Adopting an appropriate investment strategy requires an investor to build a systematic plan of action to achieve his or her long term goals. The plan will determine the allocation of investable assets among stocks, bonds, cash and cash equivalents and alternative investments. The plan will consider such macro factors as economic trends, inflation and interest rates. Other factors are more personal–such as the investor’s age and risk tolerance as well as future needs for income and capital expenses. Tactics to achieve these individual strategic investment goals will inevitably involve a trade-off between risk and reward parameters. The expectation of higher returns will almost certainly involve the acceptance of some risk. Investors determined to follow their plan will commit it to writing. Then, when the going gets tough in stressful financial markets, the comfort of re-reading your strategic plan will remind you that you’re on the right path.
The TaxLetter •March 15, 2016 •
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
Investor's Digest of Canada •March 10, 2016 •
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 MoneyLetter •March 7, 2016 •
Ken Norquay is a Chartered Market Technician, author of the behavioural finance book Beyond the Bull and a regular contributor to The MoneyLetter. He is currently on a European reconnaissance Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •February 24, 2016 •
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 MoneyLetter •February 21, 2016 •
Index funds effectively own the same stocks in the same proportions as a market index. This means an index fund’s performance will always come fairly close to that of the Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •February 18, 2016 •
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
The MoneyLetter •February 17, 2016 •
The financial sector’s exposure to the energy sector is driving banking stocks down world-wide. John Stephenson is portfolio manager and President and CEO of Stephenson & Company Capital Management Inc. Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •February 9, 2016 •
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
The MoneyLetter •February 8, 2016 •
The market outlook suggests that U.S. markets are about to test their 2015 summer lows. If they don’t bounce back, the next level of support seems to be around the Read More
The MoneyLetter •January 31, 2016 •
Make rebalancing your portfolio a resolution for 2016. Consider your circumstances, set targets . . . and stick to them.
Rebalancing your portfolio is critical to successful investing. We advise you Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •January 28, 2016 •
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
The Investment Reporter •January 26, 2016 •
Canadian stocks are now in bear market territory. This setback gives you a chance to buy fine companies on the cheap. Follow our advice to invest both safely and profitably. Read More
The Investment Reporter •January 20, 2016 •
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
The MoneyLetter •January 18, 2016 •
A rational market strategy: Participate in uptrends, reduce exposure to downtrends. Right now, the signals are saying: ‘Sell’. They’re not as simple as ‘Buy Low; Sell High’, but they are Read More
The TaxLetter •January 12, 2016 •
‘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
Money Reporter •January 6, 2016 •
Rebalancing an investment portfolio makes intuitive sense. And it serves to take emotion out of the picture. But it also takes judgment out of the picture. And its benefits are Read More
The MoneyLetter •January 4, 2016 •
When you have a new lump sum of cash to invest, such as a bonus or an inheritance, it can be tempting to look for new mutual funds rather than Read More
The Investment Reporter •December 31, 2015 •
In theory, you own the companies in which you hold shares. The presidents, chief executive officers, chief financial officers and other top managers are your employees. But the reality is Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •December 29, 2015 •
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 MoneyLetter •December 28, 2015 •
It pays to buy companies with hidden assets and stay away from those with hidden liabilities. Hidden assets and liabilities, of course, are those that don’t show up on a Read More
The Investment Reporter •December 21, 2015 •
DRIPs (Dividend Re-Investment Plans) and cash option plans let individual investors build their wealth. That’s thanks to the dozen benefits that we outline below.
Dividend Re-Investment Plans (DRIPs) can build Read More
The MoneyLetter •December 20, 2015 •
Are you concerned about rising interest rates effect on stocks in the U.S.? Keith Richards, portfolio manager at Barrie, Ont.-based ValueTrend Wealth Management and a frequent contributor to The MoneyLetter, Read More
Money Reporter •December 10, 2015 •
When we give strategic investment advice on securities, we often qualify it by saying that some securities are suitable for conservative investors while others are better suited to aggressive investors, Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •December 8, 2015 •
Keith Richards, portfolio manager of Barrie, Ont.-based ValueTrend Wealth Management says his favorite market indicators are flashing ‘buy’ signals in five market sectors. He names his favorite stock picks in Read More
The Investment Reporter •December 6, 2015 •
A study shows that from 1900 to 2005, dividends produced 90 per cent of the returns of investors worldwide. So focus as much on high dividend paying stocks as on Read More
The MoneyLetter •November 29, 2015 •
Our job, as conservative investors, is twofold: (i) To safeguard our money; and (ii) To get a reasonable return commensurate with our risk tolerance. Ken Norquay, author of the behavioral Read More
The MoneyLetter •November 23, 2015 •
To maximize your risk-adjusted returns, don’t mix investments and emotions. Toronto-based Craig Jerusalim, a portfolio manager at CIBC Global Asset Management, identifies five desirable traits of high-quality companies including defendable Read More
The Investment Reporter •November 15, 2015 •
Usually, the higher a company’s cash flow, the better. But in the case of growing companies, lower cash flow from total operating activities is better. Sometimes strategic investing requires using Read More
The Investment Reporter •November 4, 2015 •
Most individual investors tend to be ‘homers’ or ‘chauvinists’. As a result, they overweight their portfolios from their home stock market. It’s known as the equity ‘home bias’ puzzle. Buying Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •November 2, 2015 •
Keith Richards, portfolio manager at Barrie, Ont.-based Value Trend/Wealth Management has spotted a long legged doji, or rickshaw man, on his candlestick charts. This rickshaw man pattern indicates indecision and Read More
The MoneyLetter •October 18, 2015 •
Dividend paying stocks add stability and investment quality to your portfolio. And dividends account for a lot–maybe as much as a third to a half–of your total returns.
