ValueTrend’s Keith Richards says: “We’re long the markets. But we’re holding our noses while doing so, and keeping a sharp eye on the potential for any negative developments.”
At ValueTrend we   Read More

If you have a family and assets, you need an estate plan and a will. And, says WealthInsurance.com CEO Mark Halpern, you need to review it at least every five   Read More

Moez Mahraz, an analyst at 5iResearch, weighs some of the benefits and danger signals associated with companies that pay monthly dividends.

Most companies pay dividends on a quarterly basis. One of   Read More

2019 was a great year for income stocks and trusts. The main trust index was up just over 23 per cent, the REIT index about 12 per cent and the   Read More

DRIPs (Dividend Re-Investment Plans) and cash option plans let individual investors build their wealth. That’s thanks to the dozen advantages that we outline below.

Studies show that dividend reinvestment is crucial   Read More

If you’ve never been burnt on an investment, or haven’t been burnt lately, you need extra skepticism to avoid the kind of investment mistakes that can result in severe losses.

It’s   Read More

Behavioural finance analyst Ken Norquay says: Be alert for a sell signal in both stocks and bonds. We should be preparing to buy gold and oil ETFs.
Gold bugs are investors   Read More

What would attract investors to buy bonds that have a negative yield? Odlum Brown’s Murray Leith’s ruminations may help you clear your New Year’s Day thinking.

Jyske Bank, Denmark’s third-largest, made   Read More

If you’re superstitious, you’ll find it auspicious that there are seven investment P’s.

Business students who take classes in marketing learn about four P’s. They stand for product, promotion, price and   Read More

Shredding some old tax returns was an eye-opening experience for Toronto-based accountant Mark Goodfield, a.k.a. The Blunt Bean Counter.

When I was a young accountant and happened upon an estate return,   Read More

Goodwill—positive thoughts and acts of generosity—may be the genesis of the accounting term for paying too much. But comes year-end and the debate about ‘writing off’ goodwill.
The validity of some   Read More

5iResearch analyst Moez Mahraz stresses any benefit from tax-loss selling is of secondary importance to the long-term benefit of investing in quality stocks in the first place.
As we approach the   Read More

Bonds and fixed-income securities have historically returned less than equities. But, in return, they guarantee to provide cash flow in a timely fashion if you hold them directly.
Bonds make an   Read More

American Depositary Receipts offer safe ownership in companies outside Canada and the US because the stock certificates are registered in the name of a US trust company or bank.

American Depositary   Read More

To put your strategic investment objectives to work, you have to learn to distinguish between aggressive investments and defensive investments.

Investors often disagree on the key differences between an aggressive investment   Read More

The key to making money with junk bonds is to diversify across industries. That’s because failing companies are often concentrated in problem industries.
Investors should diversify across many ‘asset classes’. One   Read More

There is a distinct possibility that the bond market, the stock market and the economy all peaked in the third quarter of 2019. Something is wrong. Beyond the Bull author   Read More

If your investment time horizon is shortening, or you don’t like volatility, you might want to consider a change in your asset allocation to reflect the riskier outlook for equities.

With   Read More

We advise you to use some contributions to a TFSA (Tax-Free Savings Account) to build an emergency fund. Then use the remaining TFSA money to invest in potentially very lucrative   Read More

“Diversification is protection against ignorance. It makes little sense if you know what you are doing.” We don’t often disagree with Warren Buffet, but sector investing lets you gain exposure   Read More

Ken Norquay recalls the late Richard Russell’s admonition in making the case that investors who have not adopted financial plans that include selling, should do so immediately.

I remember those carefree   Read More

5iResearch securities analyst Moez Mahraz finds companies with high insider ownership do well. When management has significant “skin-in-the-game”, their interests are closely aligned with yours.
Many of the companies we follow   Read More

Investors gain an appreciation of risk and diversification in terrible markets like the end of 2018. But markets like the first half of this year can undermine those hard-won lessons.

Everywhere   Read More

Here are two sleep-at-night mutual funds that, together, constitute a well-diversified portfolio with exposure to different geographical areas and industries.

