Watching the roller coaster ride of the stock market can make many investors queasy. Even though the stock market has, historically, always trended up, investors can’t help but feel uneasy as they watch the values of their portfolios rise and fall with the market.
When it comes to investing, people can be their own worst enemy. Nearly all of the mistakes made by investors can be attributed to their behaviour, which is typically dictated by their emotions. Fear and greed have ways of influencing the investing decisions of even the most rational people; which is why most investors typically underperform the markets.
It’s a presidential election year in the United States, and with that comes the invariable stock market correlations seeking to predict election results or forecast the market’s direction. The performance of the stock market during the two months leading up to the election has historically been somewhat of a predictor of who will win the race in the US; moreover, we can also t
With rates as low and competitive as they have ever been, it’s as close to a “buyers” market in life insurance as you’ll probably ever see. Still, in these cash-strapped times, curbing all costs and expenses is a priority for most people, and buying life insurance is no different.
Intro When it comes to managing your personal finances, paying someone else to decide where to put your money may feel counter-intuitive. After all, who knows and understands your financial needs and goals better than you? Well, the truth is that a financial professional is far better suited to the task. Hiring a financial professional could be one of the best financial moves you make this year. Their utility is far greater than your capacity...
Retirement can invoke a mix of conflicting emotions from anticipation to fear, excitement to anxiety. It’s one of the biggest life changes we experience in our adult lives. Most of us anticipate and save for it for decades. But, going from receiving a paycheck for most of your adult life to living off the wealth you have amassed is no doubt an unnerving transition. Have I saved enough to live off of? How will I...
Annuities have a long and historic lineage dating back to ancient times when Roman citizens and soldiers would receive an “annua”, or annual stipend, from the government in exchange for a lump sum of money.
Answer this riddle: what’s the one thing that will eventually happen to everyone, but generally, no one wants to discuss? Death is a subject that immediately conjures up all sorts of emotions because, let’s be honest, the absence of being IS emotional. But, death is also cause for practicality.
It is no secret that the typical Canadian is working long hours with little respite compared to other countries with large economies. Full-time employees report an average work week of 47 hours, and four out of 10 North American workers say they work over 50 hours a week.
Intro If you’ve been investing in stocks or bonds for several years, you may feel like you’re beginning to get a hang of this precarious trade. At this point, you may be making plans to diversify your portfolio or research a more complex investment strategy. But in reality, you should be using this time to get back to the basics. Regardless of how long or how much you’ve invested, there’s never a bad time to...
Green, clean energy has reached new heights in North America. There are more hybrids than ever on the streets, wind turbines out above the cornfields, solar panels on roofs, and even that new convenience store down the street is LEED certified. It’s not a trend; it’s a shift away from fossil fuels—oil, coal, and natural gas.
Diversification is one of the cornerstones of traditional investment advice. The most common saying we hear is “never put all your eggs in one basket” and the moral holds true. Markets go up and down through economic change, business cycles, and a wide variety of factors changing investment outcomes. Managing these peaks and valleys is the primary goal of an investment plan. The best possible defense against risks in any investment strategy is diverse and...