Many investors are Read More
The MoneyLetter •October 11, 2015 •
Happy Thanksgiving, Canada! Celebrating with your extended family on all your favorite foodstuffs and libations? Conversation inevitably evolving from elucidating insights to more passionate opinions? Given that The Great White Read More
The Investment Reporter •October 8, 2015 •
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
The MoneyLetter •October 5, 2015 •
Recent escalated market volatility was a signal to sell—now. In nautical terms, that spike in volatility was a ‘shot across the bow’. Ken Norquay, a regular contributor to The MoneyLetter Read More
The MoneyLetter •September 14, 2015 •
This choppy, sideways market is no place for a buy-and-hold investment strategy. The best approach is one of constant sector rotation. So says Keith Richards, a portfolio manager at Barrie, Read More
The Investment Reporter •September 13, 2015 •
Stock markets have plunged around the world. But we see no 2008- and 2009-style market meltdown on the way. As a result, make the most of this market setback. Continue Read More
Money Reporter •September 2, 2015 •
Severe market corrections cause many investors to question their long term strategic investment plans. ‘Buy low; Sell high’ is a popular, but not very helpful, investment strategy. Better you should Read More
The TaxLetter •August 18, 2015 •
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
The Investment Reporter •August 11, 2015 •
Jeremy Siegel is a professor of finance at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and author of the book Stocks for the Long Run. Professor Siegel points out Read More
The MoneyLetter •August 9, 2015 •
Balanced investors should now hold about two per cent of their total investment portfolio in cash, which is up from the one per cent we previously advised you to hold. Read More
The Investment Reporter •August 6, 2015 •
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
The MoneyLetter •August 3, 2015 •
It’s crucial to create—and stick with—an investment plan. Here’s how Keith Richards, portfolio manager at Barrie, Ontario-based ValueTrend Wealth Management approaches the investment strategy of risk/reward-based trading.
After reading an article Read More
The Investment Reporter •July 29, 2015 •
Usually, the higher a company’s cash flow, the better. That’s because companies can use their cash flow to grow by investing in plant and equipment or by making acquisitions. Companies Read More
The Investment Reporter •July 15, 2015 •
Underpriced slower-growing companies are often better investments than overpriced fast-growing companies. In other words, value investing often pays more than growth investing.
Jeremy Siegel is a professor Read More
Money Reporter •July 13, 2015 •
As we enter the second half of 2015, we are maintaining the asset allocation advice we’ve had in place for some time now. To start with, we recommend you continue Read More
The TaxLetter •July 9, 2015 •
Sending someone away from home to university for four years can cost more than $100,000. That’s taking into account tuition, books, transportation, room and board, and incidentals. Government cutbacks, inflation, Read More
The MoneyLetter •July 7, 2015 •
Six years ago was the right time for aggressive investing. The time for extreme caution is coming soon. That’s the market outlook from Ken Norquay, CMT and author of the Read More
The Investment Reporter •July 6, 2015 •
Knowing when to sell stocks, as we point out from time to time, is one of the most pitfall-riddled aspects of strategic investing. Selling is a skill nobody ever masters. Read More
Money Reporter •July 2, 2015 •
Is now the time to sell your equities? Or is this really the question you should be asking yourself? No equity investment is immune when the stock market outlook suggests Read More
The Investment Reporter •June 28, 2015 •
The 10 conglomerates followed by The Investment Reporter have out-performed the market recently. But they can suffer from some of the drawbacks outlined below. Often strategic investment planning for ‘De-conglomeration’ Read More
The MoneyLetter •June 19, 2015 •
Overall, the stock market outlook remains volatile, while the bond market outlook could be on the verge of a tantrum. Here’s where to find some comfort food for the soul—and Read More
Investor's Digest of Canada •June 11, 2015 •
Conventional wisdom is, well, conventional—and often inappropriate. Sunil Vidyarthi, president of Oakville, Ont.-based Value Sciences Inc., says the wisdom of putting bonds in your RRSP is flawed. In fact stocks Read More