Trade tensions and inverting interest rate yield curves have increased market   Read More

Some investors get an urge to take one last speculative fling before they retire. For most of us, it’s better to plan a transitional portfolio.
Changing a portfolio to suit new   Read More

Bond funds account for about 13 per cent of the money Canadians have invested in mutual funds. But bond funds do little more than enrich their managers and enslave their   Read More

Toronto tax lawyer Samantha Prasad warns that all is not fair in love and taxes. The CRA may not have the same misty-eyed view of sharing as you and your   Read More

ValueTrend portfolio manager Keith Richards wonders if we are in for a storm (a new bear market), or is this just the pause that refreshes (a continuing bull market)?
Back in   Read More

Be careful of stock tips from portfolio managers. They may know more about stocks than your hairdresser, but if they’re talking up a stock, they’ve probably already accumulated it.
We like   Read More

Rebalancing your portfolio to your long-term asset allocation targets can protect you from harmful portfolio drift.
Contrarian investors look at what the crowd is doing and act differently, provided that it   Read More

5iResearch securities analyst Moez Mahraz finds companies with high insider ownership do well. When management has significant “skin-in-the-game”, their interests are closely aligned with yours.
Many of the companies we follow   Read More

Make sure your investment techniques serve the investor you really are, and NOT the investor who is newly inspired to take more risk because the markets seem so strong.
In pre-computer   Read More

Some investors get an urge to take one last speculative fling before they retire. For most of us, it’s better to plan a transitional portfolio.
Changing a portfolio to suit new   Read More

Bond funds account for about 13 per cent of the money Canadians have invested in mutual funds. But bond funds do little more than enrich their managers and enslave their   Read More

ValueTrend portfolio manager Keith Richards wonders if we are in for a storm (a new bear market), or is this just the pause that refreshes (a continuing bull market)?
Back in   Read More

Fresh off the glow of Toronto Raptors’ championship run, Mark Goodfield (aka The Blunt Bean Counter) finds five lessons for wannabe winning investors.
The Raptors are the toast of the town   Read More

Rebalancing your portfolio to your long-term asset allocation targets can protect you from harmful portfolio drift.
Contrarian investors look at what the crowd is doing and act differently, provided that it   Read More

Make sure your investment techniques serve the investor you really are, and NOT the investor who is newly inspired to take more risk because the markets seem so strong.
In pre-computer   Read More

Be careful of stock tips from portfolio managers. They may know more about stocks than your hairdresser, but if they’re talking up a stock, they’ve probably already accumulated it.
We like   Read More

Toronto tax lawyer Samantha Prasad warns that all is not fair in love and taxes. The CRA may not have the same misty-eyed view of sharing as you and your   Read More

DRIPs (Dividend Re-Investment Plans) and cash option plans let individual investors build their wealth. That’s thanks to these dozen advantages.

Studies show that dividend reinvestment is essential in building wealth. So   Read More

Behavioural finance analyst Ken Norquay casts his skeptical eye on the notion that the baby boomers have had their financial dreams come true. Why would they worry?
While travelling in Colorado   Read More

Growing dividends give you advantages. Continue to seek stocks that regularly raise their dividends. Particularly the nine ‘dividend aristocrats’ shown below.

At this time of the year, many stocks raise their   Read More

Even the most conservative investor has to own up to some grudging admiration for the successful stock trader. That’s because conservative investors recognize the difficulties that traders face. Before you   Read More

Why can’t you have your cake and eat it too? Tax lawyer Samantha Prasad offers suggestions for conservative, cash-conscious investors to minimize the tax-man’s slice.
For those conservative investors out there,   Read More

As if they’re aren’t enough potential sources of stock market volatility, we also have to contend with abusive short-selling practices from time to time.
Short selling has long been a legitimate   Read More

Biotech stocks typically get a second wind after the American Society of Clinical Oncologists annual conference in June and climb for the rest of summer. “Usually it’s in late June,”   Read More

Long term buy-and-hold strategies rely on up trending markets. Long term buy-low-sell-high strategies rely on volatility. That’s why behavioural finance analyst Ken Norquay recommends incorporating selling into your investment strategy.

Previously   Read More

When your stocks are down, remember that every dog has its day.
Equity markets have had a strong start to the year. The positive shifts in investor sentiment and stock prices   Read More

Pete Seeger’s 1950s hit ‘Turn! Turn! Turn! To everything there is a season’ popularized the message of Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. So why, behavioural finance analyst Ken Norquay wonders, does the securities   Read More

Great graduation gifts needn’t cost you much. Smart-as-a-whip grads may have earned straight ‘A’s, but did they learn anything about managing money? You can help them start a post-grad program   Read More

We have always advised strenuously against stock-market timing. And the longer we work at investments, the more convinced we become that no one has much of an edge at timing.
It’s   Read More