It’s the job of any financial writer to see through fresh eyes, to look for traps and false assumptions in the world of money. Investors who weathered the stormy bear markets of 2000 to 2003 and 2008 to 2009 know only too well what can happen to the unwary.   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

Bonds account for much of Canadians’ investments. And bond funds make up a large part of Canada’s mutual fund business. But investing in bond funds can deny you the very   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

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam-based Peter Pham wrote recently in Investor’s Digest of Canada that the Greenback’s growing strength shows continued confidence in the American economy. He told readers how   Read More

A criticism of the standard market capitalization-weighted exchange-traded fund, or ETF, is that it mimics an index that gives greater weight to stocks that are high in demand among investors,   Read More

Wall Street strategists have started to issue their 2015 forecasts. And if a report by Goldman Sachs is any indication of the forecasts to follow, you might want to forget   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

The lessons of stock-market volatility especially apply to specialty funds. If you learn from them, consider any losses the cost of tuition at the school of Bay Street. You can,   Read More

Exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, offer low-cost exposure to indexes and sub-indexes on many stock markets throughout the world. In Canada, there are 340 exchange-traded products listed on the Toronto Stock   Read More

Though balanced funds are extremely popular with Canadian investors, we see little appeal in these investment products. It’s better to create your own balanced fund by selecting stock funds and   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

Watch the mutual funds you buy outside your registered accounts between now and the end of the year. Otherwise, you may find yourself on the hook for taxes if you   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

The advantage of investing internationally lies mainly in broadened diversification, which cuts risk. Similarly, you can cut risk by investing in dividend-paying stocks.

Here are two complementary exchange-traded funds that together   Read More

We see little appeal in bond exchange-traded funds, or ETFs, right now. That’s because even shorter-term bond ETFs are vulnerable to the potential of rising interest rates over the next   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

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

Paying capital gains taxes may be an inevitable result of successful investing. But the longer you can delay the inevitable, the greater will be your ultimate success.

Sector funds offer aggressive   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

U.S. equities markets have spawned some highly-specialized, successful investors over the years. One of these is James O’Shaughnessy, whose value approach to investing has been highly successful in the U.S.

The   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

Despite the long-term outperformance of equities compared to other asset categories, many stock and mutual-fund investors still manage to lose money. Why is this the case, and how can you   Read More

When it comes to investing, it’s important that you invest your time as well as your money. That’s particularly true of portfolio planning.

For example, if you invest solely in Canadian   Read More

Diversification is the best way to control risk in your portfolio of mutual funds. But there are several ways of achieving broad geographical diversification. A global fund may be the   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

With lots of cash, Chou Associates is well positioned for a correction, whenever it happens.

If you believe global stock markets are due for a correction anytime soon, you may find   Read More

Most investors would consider a loss of, say, 30 per cent in a year a disaster. Many would be completely shocked to lose money over 10 years. But what about   Read More

Quick, now: can you name the new whipping boy in the investment world? If you said bonds, you’d be right. After last year’s “taper tantrum” — i.e., the sell-off in   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

Dynamic American Value Fund has lagged its category in recent years. But that may change as the U.S. economic outlook picks up steam, giving a boost to the fund’s cyclically-oriented   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

The higher you set your return expectations from stock-based mutual funds, the more risk you take on. And taking higher risk does not guarantee the expected reward. Indeed, it may   Read More

What to do about common stocks

Many investors try to deal with the uncertainty of investing by diversifying. But there’s more to sound diversification than simply buying a variety of stocks.   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

Your house is likely your biggest investment. And your job is likely your biggest source of income. As a result, invest in a way that diversifies away from your house   Read More

In view of our previous recommendation to ETF investors that they buy unhedged ETFs when investing in the U.S., we now recommend such an ETF for investors seeking exposure to   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

Individual investors once had few asset classes (or types of investments) to choose from: There were common stocks, fixed-income investments (including preferred shares) and cash such as Treasury bills or   Read More

Specialty funds can be the most rewarding kind available. But they don’t necessarily stay that way for long. Astute, aggressive investors will recognize this and may move among specialty funds   Read More

Where to put new money now

Continue to add new money to existing positions. Emphasize those positions that have suffered relative short-term weakness. 

OUR CURRENT THINKING: Stock markets in North America and   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