David Cockfield, Markham, Ont.-based portfolio manager and managing director of Northland Wealth Management, says determining how much a security can lose is a vital part of picking investments. He recommends   Read More

We recommend Beutel Goodman Canadian Equity Fund for both growth and income. In general, we find the fund suitable for a conservative investor who can tolerate medium investment risk. It   Read More

What are closed-end mutual funds? In many ways, closed-end funds are similar to open-end funds. When you invest is closed-end funds you spread your money over a diversified group of   Read More

This top Canadian global equity fund performs well in almost any time frame.  It does so by seeking bargain stocks of companies that trade at a discount to their present   Read More

Diversification by type, sector and size are among the benefits of this trio of best Canadian mutual funds. Lack of exposure to resource stocks in one portfolio is offset by   Read More

One of the main ideas behind index exchange traded funds, or “ETFs,” is to minimize costs. After all, these funds need no special portfolio-management skills. The manager simply duplicates the   Read More

Diversified, conservative equity mutual funds make good core portfolio holdings, of course. But conservative investors would also do well to include a top Canadian dividend fund or equity income fund,   Read More

Whether you invest in equity mutual funds or directly in stocks, you need to diversify your holdings and balance them to suit your own investment circumstances and objectives. Below we   Read More

We’ve often noted the advantage of small mutual funds. Most notably, they have greater flexibility to make significant portfolio changes without affecting the stock market. Then too, a single winning,   Read More

In an office in Vancouver, a small Canadian mutual fund company with a difference carries on operations. There, Steadyhand operates a family of six funds. The company has devised a   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

We include two of Mawer Investment Management’s mutual funds in our monthly Planning Guide. We feel Mawer’s equity funds rank among the more stable and best Canadian equity funds you   Read More

In the past, buying all the shares that make up a stock index was a course of action available to only the largest investors. These days, however, Canadian stock-market investors   Read More

Our latest addition to our Top-40 list of best Canadian mutual funds has a solid track record of delivering strong risk-adjusted returns. At the same time it has a well-balanced   Read More

Closed-end funds offer an alternative to traditional fund investing. One big difference is price. Even the best closed-end funds usually trade at a discount to their underlying asset value.
Closed-end funds   Read More

There’s seldom a compelling reason to recommend a fund that’s been operating for less than about three years. That’s because new funds often involve unknown management, have no portfolio and   Read More

Here’s a low-cost mutual fund that ranks among the best Canadian index funds and that’s easily within reach of the small investor. You need only a $100 commitment to get   Read More

Any investor may occasionally see his strategy fail to keep up with others. An investor with a proven record of success, however, can expect that with time his strategy will   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

Often a small mutual fund is able to outperform large funds by getting a couple of big winners early on. This may attract the attention of investors who can quickly   Read More

If you’re like many people, you’ve rushed into your bank near the end of February and put as much as you could manage into an RRSP. You may have made   Read More

Recent market action indicates why it’s essential to hold Canadian equity index ETFs as part of a larger, well-diversified portfolio. Heavy concentration in just a few industry sectors makes Canadian   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

This past year, 2014, was a difficult one for Europe. According to estimates provided by The Economist, the euro area is likely to have grown just 0.8 per cent for   Read More

Where should you put new money now?

Continue to add to stock funds, emphasizing diversified, conservative offerings. Longer-term, risk-tolerant investors may want to be more aggressive with specialized funds.

We think the   Read More

Canadian small-cap stocks have lost ground this year, but IA Clarington Canadian Small Cap Fund has bucked the trend. Its strong, consistent track record and relatively low volatility makes it,   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

Key market indicators are back in a ‘buy’ mode and it’s time to buy says Keith Richards, a portfolio manager at ValueTrend Wealth Management in Barrie, Ontario.

“It’s no secret that   Read More

Some investors want their money used in ways they consider socially responsible. The criteria for that may change from individual to individual, but here’s a fund that tries to address   Read More

John Bogle, Vanguard Group founder and the father of the indexing concept, takes a highly academic route to his conclusion that no one can predict the future performance of any   Read More

When building a portfolio of equity funds, we recommend the core of your holdings be comprised of two or three large-cap funds with different investment styles. A value fund, a   Read More

High-yielding equity securities will probably continue to perform well in the years ahead as baby boomers are still in the midst of retiring, creating demand for income-producing securities.

Many investors either   Read More

Asia-Pacific stock markets have performed reasonably well this year, and that might continue over the near term. But we think the real investment lure in this region is its long-term   Read More

Aston Hill VIP Income Fund (TSX – VIP.UN) continues to benefit from strong equity market returns, particularly in the U.S., as well as relatively attractive performance in the high-yield credit   Read More

In recent years, it’s been fashionable to take a bearish view of energy stocks. But not everybody is an energy bear. The manager of CI Canadian Investment Fund thinks energy   Read More

As the most dynamic, flexible and successful material-wealth-building economy in the world, the U.S. deserves your investment attention. Every Canadian investor should have some exposure to U.S. stocks.

Compared to last   Read More

Sometimes things just go on and on and on. Take, for example, the loonie’s duel with the greenback.

So observes Keith Richards, Barrie, Ontario-based portfolio manager of Value Trend/Wealth Management, who   Read More

When stock markets are undervalued, it’s usually a good time to invest aggressively in the index offerings that track them. When market valuations rise, however, a more circumspect approach is   Read More

It pays to keep an eye on an exchange-traded fund’s volatility as well as on its performance. That can affect your comfort level with your investments. And you may prefer   Read More

Speculating can be fraught with danger. Hold too long in a bull market and you can quickly lose all your gains. Famed American investor of the 1920s, Bernard Baruch, reportedly   Read More

Exchange-traded funds, such as iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index, have their advantages and disadvantages. But if you’re content with returns that are generally no better, or no worse than the market,   Read More

If you’re looking for the best mutual funds to invest new money in right now, we suggest you add to conservative Canadian and foreign stock funds. As well, emerging markets   Read More

Best Canadian Mutual funds’ Beutel Goodman Canadian is now a Top-40 fund

Our new addition to our Top-40 funds possesses many of the characteristics we like: a strong performance track record,   Read More

Equity funds with substantial cyclical exposure should do well provided that global economies continue to improve. Here’s an aggressive Canadian fund with cyclical exposure that makes a good complement to   Read More

Continue to add to existing funds, especially those in your portfolio with weak short-term records. They’ll be back.

Our thinking: As long as you have your time horizons properly thought out,   Read More

Past performance may not be much of a basis for evaluating any mutual fund for future investment. As they say, “Past performance is no guarantee of future performance.” But past   Read More

Continue to pursue a dollar-cost averaging program, emphasizing conservative, diversified, large-cap funds. Emerging markets hold appeal for aggressive investors.

OUR CURRENT THINKING: Notwithstanding the possibility of a sharp market correction   Read More

Expanding valuation multiples have been useful fund strategy tools and played a primary role as stock-market drivers in recent years. As time goes on, however, multiples will have less room   Read More

Winnipeg-based IGM Financial is one of Canada’s largest personal financial services companies. It’s one of the largest managers and distributors of Canadian mutual funds and other managed asset products.

IGM earned   Read More

One of the most important investment principles you can follow is to sidestep investments you don’t understand.

It’s a principle that some of the most successful, well-known investors, such as Warren   Read More

With all of our other investment choices, be it stocks or trusts or bonds or cash, we all make our own decisions on what and when to buy and sell.   Read More

If stock markets correct in the near term, we advise you to add to your holdings when prices are down. Among funds that make good candidates for buying during corrections   Read More