Dividends and Dates When I worked at a discount brokerage, I routinely fielded questions about dividends, in particular, the record date and the ex-dividend date (often abbreviated as “ex-date”). Investors would often get confused by these two dates and the impact they would have on their...
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The bucket strategy divides your investment assets into three categories. The Immediate or Short-Term Bucket This bucket covers a period lasting between two to five years. Money in this category is typically held in savings accounts, Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs), and Short-Term Fixed-Income (Bond) Funds. Assets in...
Read MoreMy dad’s birthday was September 2. He died a little over four years ago just short of age 89. Thanks to his thoughtful approach to financial matters and the careful executorship of my brother, Rob, we four siblings received our inheritances in a timely manner. What...
Read MoreInterest Rates and Borrowing, Including Mortgages In the last several months, we have begun to see home sales decrease and prices drop, largely due to an increase in interest rates. If you are planning to borrow money, whether for a mortgage or other purposes, this increase...
Read MoreYou are looking for someone who can provide you with professional financial advice. Where do you begin? Perhaps you search the internet for investment advice. A list immediately comes up with several advisors from one of the major bank-owned investment firms. A common designation among...
Read MoreAs I write this at the end of May 2022, we are now about a month past the standard tax-filing deadline in Canada. Depending on the results of your return and your stage in life, you may have been contributing to or withdrawing from any...
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I will admit to some trepidation in writing this blog post. Gordon Pape is one of the grand old men of investing in Canada. He has written a column for the Globe and Mail for more years than I can recall right now. However, like...
Read More“Don’t even think about it.” That’s what I would like to say to anybody who is drawn to these funds due to their prodigious tax-saving opportunities. When I was working at a discount brokerage, there seemed to be regular inquiries about these products from people who...
Read MoreAffordable housing is a huge issue in household finance these days. Prices have increased to ridiculous levels. Governments are under pressure to address this situation, even though they are being pulled in two directions. On one hand, the real estate industry is a major part...
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While avoiding direct military engagement with Russian military forces, governments around the world have enacted a variety of sanctions that have significantly harmed Russia’s economic circumstances. Russia’s stock market has been closed since February 25, 2022. Russia has generally been included in emerging markets indices....
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