Investing

Let’s say you want to invest your savings, and you want to buy some stocks as part of your investment portfolio.  Which stocks do you choose? Traditional wisdom says you should hold more of your own country’s stocks than stocks from a foreign country.  That means Canadians should hold more Canadian stocks than U.S. stocks.…

The company had no problem attracting investors desperate for a place to put their money.  People rushed to purchase shares so they wouldn’t be left out, scraping together whatever money they could, seeing only boundless opportunities for gain. Excitement and tension increased in the same proportion as the increase in stock prices.  Plans were made…

What are the biggest mistakes people regularly make when trying to reach their financial goals?  Canadian investors are often guilty of being too cautious, too conservative and too cheap. Related: Avoid These 4 Investing Mistakes Cautious While no one would advocate taking imprudent risks, being too cautious with long-term investments and sacrificing long-term return for…

I was 19 or 20 years old when I first started investing.  I diligently put money aside every paycheque, starting with $50 every two weeks and eventually increasing that to $200 per month. Sounds like I was off to a great start, right?  Wrong! Related: How Young Investors Can Get Started Even though my intentions…

Investing can be intimidating for young investors who are starting out.  The wealth of information available online is a two-edged sword.  You can learn just about anything you want, but with so much information available how do you tell the difference between good information and bad? Related: Where Do You Get Your Financial Information? And…

Q.  With the financial mess that a lot of countries are in (or about to be in) these days I wonder how the experts feel about bonds being a safe investment.  Johnson & Johnson, for example, has a better credit rating than the U.S. government.  Are bonds still safer than stocks?  Gary D. To retirees,…

Mutual funds have been getting a bad rap lately with their high fees, low disclosure and under-performance.  The introduction of ETFs has given investors a lower cost alternative. Even David Chilton did an about face in his new book The Wealthy Barber Returns recommending ETFs instead of mutual funds. It is true that the mutual fund…

I’ve spent a few years dithering about what to do with my RRSP, but since my income has increased over that time I can no longer ignore the tax advantages of making RRSP contributions. After only contributing $1,500 to my RRSP in 2011, I’ve added $5,000 in 2012 and another $5,100 during the first 60…

Conventional wisdom says that when it comes to investing for retirement your exposure to equities should equal about 100 minus your age. That means a 30-something should have up to 70 percent of his or her portfolio in equities to help maximize investment returns over time. Related: Building Your Investment Portfolio As you get older…

I came across an interesting video on CBC News featuring David Chilton, Amanda Lang and Kevin O’Leary.  They were discussing the high costs of Canadian mutual funds, as well as some of the pitfalls to avoid when using ETFs.  It’s just over a year old, but well worth a look. Highest Mutual Fund Costs It…