Floating-rate preferred shares have advantages and disadvantages. You earn higher dividend income, along with the potential for capital gains, when interest rates rise. But the opposite can occur when rates   Read More

If you are in the market for a cottage, cabin, camp, chalet, shack or whatever you may call a second or vacation home in your part of this Great White   Read More

If you believe a continued market downtrend for the intermediate term is likely, then shorting the market with exchange traded funds, stocks, currencies and gold might be of interest to   Read More

Markham, Ont.-based Mark Halpern is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) with special expertise in tax planning for high net worth individuals and their families.   Read More

The Bank of Canada was right to hold off on cutting the prime interest rate but sunny government inflation statistics and industry forecasts are deceptive. Edward Gardiner, an Ottawa-based market   Read More

The tech stock favourites of the stock market have fallen back and precious metals and the companies that produce them may pull back after a brief rally. Toronto-based Brian Hoffman,   Read More

The crafters of the legislation creating the Tax-Free Savings Account obviously weren’t moved by Juliet’s lament to Romeo: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any   Read More

The U.S. federal government has over $19 trillion in funded debt, at least $6 trillion in off-balance sheet obligations, and staggering unfunded liabilities for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, etc., which   Read More

Syvia Poon is a financial analyst and an avid market observer with a particular interest in stock options trading. She explains that beyond their use as speculative trading vehicles, stock   Read More

Among the Canadian real estate investment trusts monitored by the Money Reporter, CAP REIT’s defensive qualities should appeal to risk averse investors. Its properties are mainly located in or near   Read More

Mark Goodfield, CPA, CA, LPA, editor of the popular blog The Blunt Bean Counter, author of Let’s Get Blunt About Your Financial Affairs and a contributing editor to The TaxLetter,   Read More

Gold as an alternative investment provides important portfolio diversification because its price is least tied to traditional financial assets. Nick Barisheff, president and CEO of Bullion Management Group Inc., a   Read More

You regularly receive cash as fixed-income investments mature, takeovers occur, and you earn interest, dividends and capital gains. Rebalance your portfolio as you do your ordinary investing.
Studies show that your   Read More

‘Melt and cascade’ describes what happens to a solid ice jam on a hot summer’s day: a fixed form becomes a fluid, more dynamic element. Mark Halpern, a Markham, Ont.-based   Read More

Giving to others can benefit you, too. Toronto-based Kim Inglis is an investment advisor and portfolio manager with the Reynolds Inglis Group within Canaccord Genuity Wealth Management. Here she shows   Read More

The Money Reporter surveys deposit-taking institutions across Canada every month looking for the best interest rates available in the country. The survey includes best GIC (guaranteed investment certificates) rates, best   Read More

Every month the Money Reporter publishes a comprehensive list of the best bonds to invest in including 13 Canadian corporate bonds and 38 Canadian federal and provincial government bonds and   Read More

John Embry, a Toronto-based senior market strategist with Sprott Asset Management, is appalled that, in just one week, bullion banks boosted their short positions by a staggering 35,000 contracts. One   Read More

Brookfield Renewable Energy Partners L.P. is an open-ended income trust that operates one of the world’s largest publicly traded, pure-play renewable power platforms. Its portfolio consists of hydroelectric and wind facilities   Read More

The price of gold seems stuck at low levels with no recovery in sight. While you might hold some gold stocks for diversification purposes, remember gold’s drawbacks.
Gold trades at US$1,173   Read More

Every month the Money Reporter publishes a comprehensive list of the best bonds to invest in including 13 Canadian corporate bonds and  38  Canadian federal and provincial government bonds and   Read More

Warrants are alternative investments to the stocks they give you the right to buy. And they cost a lot less than those stocks you have a right to buy. Also,   Read More

Alternative investments such as gold and silver bullion are stuck in a bear market that is still intact. So says Toronto-based Brian Hoffman, CPA, CA, a member of the Canadian   Read More

Assuming the global economy gradually improves, we expect corporate bonds to outperform government bonds. Straight preferreds have performed well relative to rate-reset issues and fixed-floaters, both of which have been   Read More

Bond and mortgage funds, treasury bills, stripped bonds and coupons and mortgage-backed securities help reduce short-term volatility and risk. Also, some of their timing features come in handy when planning   Read More

The new cumulative contribution limit on a Tax-Free Savings Account is $41,000. Everybody should have a TFSA. TFSAs are the best thing offered to investors by the federal government since   Read More

