Investing
Good Riddance To Deferred Sales Charges
As of January 1, 2017, Investors Group has eliminated deferred sales charges (DSC) on all new lump sum investments to their funds. The good news is that dropping the DSC is part of a new trend by investment brokers to replace this archaic charge for withdrawing your own money with a more up front fee-for-advice…
Read MoreChecking In On Fraud Prevention Month
March is Fraud Prevention Month in Canada and the Alberta Securities Commission (ASC) wants investors to be on alert for any potentially fraudulent schemes disguised as too-good-to-be-true investment opportunities. To show Albertans how easy it is to become a victim of investment fraud, the ASC orchestrated a scheme of its own to raise awareness about…
Read MoreWhy My Four-Minute Portfolio Is Tough To Beat
I spent a total of four minutes working on my RRSP portfolio last year. It wasn’t benign neglect – my two-ETF all-equity portfolio really is that simple! I made four trades, which took about a minute each after determining how much money to invest, in which of the two ETFs to allocate the investment, and…
Read MoreAsking The Wrong Questions About Your Investing Strategy
If you’re anything like me you started investing because you wanted to make money and the stock market just happens to be the best place to achieve inflation-beating returns over the long term. Investors must accept, however, that greater returns come with greater risk, along with the possibility that your portfolio might suffer losses of…
Read MoreBecoming A Better Investor: Managing Asset Allocation In Multiple Accounts
Each one of your goals (saving for a down payment on a home, RESPs) should have its own asset allocation. If you have only a single retirement account it’s pretty straightforward to select your investments and keep them balanced in the future. But, investors are most likely to have multiple accounts for their retirement goals. …
Read MoreHow To Invest Like A Pro
I began working in the financial services industry when I was 24 years old. A few – um – decades later, I feel I have learned a thing or two. However, like others who have been in a particular career for a length of time (I’m thinking here specifically of anyone who works with computer software,…
Read MoreInvestment Return vs. Investor Return: How Did Your Portfolio Stack Up In 2016?
It’s been two years since I sold all of my Canadian dividend stocks and switched to a two-ETF investing solution in my RRSP. I love the hands-off approach, capturing market returns minus a very small fee, plus the instant diversification of owning thousands of stocks from around the world with just two funds. The downside…
Read MoreCommission-Based Advice and Suitability: A Dangerous Combination for Canadian Investors
The average Canadian investor has little clue how their financial advisor gets paid, or that their advisor is only obligated to provide advice and product recommendations that is suitable, but not necessarily in the best interests of their clients. Commission-based advice Why does this matter? Commission-based advice leads to conflicts of interest. Namely, advisors who…
Read MoreFinancial Planning For Couples: Starting To Invest
You should by now have spent some time as a couple prioritizing your goals and using the appropriate savings vehicle for your short and medium term goals. How far you need to go (your goal), and how much time you have to get there will determine the most suitable vehicle within your level of tolerance for…
Read MoreIntroducing The Tangerine Dividend Portfolio
Retirees and those nearing retirement are looking for ways to get income from their portfolios and today’s low interest rate environment doesn’t offer up many attractive options. Better yields can be found in the stock market, but that comes with some risk and many would rather play it safe. Can we find a happy medium…
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