“I understand that bonds prices go down when interest rates go up and vice versa. That said, should I still be holding bonds in my portfolio?” We hear this question in almost all client meetings. Investors are conditioned to believe that bonds are only good in falling interest rate environments. With all the talk about …
The CRA has smiled upon the Canadian tax payer. In January 2014, the spousal loan rate will drop from 2% back to 1%. This should significantly increase the number of households who utilize this income splitting strategy. What is income splitting, you ask? Income splitting is a tax savings strategy granted to Canadian households with …
When I turned 18, I needed to make money to help fund my post-secondary educational costs. I worked for my uncle’s company where we produced and erected steel buildings. Starting in the draft shop, I later graduated to erecting the steel. It was on my first job in the field that I learned a valuable …
All too often, I see many investors facing a dilemma. They have some information, but it doesn’t really feel like they have enough to act. So they go looking for more information. But given the short-term nature of some information (e.g., quarterly returns), it can feel like they never know enough to act.
Dimensional Fund Advisors, a quantitative shop run from sleepy Austin in Texas, serves as a quasi-laboratory for Gene Fama, One of this year’s three Nobel Prize winners in economics. Or so says David Booth, its founder. He met Professor Fama in 1969 while studying at the University of Chicago’s Business School, which was rechristened the Booth Business School in his honour a few years ago, following a $300m donation.
Susan, a 72-year-old widow, has concerns about her financial future, given that her pension is going to be reduced by 25% next year. Three financial advisors say that she will have no problems, and even could spend more than she does today.
“I know you can’t time the market. But in your view, where is the market going?” I still get this question from people, at event after event, even after people have heard me talk about the importance of behavior and how we can’t predict short-term market performance.
Hitting home runs with stock picks = Excitement Long-term investment strategies = Boring One relies on speculation and the other relies on sound, investment planning. Can you guess which is which? Speculative investing, by nature, is guessing (educated or not) on a specific stock/industry/geographic region/asset class with the intent to take advantage of mispriced securities …
This is the million dollar question. Or is it the five-hundred thousand dollar question? One of the biggest fears Canadians have about their retirement is outliving their money. Retirement income does not have to be an anxious or stressful topic, if properly planned for. The key to avoiding the anxiety is determining the annual income …
Looking for a financial advisor can be an overwhelming task. What institution should I use? What is the difference between a financial consultant, financial advisor, investment advisor, financial planner, or investment consultant? What makes a “good” financial professional? These are all questions that are asked and should be asked when searching for someone to help …
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