Investor’s Digest of Canada regularly publishes essential information on the most widely-covered income trusts by leading analysts across Canada. Of the 49 income trusts followed by Investor’s Digest, here are   Read More

Some income-seeking investors are turning to preferred dividend stocks to increase the cash they earn. But this can cost them money if they ignore the yield-to-call on older preferreds.
Some income-seeking   Read More

Markham, Ontario-based Mark Halpern is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), Trust and Estate Practitioner (TEP) and CEO of WEALTHinsurance.com and illnessPROTECTION.com. He says new rules are coming in 2017 but   Read More

Some lesser-developed countries look attractive. But investing abroad exposes you to considerable risks. So your strategic investment objectives should include finding safer ways to profit. One is to buy the   Read More

Every month the Money Reporter publishes a comprehensive list of best Canadian corporate bonds, Canadian federal and provincial government bonds and Canadian preferred shares─both straight and floating rate─that it recommends   Read More

Few gamblers make money. But if taking the occasional punt gives you some fun, then go ahead. We wouldn’t deny you the thrill. But be aware that it is a   Read More

ADRs (American Depositary Receipts) make it easy for you to buy overseas companies and provide you with an extra measure of safety that you would not get with a direct   Read More

The Money Reporter tells you where to get the best GIC interest rates, best bond investments from both government and corporate issuers, and the best straight and floating rate preferred   Read More

John Stephenson, portfolio manager and president of Toronto-based Stephenson & Company Capital Management Inc., says the recent dramatic decline in the greenback is unlikely to be sustained for an extended   Read More

After posting modest returns in 2014, Canadian bonds have gotten off to a strong start so far this year. Year to date, the FTSE Universe Bond Index has gained 4.2   Read More

Nature is springing back to life. But the markets are likely to correct significantly. Rebalance to emphasize cash and low-beta stocks. Keith Richards, portfolio manager at Barrie, Ont.-based ValueTrend suggests   Read More

The Money Reporter regularly publishes tables of recommended government bonds, corporate bonds and preferred shares suitable for income-oriented investors. The monthly Fact and Advice Sheet also gives guidance for current   Read More

Brookfield Infrastructure Partners L.P.  is a publicly traded limited partnership that engages in the acquisition and management of infrastructure investments on a global basis. Its current business consists of the   Read More

Two Canadian companies with a global reach─one focused on tangible assets, the other on intangible assets─are rated ‘best buys’. These two Canadian multinationals are most suitable for new buying now.
When   Read More

Every month Money Reporter subscribers know where they can get the best GIC, RRSP, Term Deposit and Money Market interest rates in Canada.
GIC rates continued to fall following the Bank   Read More

 “As a technical analyst, I tend to avoid making longer-term predictions about markets, sectors or commodity prices. I find that forecasting market movements or events out beyond a few months   Read More

 What to do about bonds

Canadian bonds have produced strong total returns so far this year. The FTSE Universe Bond Index, which covers over 1,300 Canadian bonds, has returned 3.5 per   Read More

Putting money into your Registered Retirement Savings Plan, or RRSP, is a great way to start planning for your retirement. And there’s no better time to start thinking about your   Read More

Writing in The TaxLetter, Mark Halpern, a Certified Financial Planner and Trust and Estate Practitioner with Markham, Ontario-based illnessPROTECTION.com outlined several easy ways to help you and your family find   Read More

Emerging markets have taken it on the chin lately. But this doesn’t mean it’s time to jump ship. For value-oriented folks, these markets are still good places in which to   Read More

Puts and calls may seem a little bit exotic at first, but their potential to earn you some handsome extra income may well be worth it.

At the Money Reporter, we   Read More

Although many investors buy the units of real estate investment trusts, or REITS, and other high dividend-paying stocks for their attractive income — and maybe also for capital appreciation —   Read More

How much foreign content you choose to hold in your portfolio should depend on your investment objectives, time horizon and risk tolerance. But when you calculate your foreign content, remember   Read More

In every issue of the Money Reporter we provide you with a table of various interest rates. Along with this, we often provide a description of how these rates have   Read More

American Depositary Receipts, or ADRs, give you ownership in companies based outside of Canada and the U.S. This can give you several benefits. One is diversification—geo-political and industrial. It’s tempting   Read More

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are looking pretty good in current markets. After lagging the S&P/TSX Composite Index for much of 2014, the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index held up well   Read More