History Can Repeat… If We Let It
Last Wednesday, I was standing in the Tennessee State Museum in Nashville staring at this historical kitchen exhibit, while a video about the TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) played in the background.
It is part of the museum’s Tennessee Time Tunnel and transports you through the state’s story from 13,000 BCE to today. It was a fascinating way to spend my morning before hitting the road back to Memphis. It seems like no matter where I land in the South, I find myself glued to information about the TVA.
Today, the TVA sells electricity in all of Tennessee plus parts of AL, MS, KY, GA, NC, and VA. It’s owned by the federal government but operates as a for-profit company. During the Great Depression, the Tennessee Valley was plagued by poverty and flooding. The solution was the creation of the TVA in 1933 as part of FDR’s New Deal.
As I was admiring that vintage kitchen, a background video was explaining how cheap and reliable electricity was what fueled the adoption of time-saving appliances. Washing machines, vacuums, refrigerators, and stoves all meant less time spent on the drudgery of housework.
It immediately made me think about AI. Could this be the next big wave of timesaving? I think the answer is: if we let it. AI holds the opportunity for it to be just as life-changing as electricity was—if we let it. We don’t always want history to repeat, but I think this is an instance where we do.
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Standing At a Crossroads
I’m not any kind of expert on AI. I started using it because Stephen McBride of the Rational Optimist Society convinced me it could be good for society. So far, I’ve only used it to gather basic information from the web and create some social media content ideas.
I tried using it for basic graphic design, but it was less frustrating to just do it myself. There are definitely still some kinks that need to be worked out, but I’m incredibly curious about AI. I actually drove by the xAI supercomputer facility here in Memphis a few weeks ago.
It’s not that exciting to look at, but it is across from a TVA power station. The availability of land and electricity in the South makes it a particularly desirable location for facilities that can power the AI future. And yes, the TVA is going to play a big role in this story.
We are standing at a crossroads though. I don’t think many people would argue that electricity has improved our lives. But there have been other “tools” throughout history about which we could argue whether or not they were used properly or for the greater good.
I hope that the collective “we” can use AI as a means to become more efficient. To free up time and focus more on the things that separate us from machines, such as being creative and interacting with one another. But, even if AI doesn’t make our lives better, companies will figure out how to profit from the technology, and we should look at how to get our cut.
You Need AI Exposure in Your Portfolio
I don’t have a slew of pure-play AI tickers to give you today. This is a dividend newsletter, and I’m looking to get paid while we wait to see who the AI leaders and losers will be.
Companies that must invest heavily back into their business shouldn’t be paying dividends. And if they are, it’s another example of how a dividend can be a red flag. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to invest.
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ETFs can be an option. Some pay dividends based on the capital gains of managing the fund. These will not hit our 3.5% minimum yield target, but it’s still a way to get paid while speculating on the future of AI.
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Preferred shares with AI exposure. You can find a couple options here by using a stock screener such as the one at Fidelity. Because of the risk, most are trading at a discount to par value, which gives you an even higher yield. I added my favorite to the Current Yield section of the Yield Shark portfolio back in May, and we’ve already collected our first dividend.
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Telecom companies. I own pipelines for oil exposure, so why wouldn’t I want to own the data toll roads as well? As AI and other technologies expand, the amount of data that needs to be transported quickly will as well. AT&T (T) and Verizon (VZ) pay 4% and 6.3% yields, respectively. I think both stocks have reached a point where they will trade sideways for the next few years. So, I view this as an income investment instead of a growth play.
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Utility companies. Unfortunately, you can’t invest in the TVA, but you can invest in utilities in other important regions. Denver, Dallas, Northern Virginia, and Pheonix are just a few hot spots right now. Of those, Virginia is the most interesting due to its proximity to Washington, DC. Dominion Energy (D) currently yields 4.3% and just reported great Q2 earnings that pushed the stock up 5%. It’s on my watchlist, and I’m waiting for investor excitement to cool down and give us a better entry price and higher yield.
So, what do you guys think about AI? Do you use it regularly at work or at home? Do you live in an area like me that’s seeing the impact of AI-related companies coming in? Do you have AI investments in your portfolio?
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For more income, now and in the future,
Kelly Green
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