Our industry is dominated by a few large institutions, namely the ‘Big 5 Banks’. We can’t compete with them from an advertising perspective, nor do we choose to. It would mean higher fees, and thus lower returns, for our clients. Plus, none of those expensive TV commercials are any good, right? Most of our clients discover us through other means, including media coverage, and our writing and videos. But by far the most common way is through word of mouth. We greatly appreciate these introductions, and to make referring us easier, we’ve added a new feature on our website: the REFER A FRIEND li ..read more

This summer, I took advantage of a slow news cycle and plenty of dock time to think about bigger things. It’s a remarkable time for new and changing trends that will affect economies and markets. I’m not one to base investment strategies on macroeconomic forecasts, so my musings weren’t tactical but rather an effort to be macro-aware. There was no expectation of precision, and little hope of getting the timing right. With that as context, here are some changes that will be important whenever they kick in. Read more ..read more

In Part II of our discussion with personal finance expert Preet Banerjee, we dig into the question of how to choose a good financial advisor. Preet identifies the main challenges of finding the right advisor for your needs and some of the structural conflicts of interest within our industry, namely those that arise in a commission-based environment. (Spoiler alert: one of the reasons we started Steadyhand was to address these issues). Read more ..read more

When you call us to make a transaction in your account(s), we have to take a minute to inform you of the Management Expense Ratio (MER) of the fund(s) you’re buying. We’re required to do this by the industry regulator, the Canadian Investment Regulatory Organization (CIRO), as part of their effort to bring the industry into the 21st century on client reporting. We're big advocates of better transparency and reporting, but are frustrated with this initiative. Here's why. Read more ..read more

Galibier Capital, the manager of the Steadyhand Small-Cap Equity Fund, recently announced its intention to become part of Guardian Capital. The deal is expected to close later this summer. This change will have no impact on the Small-Cap Fund or Galibier’s investment approach. Guardian will support Galibier with its larger sales and client service team and there may be some operational integration down the road. Read more ..read more

Ben Carlson recently posted a fun and poignant piece in his A Wealth of Common Sense blog. It’s called '15 Ways to Lose Money in the Markets'. His themes, which are layered through our writing, are hard-hitting and to the point. Read more ..read more

On Monday of the August long weekend, a friend saw me paddleboarding and took exception. He gave me a hard time for playing on the water while the stock market was melting down. I had my retorts. I’m enjoying a gorgeous summer day, so leave me alone. Besides, what am I going to do about it? And, then, the clincher and point of this column, why didn’t you give me a hard time on days when the market was up big time? This got me thinking about asymmetry, or, as Google describes it, a lack of balanced proportions between parts of a thing. The interaction with my friend is one example of asymmetry ..read more

Renowned personal finance expert Preet Banerjee joins us in this Coffee Break to share his top 5 tips for building wealth. Preet's tips focus on the wealth accumulation period — the time when we're actively building our wealth and growing our net worth. Whether you're in your 20s, 30s, 40s, or 50s, this video is packed with expert advice on how to set yourself up for long-term financial success. Read more ..read more

There are all kinds of similarities between sports and investing. In fact, some quotes from Olympic athletes also apply to investors. “If you fail to prepare, you’re prepared to fail,” swimmer Mark Spitz said. Skiier Jean-Claude Killy remarked: “To win, you have to risk loss.” And gymnast Gabby Douglas said, “Hard days are the best because that’s when champions are made.” But there are also profound differences between the Olympics and money matters. That’s my focus here. Read more ..read more

In our latest Coffee Break series of personal finance videos, we speak with independent financial planner Jason Evans about some of the intricacies of the Canada Pension Plan. Jason discusses eligibility requirements, the new enhancements to the Plan, and offers tips and insights on the best time to start taking benefits. Read more ..read more