Who are all those people and what do they do? I’m often asked why the financial services industry in Canada isn’t better regulated. After all, we frequently read about some unfortunate investors who were bilked of their life savings by an unscrupulous “advisor” who...
Remember this one key principle of investing When you’re relaxing at the beach or cottage, or doing the grand tour somewhere, you don’t want to spend much time fretting about your investments. If you’re continually worried that stock markets are on the verge of a...
Active versus passive investment styles A friend of mine says she invests in a “couch potato portfolio,” and her returns are higher than my portfolio of mutual funds, which the company says is actively managed! I’m not sure I understand what a “couch potato”...
Permanent life policies pitch savings growth... at a price If you’ve ever shopped for life insurance, you’ll know you can quickly get tangled up in a thicket of plans, policies, terms, exclusions, riders, benefits, and all the other paraphernalia that comes with...
There are better ways to generate retirement income “T series” mutual funds, so named because they are supposedly “tax efficient,” have become a popular type of mutual fund for investors seeking a steady, high annual cash payout. The payout rate is given in the...
Why market timing strategies are bad for your portfolio “Sell in May, go away, and don’t come back til Labour Day.” This year especially, investors might be tempted to do so, because markets have been on a tear, and the experts say they’re due for a correction....
Where’s your retirement income hiding? Where will my retirement income come from? A worryingly large number of higher-tax-bracket individuals I talk to these days ask me that same question. After looking at their Canada Pension Plan payment, perhaps some employer...
Annuities are just one tool in your arsenal One of the first questions many of my high net worth clients ask me is whether they’ll outlive their money. Now, if someone comes to you with $500,000 to $1 million to manage, you’d think they’d be feeling pretty...
How to prevent inflation evaporation in your portfolio Scottish distillers call the routine evaporation of a small amount of whisky during the distilling process “the angels’ share.” Likewise, inflation is quietly evaporating your retirement nest egg, your...
Make sure you’re using the right investment benchmark If you have an investment portfolio, you’ve probably seen statements from your advisor or broker showing how your portfolio has performed over the past month, quarter, and year. I’ve frequently been asked why...
And why you should follow his advice anyway Warren Buffett is the most famous investor in the world. Also one of the world’s richest men. There’s a direct line of causality between the two. So it’s not surprising that his annual letter to shareholders of his...
Not the pristine, risk-free investments you thought they were As RRSP season rapidly draws to a close (the deadline for contributions eligible for a 2013 tax deduction is March 3), I’ve been fielding plenty of questions about investments for an RRSP. One that...