When you’re young and first start investing you might focus more on growth shares that offer strong potential returns like Afterpay Ltd (ASX: APT) or Zip Co Ltd (ASX: Z1P).

This is because if things don’t go to plan with these investments, you have plenty of time to recover from your losses.

But as you enter retirement, I feel the prudent thing to do is to limit these investments to just a very small part of your portfolio and focus on shares that offer income and capital preservation.

With that in mind, two shares which I think are great for retirees right now are as follows:

Goodman Group (ASX: GMG)

I think Goodman Group could be a good option for retirees. It is an integrated commercial and industrial property group which owns, develops and manages industrial real estate in 17 countries. This includes warehouses, large scale logistics facilities, and business and office parks.

Goodman Group has made some very smart investments over the last decade. This was particularly the case with its decision to gain exposure to the structural tailwinds of the ecommerce market. It has direct relationships with some of the biggest operators such as Amazon and Walmart. Given how quickly online shopping is growing, these assets are likely to be in demand for a long time to come and should underpin solid earnings and distribution growth over the next decade.

Telstra Corporation Ltd (ASX: TLS)

Telstra is the undisputed leader in the telco sector with a massive 18.5 million retail mobile services and 3.7 million retail bundle and data services. While the last few years have been difficult for the company because of the NBN rollout, it is making very strong progress with its T22 strategy. Based on its half year update, the company is well on its way to simplifying its business, cutting costs materially, and carving out a leadership position in 5G.

And with FY 2021 expected to be the peak year of the NBN headwind, I feel that a return to growth is on the card in the near future. In the meantime, I’m optimistic that its dividend is sustainable at 16 cents per share and no further dividend cuts are necessary. If this proves accurate, then Telstra’s shares offer a generous fully franked forward 5% dividend yield at present.

More reading

• 4 top ASX 200 shares for blue chip investors
• Why I’d buy and hold Telstra shares for a decade
• Does 5G’s potential make the Telstra share price a long-term buy?
• 3 blue chip ASX dividend shares to buy right now
• Why high yield dividend shares can be detrimental to your wealth

James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia’s parent company Motley Fool Holdings Inc. owns shares of ZIPCOLTD FPO. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended Telstra Limited. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of AFTERPAY T FPO. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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The S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO) is back in the green today, posting a rise of 0.81% at the time of writing to 5,371 points.

We have now put the lows we saw for the ASX 200 in March (under 4,500 points) well and truly in the rear-view mirror but even so, we remain a long way from the all-time highs we saw in February where the ASX 200 was above 7,150 points. It will take a lot to get back to those levels.

Even though the broader market is still significantly down, there are some ASX shares sitting at 52-week highs as we speak. Here are 5 of them:

Pushpay Holdings Ltd (ASX: PPH)

Pushpay is a payments company that is developing digital solutions to adapt the old ‘pass the hat around’ fundraising models that many organisations (like churches and charities) still rely on. One of the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic is a decisive move away from physical cash payments and clearly the market is viewing Pushpay as a winner here. Its shares made a new all-time high of $6.63 earlier today.

Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN)

Gold often goes up in value when there is a lot of uncertainty in the markets and investors have an increased appetite for ‘safe-haven’ assets. As a physical, rare and precious metal, the tangibility of gold is proving a massive drawcard for investors right now as money printing and quantitative easing become a seemingly permanent fixture of US monetary policy.

As such, the gold price is approaching record highs in US dollar terms and is at record highs in Aussie dollar terms, which is why miners of the yellow metal are in high demand right now. Evolution is one of those miners and today, Evolution shares are asking a fresh 52-week high of $5.70.

Saracen Mineral Holdings Limited (ASX: SAR)

Saracen is another ASX gold miner and has been rising for the same reasons discussed above for Evolution. Today, Saracen shares made a new 52-week and all-time high of $4.98.

Ramelius Resources Limited (ASX: RMS)

Ramelius is yet another gold miner that is benefitting from the high price of the yellow metal. Its shares hit a new 52-week high of $1.54 today. It’s not quite an all-time high for Ramelius, but its certainly the highest share price seen for this gold miner since at least 2011.

Foolish takeaway

Just because a company is at a 52-week high doesn’t mean it’s a good buy today. It could well be the start of a long journey upwards for a particular ASX share, but on the other hand, it could be the peak before a decline – it can be hard to know. If you’re thinking of buying any one of these shares, just be careful that you are making a prudent investment and not just jumping on a bandwagon.

More reading

• Brokers name 3 ASX 200 shares to buy today
• Leading fund manager sees good ASX buying opportunities
• 6 ASX shares driving the Australian gold boom
• Why the best performing ASX stock might have more room to run higher
• ASX 200 up 0.8%: Big four banks push higher but Xero tumbles lower

Motley Fool contributor Sebastian Bowen has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of and has recommended PUSHPAY FPO NZX. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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Australia’s top brokers have been busy adjusting their estimates and recommendations again, leading to the release of a large number of broker notes this week.

Three broker buy ratings that have caught my eye are summarised below. Here’s why brokers think these ASX shares are in the buy zone:

BHP Group Ltd (ASX: BHP)

According to a note out of UBS, its analysts have upgraded this mining giant’s shares to a buy rating with a $38.00 price target. The broker made the move largely on valuation grounds after a sizeable decline in its share price over the last three months. It believes this is a buying opportunity and notes that BHP is well-placed to continue paying strong dividends through the pandemic. The broker also sees the easing of lockdowns globally as a big positive. I agree with UBS on BHP and would be a buyer of its shares.

Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA)

Analysts at Citi have retained their buy rating and $68.75 price target on this banking giant’s shares following its third quarter update. Commonwealth Bank’s profits are running short of the broker’s expectations for the second half. However, it notes this is due to a $1.5 billion COVID-19 provision. And while the broker appears doubtful on its final dividend and has downgraded its CET1 ratio forecast, it still sees value in its shares at this level. I think Citi is spot on with this assessment and feel Commonwealth Bank’s shares are very attractively priced.

Xero Limited (ASX: XRO)

A note out of Credit Suisse reveals that its analysts have retained their outperform rating and lifted the price target on this business and accounting software provider’s shares to $88.00. Credit Suisse was pleased with Xero’s performance in FY 2020 and notes that it delivered a quality full year result. And while it has downgraded its estimates for FY 2021 slightly to reflect the impact of the pandemic, it remains very positive on its long term growth prospects. I would have to agree with Credit Suisse and feel its recent share price weakness is a buying opportunity.

More reading

• Why Boral, Corporate Travel Management, United Malt, & Xero are dropping lower
• Why the best performing ASX stock might have more room to run higher
• ASX 200 up 0.8%: Big four banks push higher but Xero tumbles lower
• Where growth, income, and value investors can invest $5,000 today
• Want to invest like Warren Buffett? Buy and hold these ASX 200 shares

Motley Fool contributor James Mickleboro has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool Australia owns shares of Xero. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. This article contains general investment advice only (under AFSL 400691). Authorised by Scott Phillips.

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