real estate investment trusts (REITs). But with REITs returning 18 percent right now, you might want to reconsider — especially when you consider that’s more than 400 percent higher than Treasury bonds’ 3.8 percent return. Michael Widner, a REIT analyst for KBW Bank, said investors can expect “20 percent or more” in 2014. That figure comes from the combination of REITs trading at a 20 percent discount to their historical averages and their generous yields. David Cohen, manager of the Eudora Fund, said that Annaly Capital Management, Inc. (NLY) is a good play on the whole sector for 2014, and it pays an 11.4 percent dividend. But, of course, his fund has 4.4 percent of its assets in NLY. You’ll have to make up your own mind as to whether NLY is the way to play REITs in 2014.