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4-step makeover for the financial frumps and frizzies
Does your financial plan look a lot like Cinderella before she met her fairy godmother. Frumpy, frizzy, washed out, washed up, and dressed in rags. If that about sums it up, you just might need a financial makeover. So while you’re getting set for the glitz and...
Are you a secret ‘satellite’ investor?
Do you invest on the sly? Well, it’s no secret! A friend recently told me, with some pride, that her small “private” investment account has recently performed better than the much larger portfolio she keeps with a reputable financial advisory firm. She wondered...
Accessing locked-in retirement funds
Many of my women clients “of a certain age” have rather substantial pension nest-eggs, either through their employer’s pension plans or through their own business or professional practice. But they do share one problem. Their pension funds are tied up in Locked-In...
Six rules for novice investors
I recently began volunteering with an organization called Girls Inc., one of whose valuable programs teaches teen girls the basics of investing and money management. By the end of the program, the girls will be competently managing a full-blown investment...
Diamonds are not a girl’s best friend
Ever since screen goddess Marilyn Monroe breathily sang the famous lyric in the 1959 hit movie Some Like It Hot, diamonds have come to be known as “a girl’s best friend.” You can understand why. They’re flashy and sparkly and pricey. And some girls actually drip...
Don’t play ‘defense’ in the markets
Don't play 'offense' either - play it smart Markets can be unpredictable in the fall. Also in the winter, spring, and summer. I got to thinking about this when I was recently asked to recommend some “defensive” mutual fund investment categories that would see an...
If I had a million dollars…(or $31 million)
Three principles of financial planning for millionaires (and wannabes) What would you do with $31 million? It’s a common fantasy question at coffee break or around the water cooler when government lottery jackpots reach eye-watering levels. A recent Lotto 649...
Claiming a loss on worthless shares
I’m often asked by clients what to do with shares of bankrupt, insolvent, or wound-up companies that are no longer traded on the stock market. For obvious reasons, taking a capital loss on the shares makes sense, especially if there are capital gains elsewhere that...
Girls just wanna get rich!
Oprah Winfrey is worth a cool US$2.9 billion. That, according to Forbes magazine, puts her at number 181 of the 400 richest people in America. Not bad for a self-made small-town girl who started with nothing. There are other women on the rich list, too. And some...
Robyn Thompson joins Girls Inc. of Durham in new investing program for teens
TORONTO, ONTARIO (September 13, 2013) – Castlemark Wealth Management Inc. is pleased to announce that company president Robyn K. Thompson, CFP, CIM, FCSI, will be a volunteer partner with Girls Inc. of Durham in the launch of the ING-Girls Inc. Investing Matters...
CRA demands tax in instalments
Q – Last week you answered a question about fighting a Notice of Assessment from the Canada Revenue Agency. My question relates to another comment made on my Notice regarding instalment payments. I have a business on the side, apart from my regular employment, and...
How to spend your tax refund and other cautionary tax tales
Your tax refund isn't a "gift" Have you received a “tax refund”? It’s around this time of year that taxpayers get Notices of Assessment from the CRA. Sometimes that means a cheque. Sometimes it means a nasty tax bill. So what will you do? Cash the cheque and blow...