Over the last year as equity markets have become more volatile, primarily on the heels of the sovereign debt crisis in Europe, a number of new investment opportunities have been crossing my desk and I wanted to address the risks associated with these, sometimes opaque, products. 

A couple of months ago we published a blog titled “Spring Fever”, which drew the analogy of the economic issues of early 2011 having a sort contagious effect in the markets similar to what we faced the previous year.  Now, as we have rounded out the summer, some of the contagious elements that were breaking out in the spring have turned into full blown viruses. 

After experiencing the largest single day correction since early 2009 last Thursday, markets have continued to fall in the wake of the downgrade of the US credit rating by Standard and Poor’s (S&P) and rising concerns over slower growth in the global economy. 

The number one buzz word over the past few months (years?) has undoubtedly been ‘debt’.  Sovereign debt, consumer debt, debt to GDP, etc.  However, the most common term in recent weeks has been debt ceiling, which needs to be increased in order for the US to service their existing debt and ongoing operating obligations (such as military, Medicaid, Social Security, etc.).&n

It seems that the global financial system has come down with a fever after being exposed to many contagions that came out during the spring bloom.   In March we saw a wave take grip with the Japanese Tsunami causing terrible loss and damage.  Then, as the crocuses broke ground, inflation reared its ugly head in many of the emerging markets that have been the bright spot for globa

Now that the Conservatives have reached a majority, and the budget has been moved forward by the house, we would like to highlight some of the key points that may concern your finances.

Registered Plans

RRSPs:

From years of training, acquired knowledge and experience, most professionals feel that they should be able to find alternative jobs in the event of disability.

As a continuation of our series on mutual fund fees, please see Part 2 below…

How does an advisor actually get paid?

Investment fees that are paid by retail investors, in particular through mutual funds, continue to be misunderstood despite the numerous attempts from various regulators and self regulatory agencies in Canada to come up with better methods for disclosure of fees.   I believe the reason for this issue is two-fold.  Firstly, many investors feel uncomfortable asking their advisor ab