“A tumultuous quarter on Wall Street is mercifully coming to a close.”

That’s what CNN reported back in early April, after the Dow had dropped nearly 5% and the Nasdaq plummeted 9% in the first three months of the year.

Sadly, things haven’t improved much from there…

Since the start of the year, the Dow is down 19%, the Nasdaq has lost 14%, and the S&P 500 is sitting on nearly 25% losses.

The market has seen intense downside action in every quarter of 2022. In fact, we haven’t had three consecutive quarters of losses since we were still reeling from the effects of the global financial crisis more than a decade ago.

And this past quarter only intensified something that was true earlier this year…

Last month, Bank of America released the results of a poll it conducted back in July. It showed that 38% of full-time workers with 401(k) plans worried they wouldn’t reach their retirement goals.

Something tells me that fear hasn’t improved since.

Here at Intelligent Income Daily, my team and I fully acknowledge the situation we’re in. But we also fully acknowledge that there’s a solution… one we’ve employed for years in the face of bull and bear markets alike.

We’re living proof of how dividend-paying stocks – like the one I’ll get to below that’s offering a high, yet safe, yield – can bolster wealth regardless.

It Isn’t Pretty Out There

On top of being worried about their 401(k) plans, the full-time workers Bank of America polled expressed other concerns such as:

• Not understanding projected Social Security benefits (48%)

• Cost of living outpacing a growth in salary (71%)

• Not being able to make ends meet due to inflation (48%)

The study also showed the percentage of employees who feel “financially well” was only 44%. That’s down 13% from February and represents a five-year low.

Back in 2019, before the pandemic, that number was 55%.

Speaking of before the pandemic… we’ve known for a while now that far too many Americans aren’t properly prepared for the future.

Maybe it’s the “keeping up with the Joneses” mentality that’s to blame. Maybe it’s the continuing assault against the middle class with rising bills and job loss. Maybe it’s a combination of the two.

Regardless, if half the employees surveyed took drastic action due to financial strain in first six months of the year – including tapping into emergency savings, working additional hours, and taking 401(k) hardships – we know there’s a problem.

Lending Club Corporation, which runs America’s leading digital marketplace bank, backs up Bank of America’s report.

It found that in June this year, 61% of those it surveyed were living paycheck to paycheck. That compares to 55% last June.

I know we keep hearing about how resilient and flush with cash the consumer is… But clearly, that narrative is starting to fray.

In which case, we need something bigger and better than our casual, ETF-filled 401(k) plans and Social Security expectations if we want to achieve a comfortable retirement.

We need what my colleague Adam Galas calls “safe ultra-yield” stocks to see us through.

This Company Is a Keeper

Adam has a whole list of stocks that fit into the “safe ultra-yield” category, including Enbridge (ENB). A Canadian company, it’s North America’s largest oil and gas pipeline company, and very much responsible for keeping Toronto warm.

Considering how cold Toronto can get – down to -3° Fahrenheit during the winter – I think it’s safe to call this company a necessity.

That’s why it’s able to sign 50-year contracts with oil and gas companies. And why the so-called “smart money” (i.e., bond investors) have no problem lending it money 90 years out.

In short, the chances of Enbridge going away anytime soon are very low.

As for its dividend, that’s solidly established, too. It’s been offering that for 67 years now. And over the past 27 years, it’s grown that payout at a 10% average compound annual rate.

But here’s the icing on top of the proverbial cake: Enbridge’s shares are trading around just $37.04… well off its 2022 high of $46.81.

That gives its $2.62 per-share annual dividend a yield of 7.04%… well above what you’ll find with most other stocks today.

Safe ultra-yield dividends like the kind Enbridge offers can easily ease your financial concerns. Especially when bought at bargain prices like what we’re seeing today.

Happy SWAN (sleep well at night) investing,

Brad Thomas
Editor, Intelligent Income Daily

P.S. Whether you’re saving for retirement or trying to make ends meet… Having enough income to combat today’s sky-high inflation is a concern on many people’s minds.

That’s why right now is the perfect time to familiarize yourself with a unique strategy my team and I have developed. It targets the same kind of “safe ultra-yield” stocks mentioned above – but shows how you can earn even more income from them.

My mother, who is an 82-year-old retiree, used it in her own brokerage account. And the results were incredible – instant income generated safely.

It’s free to attend. So I encourage you to join me on Wednesday, October 19, at 8 p.m. ET to learn all about it. And if you sign up for VIP status, you’ll get a new special report I put together “My #1 Recession-Proof Investment,” to help you prepare for the big reveal.