Sometimes reading your financial plan is like staring into a bowl of alphabet soup. Abbreviations and acronyms float by and transmogrify before you can begin to read any sense into   Read More

Too many investors, when faced with a market correction (a drop of at least 10 per cent) or a bear market (a drop of 20 per cent or more), get   Read More

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

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

Look to iShares CDN S&P/TSX Capped Financials Index Fund for a signal that Canadian stocks are due for a correction. When trying to gauge market outlook, financial stocks are a   Read More

Investors should diversify across many ‘asset classes’. One of these asset classes, of course, is fixed-income investments, like bonds. The trouble is, with interest rates so low (even on long-term   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

New digital initiatives, such as the “buy online, pick up in store” sales channel, are important drivers in attracting long-term, repeat customers.
After speaking with Home Depot Inc.’s (NYSE─HD) management, equity   Read More

We continue to include Potash Corp. of Saskatchewan (TSX─POT; NYSE─POT), among our best buys for income.

In December we wrote, “It’s important to hold some resources stocks for proper diversification. The   Read More

National Bank’s (TSX─NA) net income, earnings per share and total revenues all increased in fiscal 2014. Indeed, for all three of these measures of financial performance, 2014 marked the twelfth   Read More

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

Writing in The TaxLetter, Mark Halpern, a Certified Financial Planner and Trust and Estate Practitioner with Markham, Ontario-based illnessPROTECTION.com outlined several easy ways to help you and your family find   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

Puts and calls may seem a little bit exotic at first, but their potential to earn you some handsome extra income may well be worth it.

At the Money Reporter, we   Read More

Recently, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (or “OPEC”) decided against cutting its production. This sent the price of oil down further.

OPEC could have cut back its production to raise   Read More

When it comes to having a renewable resource, you can’t do much better than a forest products firm. That’s one reason why Michael Simpson likes Vancouver-headquartered West Fraser Timber Co.   Read More

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) are looking pretty good in current markets. After lagging the S&P/TSX Composite Index for much of 2014, the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index held up well   Read More

As we begin to approach the end of the calendar year, a common tax tip is to think about “tax-loss selling”. This refers to the strategy of triggering losses before   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

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

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

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

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

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

          Saputo Inc. earned more in the first quarter of fiscal 2015. It has raised its dividend for 15 years in a row. The company is also paying a stock   Read More

Thinking about what to include in your will? If you are like most people, your thoughts are probably focused on who gets what, and who will take care of the   Read More

For conservative investors, the urge to keep money in cash or the equivalent is hard to overcome, despite today’s low interest rates.

And yet, seeking safety in income-producing investments and cash   Read More

The TaxLetter, MPL Communications Inc.
133 Richmond St.W., Toronto, ON, M5H 3M8. 1-800-804-8846

Last month we wrote about the demise of the one per cent prescribed rate for income splitting strategies. We   Read More