Portfolio Diversification
Looking back over the past few years, one thing is certain – we can never be absolutely sure what the financial markets will do at any given time. We can study charts and graphs, both historical and forecasted, we can consult with economic experts, business leaders, and government officials, we can look at inflation and […]
Incapacity Planning for Aging Parents
Almost 750,000 Canadians are living with some form of dementia1. The personal and financial challenges can be devastating for elderly individuals as well as for the adult children who care for them. Daniel, 63, knows this story all too well. “It was about five years ago when I started noticing dad’s mental decline. As it […]
Putting It In Perspective
The investment markets have been very “volatile” since the start of 2022. Volatile is just financial industry jargon that means markets move up and down. For retail investors, the biggest concern is when markets move down. Retail investors love when markets go up and usually cringe or flinch when they go down. It is a […]
Can You Be Over-Insured?
Most Canadians take the correct steps to protect their property against loss in case anything they own is lost or stolen. Concerns about recouping losses if a home is robbed, or a favorite vintage guitar is destroyed during a basement flood, are questions with very routine answers. But when it comes to considering the value […]
Seniors Targeted by Scammers
Victor’s nightmare began with a phone call from someone claiming to be from the Canada Revenue Agency, informing him he owed thousands in unpaid taxes. If he didn’t pay immediately, he would be arrested. Victor was too embarrassed to ask his daughter for help. Had he messed up that badly? The scammer picked up on […]
The Changing Business Cycle
Business, investing and life in general follow predictable ebbs and flows. The Business Cycle is no exception. This is the cycle whereby the economy goes through strong growth periods, weaker growth periods and everything in between. Governments and the Central Banks try to manage this cycle and prevent any enduring excesses from building up, while […]
Dollar Cost Averaging
Let us imagine that you have a plan to be a wise investor and use your funds to make strategic deposits into your various investment funds. You’ve heard about the investment strategy of buying any time the market is low with the plan of selling when the market turns upward. This might seem like it’s […]
Preparing for Wealth Transfer
By 2026, an estimated $1 trillion in personal wealth will be transferred from one generation to the next in Canada1, the largest transfer of wealth in our country’s history. This transition involves financial complexities for both benefactors and their heirs. Without planning and clarity, wealth transfer can lead to confusion and misunderstandings. If you are […]
The Shifting Economic Winds
There will likely be many impacts on the global economy resulting from the Russia-Ukraine War. The biggest casualty will most likely be the end of the “business as usual” mindset that most Canadians have lived by since at least 1980, if not since the end of World War Two. Just like the nostalgic desire to […]
When Interest Rates Rise
One way to curb rising inflation is to increase interest rates, and that is what the Bank of Canada (BoC) is expected to do incrementally – over the next year. As interest rates begin to tick upward, it is an ideal time to look at your financial position, including your debt and savings strategies. Rates […]