5 Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now

By Larry Light NEW YORK (AdviceIQ) -- Face-to-face contact is vital when you make a financial plan. Recently, several advisory firms sprang up offering financial advice over the Web or phone. The idea is that these robo-advisers charge less than advisers offering in-person service. Well, you get what you pay for.

Advisers are not only for the rich and, yes, you can get a good flesh-and-blood adviser who charges a very reasonable fee.

What's the value of meeting personally with an adviser? Human interaction is far superior to a phone or online conversation. You can buy a diet book that tells you how to lose weight. But sticking to its lessons is difficult. The reason Weight Watchers is so successful is that you get encouragement and better information from actual people. The human byplay also renders tips that are tailored to you, not to a cookie-cutter version of you. Also see: Financial Advisers Are Being Told Not to Answer Their Phone>>

Hot Healthcare Technology Companies To Invest In 2015: Gruppa LSR OAO (LSRG)

Gruppa LSR OAO (LSR Group OJSC) is a Russia-based company involved in the real estate development and construction. It is also engaged in the production of various building materials, such as ceramic bricks, crushed granite, concrete and reinforced concrete products, ready-mix concrete and aerated concrete segments. The Company�� services comprise the development of residential, office and commercial buildings, as well as tower cranes and hoisting machinery services for use in real estate construction. It is also involved in the investment operations. Gruppa LSR OAO acts as a general and sub-contractor for the Russian Federation Government, Saint Petersburg Government, and as a general and sub-contractor for other developers, among pile-driving services. The Company operates through numerous subsidiaries located domestically, as well as one representative office in Moscow. In December 2013, it acquired a 100 % stake in OOO Gazstroy, an owner of Ryabovsky brick plant. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Zahra Hankir]

  Russian stocks declined to the lowest level in a month as builder LSR Group (LSRG) and power company OAO Inter RAO UES dropped after MSCI Inc. cut them from an index tracked by investors. The Borsa Istanbul National 100 Index tumbled 2.5 percent, the most in two months, as Turkiye Garanti Bankasi AS led losses in lenders. Benchmark gauges in the Czech Republic and Poland retreated at least 0.7 percent.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: iShares Transportation Average ETF (IYT)

iShares Dow Jones Transportation Average Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the Dow Jones Transportation Average Index (the Index). The Index measures the performance of the transportation sector of the United States equity market, and includes companies in primary groups, such as airlines, trucking, railroads, air freight, transportation services and industrial services.

The Index is subset of the Dow Jones U.S Total Market Index. The components stocks are weighted based on the price of the component securities, with the highest priced securities generally having higher weighting in the Index. The Index is adjusted to reflect changes in capitalization resulting from mergers, acquisitions, stock rights, substitutions and other capital events. The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Gary Jakacky]

  One of the real powerful forces behind this four and half year cyclical bull market has been the Dow Jones Transportation Average. After terrorizing "Dow Theorists" for nearly a year in 2012 by "refusing to confirm" new highs in the industrials, the Transports caught their second wind and ripped to new highs shortly after the new year began. A chart of the iShares Dow Jones Transportation ETF (IYT) shows this clearly. Since last January it has beaten back every attempt at a major correction:

5 Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: American Capital Agency Corp (AGNC)

American Capital Agency Corp. (AGNC) is a real estate investment trust (REIT). The Company earns income primarily from investing on a leveraged basis in agency mortgage-backed securities. These investments consist of residential mortgage pass-through securities and collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) for which the principal and interest payments are guaranteed by government-sponsored entities, such as the Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie Mae) and the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation (Freddie Mac), or by a United States Government agency, such as the Government National Mortgage Association (Ginnie Mae) (collectively, GSEs). It may also invest in agency debenture securities issued by Freddie Mac, Fannie Mae or the Federal Home Loan Bank (FHLB). The Company is managed by American Capital AGNC Management, LLC, which is an affiliate of American Capital, Ltd.

