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…

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Checking 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…

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Why 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…

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Asking 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…

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How 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,…

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Commission-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…

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Financial 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…

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Introducing 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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