Scrutiny of the financial industry has been on the rise in recent months, fuelled in part by CBC News reports alleging unscrupulous practices at Canada’s big banks. The CBC’s findings may not have been surprising to insiders, who have been witness to the industry’s indiscretions for years. What is surprisingContinue Reading
Most markets, and certainly most currencies and commodities, are now officially in a bear market. That’s the arbitrary term for anything that is down 20 per cent from its peak. Of course, many stocks are down 40 or 50 per cent or more, so we might need a new termContinue Reading
Many contrarian investors are wondering if the time is right to start loading up on commodities in anticipation of the next big rally. Certainly, stocks in the sector are cheap, and we would expect many of them to double if and when a commodity recovery occurs. Stocks of smaller, riskierContinue Reading
U.S. citizens living in Canada not only have to file Canadian tax returns reporting their worldwide income, but they also have to file U.S. tax returns reporting the same income. That’s because the U.S. imposes taxes and filing requirements based on citizenship, not residency. To make matters worse, if theContinue Reading
A couple we’ll call Harry, 35, and Tina, 37, are thriving in their careers. Harry, a geologist with a large company, brings home $5,730 a month. Tina, a management consultant in the chemical industry, adds $3,880, for total monthly disposable income of $9,610 a month. They have a two-year-old child.Continue Reading
Markets have indeed been strange for some time now. Most investors are confused about whether to sell, or buy, or panic, or just go to cash and avoid the craziness. However, if you think more closely about things, you might come to the conclusion that markets are always strange. InvestorsContinue Reading
Investors tend to focus first and foremost on gross returns. Since an investor only gets to keep their net return after-tax, tax should be an important factor when it comes to investment decisions. The most basic example of this is to make the most of available tax shelters. Most peopleContinue Reading
While early retirement may be a pipe dream for most of us, every once in a while I hear from readers who have pulled it off and are living almost tax-free on dividend income alone. An example is Torontonian Phil McKinley, who retired in his early 40s a couple ofContinue Reading
If you’re of a certain age, YOLO needs no translation. For the rest of us, personal finance writer Jason Vitug has helpfully spelled it out in the title of his latest book: You Only Live Once. Vitug is American, as is his publisher John Wiley & Sons Inc. but, asContinue Reading
The world’s fastest-growing developed economy has the worst-performing stock market, creating buying opportunities especially for investors in Canada’s financial sector. The S&P/TSX Composite Index is down 2.2 per cent from April to June, set for its first quarterly drop since 2015 and the steepest decline among 24 advanced markets trackedContinue Reading