AGNC funds its investments primarily through short-term borrowings structured as repurchase agreements. The agency mortgage-backed securities in which the Company invests consist of agency residential pass-through certificates and CMOs. Agency residential pass-through certificates are securities representing interests in pools of mortgage loans secured by residential real property. Agency CMOs are securities that are structured instruments representing interests in agency residential pass-through certificates. Agency CMOs consist of multiple classes of securities.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Dividend]

  American Capital Agency (AGNC) has a market capitalization of $8.80 billion. The company employs people, generates revenue of $2.109 billion and has a net income of $1.277 billion. American Capital Agency�� earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization amounts to $1.453 billion. The EBITDA margin is 68.90% (the operating margin is 61.45% and the net profit margin 60.55%).

• [By David Hanson]

  In a yield-starved environment, mREITs sporting double-digit dividends have caught the attention of many investors. One company that has grown extremely fast during the Fed's QE programs is American Capital Agency (NASDAQ: AGNC  ) .

• [By Amanda Alix]

  Mortgage REITs begin their plunge
  It didn't take long for investors to show their concern, and by mid-afternoon yesterday, Annaly Capital (NYSE: NLY  ) and fellow agency players American Capital Agency (NASDAQ: AGNC  ) and Armour Residential (NYSE: ARR  ) had dropped sharply after the opening bell. By the market's close, each fell by 0.69%, 0.87%, and 1.23%, sequentially.

5 Best Financial Stocks To Invest In Right Now: Commercial Bancshares Inc (CMOH)

Commercial Bancshares, Inc. is a financial holding company. The Company�� banking subsidiary, The Commercial Savings Bank (the Bank), is engaged in the business of commercial and retail banking, with operations conducted through its main office and branches located in Upper Sandusky, Ohio and neighboring communities in Wyandot, Marion and Hancock counties. The Bank provides customary retail and commercial banking services to its customers, including acceptance of deposits for demand, savings and time accounts, individual retirement accounts (IRAs) and servicing of such accounts; commercial, consumer and real estate lending, including installment loans, and safe deposit and night depository facilities. Commercial Financial and Insurance Agency, LTD is its wholly owned subsidiary. The Bank also owns a 49.9% interest in Beck Title Agency, Ltd.

Lending Activities

The Bank grants residential, installment and commercial loans to customers located primarily in the Ohio counties of Wyandot, Marion and Hancock and the surrounding area. Commercial loans are primarily variable rate and include operating lines of credit and term loans made to small businesses primarily based on the ability to repay the loan from the cash flow of the business. Commercial real estate loans are primarily secured by borrower-occupied business real estate, and are dependent on the ability of the related business to generate adequate cash flow to service the debt. Residential real estate loans are made with primarily variable rates and are secured by the borrower�� residence. As of December 31, 2011, approximately 75.5% of the Company�� loan and lease portfolio consisted of commercial, construction and commercial real estate loans.

Investment Activities

Securities are classified as available for sale. Securities available for sale are carried at fair value. The securities available for sale include obligations of the United Sates Government and federal agencies, obligations of ! state and political subdivisions, and mortgage-backed securities. As of December 31, 2011, total securities available for sale were approximately $24.5 million, which included approximately $4.06 million of obligations of the United Sates Government and federal agencies, approximately $14.3 million of obligations of state and political subdivisions, and approximately $6.4 million of mortgage-backed securities.

Sources of Funds

As of December 31, 2011, the Company had approximately $259.1 million of deposits, which included approximately $ 38.1 million of noninterest-bearing demand, approximately $103.7 million of interest-bearing demand, approximately $ 86.9 million of savings and approximately $ 30.2 million of time deposits $100,000 and greater. As of December 31, 2011 the Company had no borrowings with Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLB).

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Doug Hughes]

  Commercial Bancshares (CMOH) operates as the holding company for The Commercial Savings Bank, with just over $300,000 in assets and $259,000 million in loans. This small, but very strong bank had 5% loan growth last year and net charge-offs of just 0.23%.