In my journey as an investment coach, I am always determined to adhere to a principle that I not only cherish but consider fundamental: practicing what I teach and being transparent about it. This commitment extends to openly sharing both my triumphs and the decisions that, in hindsight, didn’t go the way I expected. Coaching on making smarter investment choices and teaching courses on evaluating and picking individual stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s) is one aspect; living those teachings through my own actions is quite another. Throughout this year, I've consistently shared my invest ..read more

The cornerstone of my investment coaching practice has always been about teaching and engaging with people on how to make more successful investment decisions buying and selling stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETF’s). I truly believe that it’s one thing to teach this stuff. It’s another thing to model the behavior and it’s a totally different thing to actually demonstrate tangible results.        There are tons of people out there who write and podcast some wonderful, thought provoking ideas about investing (you can find a list of them here). They really know t ..read more

When you step into the caregiver role for your aging parents, financial management is a crucial aspect you can't ignore. It’s also very daunting. To help you frame your approach, here's a simple yet comprehensive 5-step guide to effectively manage your parents' finances, turning this daunting task into the beginnings of an achievable plan. 1. Open the Dialogue The first step is to have a sensitive yet candid conversation with your parents about their financial situation. Discuss their income sources, expenses, debts, investments, insurance, and long-term care plans. This conversation is essen ..read more

The Sandwich Generation: it’s a term that has gained traction over the years as a growing demographic finds themselves caught in the middle, caring for their aging parents while simultaneously supporting their own children. Named for their position in the middle (or 'sandwiched') of these two generations, members of the Sandwich Generation face a unique set of challenges that can test their emotional, physical, and financial resilience. The rise of the Sandwich Generation is not a random occurrence. Several societal changes have fueled its growth. People are living longer thanks to advances i ..read more

One of the values I continue to feel unconditionally strong about with my investment coaching practice is that I practice what I teach…and be transparent about it…the good decisions AND the decisions that didn’t pan out. It’s one thing for me to coach people how to make better decisions and develop and teach courses on how to buy and sell stocks and ETF’s. It’s another thing to model the behaviour. Throughout the year I’ve shared and tweeted (#sagetrades2022) the investment decisions I’ve made throughout the year. Well it’s that time of the year where we get to scroll down the page and see wh ..read more

One of my core investing themes during this pandemic is to own stuff we can touch, more specifically hard assets. On a short-term basis, supply constraints have been putting upward pricing pressures and contributing to rising inflation. In addition, real interest rates (interest rates adjusted for inflation) have been very negative, which is historically good for materials. On a long-term basis, the shift to more environmentally friendly solutions will increase demand for a variety of basic materials. Either way I can see a place in my portfolios for some exposure to this space. It’s worked o ..read more

I came across a wonderful post by investing thought leader Morgan Houssel, who shared his insights on how overconfidence can become an evil tonic to our future investing returns. Since the depths of the market meltdown in March 2020 as the pandemic went mainstream, the market has undertaken an epic bounce and it’s been really easy to take victory laps. Just looking at my own portfolios and in aggregate my latest performance scorecard, I’ve counted that a ridiculous 47 of the last 50 investment decisions, I’ve made since April 2020 to today have been profitable which is downright insane. As I ..read more

We’re hearing a lot more about inflation these days when it comes to discussing investing. What’s it all about? Here’s my definitive take on inflation. What is Inflation? Inflation is a measure that tells us how rapidly the prices for a basket of goods and services are rising. The “basket” consists of a cross section of basic goods and services that we need to live on a daily basis. It is expresses as a percentage. An inflation rate of 5 percent means that the price of a basket has increased collectively by 5 percent. Inflation can be expressed on a monthly or annual basis. What is the impact ..read more

I’m now entering my 25th year of buying and selling stocks and ETF’s and my 10th year of teaching and coaching people on how to make successful investment decisions. I’ve done a lot of formal and informal training to learn about investing. I’ve spent tens of thousands of hours analyzing companies, stocks and ETF’s. And I’ve never been more confused and frustrated about investing than I am now. Seriously. In my last post, I shared how much the last year has shaken many of my core beliefs and principles about investing. When I started investing, I took a very analytical approach to evaluating s ..read more

I’ve had to scale back my writing over the past year or so. COVID was not a driving factor. Don’t get me wrong, it’s been there but maybe not necessarily in a leading role. I’ve been living the Sandwich Generation lifestyle taking care of my kids who have been home with me while also looking after my parents who are definitely showing their age especially my father who is well into a battle with dementia. It’s been an emotional roller coaster for me and somethings in my life have had to be paused and one of them is sharing my takes and observations about all things investing. Sure I’ve put a ..read more