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

Gold may stay low. We still see more factors working against it than for it. Though you might hold a little gold for diversification purposes, remember its drawbacks.

In November, gold   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

 “Neither a borrower nor a lender be,” wrote William Shakespeare. In the investment arena, well-known investors such as Sir John Templeton have echoed the same sentiment over the years. But   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

To avoid risk, think like a trader, says Ken Norquay, a Hamilton, Ontario-based Chartered Market Technician (CMT) and author of Beyond the Bull, a book about behavioral finance and the   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

“In the stock market — or in any widely traded market — there’s an inevitable fact of life: bear markets happen. It’s a topic I’d just as soon avoid. After   Read More

More companies are buying back their shares. According to The Economist, the companies in Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index spent $500 billion on share buybacks in 2013. The trouble is,   Read More

Warrants cost a lot less than the stocks they give you a right to buy—and when stock prices rise, warrant prices often rise faster. But warrants are also far riskier   Read More

Charles Ellis, author of Winning the Loser’s Game, believes that you should build your portfolio as you would a house. Your house should be suitable to the climate, not last   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 believe that it pays to buy dividend-paying stocks. Dividends can assist you in paying your bills, of course. Even better, dividends are likely to improve your returns from your   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

There’s been little market action in either gold or silver over the past few months, says John Embry, chief investment strategist for Toronto-based Sprott Asset Management.

For one thing, both July   Read More

There is nothing more joyful than the birth of a child. It is a very emotional time for parents and grandparents as they make lofty plans for the baby’s future   Read More

Sometimes it’s worth doing your own analysis, says Keith Richards, portfolio manager at Barrie, Ontario-based Value Trend Wealth Management. It may result in a satisfying contrarian payoff.

At Value Trend, says   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

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

Dave Keil, P.Eng., MBA, CFA, runs a small closely held fund from his base at Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos. Originally from Toronto, Dave draws on a wealth of   Read More

Registered Retirement Savings Plans, or RRSPs, help you to save for a more comfortable retirement while deferring taxes – hopefully on more favorable terms – into the future.

But the investment   Read More

State Street Corp. provides big institutional investors with investment research, investment management, investment servicing and trading services. It recently reported on the cash holdings of individual investors. In Canada, individual   Read More

“Believe it or not, one asset class I’ve always found that stacks up well is timberland. This is especially true when stock market indexes seem on the verge of tumbling   Read More

“This year’s Annual General Meeting could not have mirrored today’s real-life world and stock markets better. What a template! Talk about proven – and inspirational – value investing.”

So enthused Michael   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

Americans take pride in what’s called American exceptionalism. They were the first country to practise democracy in modern times. They were the first with no monarchy or aristocracy. America was   Read More

Mark Halpern, a Certified Financial Planner and Trust and Estate Practitioner, says that in his business he encounters many people who are well established and working hard with good jobs.   Read More

Some investors find that when they need a list of their securities to undertake some portfolio management or tax planning, they have to go on a safari of sorts, fumbling   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

THE MARKET THIS MONTH: June is in the weakest six-month period for stock prices. Ongoing rising stocks and a long time with no stock market setback are risks. If a   Read More

Equity markets are fairly valued and bonds are expensive.

If you want your investments to outperform the overall markets, you’ll have to buy some of your securities when prices are low.   Read More

This overly bullish market may be expecting a pullback this summer. Time to.. Get Defensive!

There has been a noticeable rotation lately out of higher-risk securities such as biotech, U.S. Small   Read More

Knowing when to sell stocks is as important as knowing when to buy

Whether you’re a professional money manager, or an individual retail investor, success in the stock market comes down   Read More

Analysts follow as many as 20 stocks, most of which are rated “buys.” Of those buys, an analyst has one or two special favorites seen as most suitable for new   Read More

World markets currently less desirable than developed markets, where some of the best opportunities lie in the oil patch..

March was a volatile month for the markets, with worries over global   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

Building an investment portfolio is a particularly difficult task at potential turning points in the market.

At market lows, investors not only have to be aware of additional downside risk, but   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

Five spring times ago, the doomsayers were running roughshod. This spring, the principal worries are of how much longer a bull run for the ages can last, how big the   Read More

Announcing a REAL target for your retirement savings goals.

For a couple of issues of this newsletter advisory, I have been (more than) hinting at how the retirement/planning complex has been   Read More

Correction will coincide with six-month seasonal downswing

We’re still tiptoeing through queasy stock markets. So, don’t rest easy just yet.

A correction of some sort is under way — one that neatly   Read More

Worries over emerging markets continue, but North America looks poised for a recovery

The stock market has been in quite a funk these last few weeks.

Expectations of a reduction in stimulus   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

When you buy stocks in sectors and sub-sectors of the market, keep your goals in mind. If you’re a conservative, income-seeking investor, focus on utilities, financial stocks and consumer goods   Read More