Retirement Planning: Time to Rethink Old Formulas


Retirement Planning: Time to Rethink Old Formulas

When it comes to investing, the traditional asset-allocation rule goes something like this: Start with 100. Subtract your age. That’s the percentage of your portfolio that should be invested in stocks. The balance...

Outlook for a Prosperous 2014


Outlook for a Prosperous 2014

Jim Gilliland, CFA President & CEO, Head of Fixed Income The past year has been marked by record high stock-market performances and signs of cautious growth in some of the world’s economies...

Estate Planning: Is a Trust a Must?


Estate Planning: Is a Trust a Must?

Some recent high-profile divorce and estate cases among the ultra-rich, such as Vancouver’s Aquilini family or the Wal-Mart heirs in the U.S., could lead a person to believe that trusts are a powerful...

The Impact of Rising Interest Rates


The Impact of Rising Interest Rates

With the recent rise in interest rates, investors are becoming concerned about a number of things — in particular, the bond portion of their portfolios. That’s because bond prices have an inverse relationship...

No One's Exempt From the U.S. Tax Man


No One's Exempt From the U.S. Tax Man

Brad Chapman, LLBManager of Legal/Compliance September means back to school and work after summers spent at the beach and on sun-soaked vacations. Amid the ramp-up in activity, investors often use this time of...

Keeping a Cool Head in Volatile Markets


Keeping a Cool Head in Volatile Markets

Capital markets can be fairly quiet in the summer, when many investors go on vacation and take breaks from their portfolios. This hasn’t been the case this year, however, as equity markets around...

Investing in Bonds in Today's Market


Investing in Bonds in Today's Market

Interest rates have been at historic lows for the past several years, in part due to the U.S. government’s bond-buying program designed to support the economy. Since U.S. Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke...

The Long Term Benefits of Active Investment Management


The Long Term Benefits of Active Investment Management

As a follow up to the piece we published last year titled, ETFs: Pros, Cons and Misconceptions, which compared ETFs to actively managed mutual funds we would like to highlight the article How...

Selecting an Investment Manager


Selecting an Investment Manager

What the brochures and emails don’t include are the answers to the hard questions every investor should ask when deciding who will manage their investments. It’s up to investors to educate themselves to...

The Impact of Fees on Investment Performance


The Impact of Fees on Investment Performance

Fees matter. In a good market investors have a tendency to ignore them and in challenging markets they are scrutinized, but in the end no matter what type of market we are in...

Gold, the Safe-Haven Precious Metal, Begins to Lose its Lustre


Gold, the Safe-Haven Precious Metal, Begins to Lose its Lustre

In recent months, one of the big stories in capital markets has undoubtedly been how gold is losing its lustre. Just look at the 35-per-cent collapse in the S&P/TSX Gold Index year-to-date. What...

Look Southward to Diversify Your Portfolio


Look Southward to Diversify Your Portfolio

Earlier this month, the Dow Jones Industrial average touched record highs, propelled by strong U.S. job-creation figures. That’s great news for investors whose portfolios contain plenty of U.S. equities. North of the border...