Author Archives: peter benedek
Hot Off the Web- April 23, 2012
Topics: ETFs vs. ETNs, plain vanilla vs. synthetic ETFs, long/short funds, Pimco’s BOND ETF, real estate: Toronto-up/Vancouver-down/Canada-down, to tame Toronto RE ban foreign buyers? retirement start should track longevity, a public pension bankrupt, Nortel mediation, risk and return don’t track, VIX products irrational, dangers in life settlements, demutualization of Canadian P&Cs? Bay Street theft. Personal […]
Hot Off the Web- April 16, 2012
Topics: Dividend-funds? long-term care insurance? tax rate, uninsured home-business, timeshares=$1, buy a house? PRPP-Not, longevity insurance take-off, civil service pensions, volatility-linked products, ban speculative energy investments, sell-bonds buy-stocks, prepare to retire later. Personal Finance and Investments In the WSJ’s “The dividend-fund dilemma” Jason Zweig warns dividend investors who are piling into dividend funds chasing […]
Hot Off the Web- April 9, 2012
Topics: Fiduciary cost, commissioned fiduciary? retirement ‘black holes’ and ‘quicksand’, diversification vs. hot sectors, currency hedging? valuation based asset allocation, shadow inventory release to affect US housing, tax treatment property, Justice Winkler on Nortel bankruptcy and the legal ‘profession’, pension plans reduce equity, stocks: time to buy or not, assault on indexes, wealth destruction in […]
Fiduciary duty is necessary, but not sufficient
As you are no doubt aware, there is an ongoing debate in the US on the necessity for introducing a fiduciary standard of care for all those claiming to provide financial advice to retail clients. Specifically the SEC and Congress are considering extending the fiduciary requirement, now applicable to only Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) to […]
Hot Off the Web- April 2, 2012
Topics: Advisor fees-conflicts-‘regulation’, ETNs? mortgage rate stress test, Chevreau moving. House prices: US down and Canada up, global house prices, OAS moves to 67, Ontario pans PRPP, equities vs. bonds, your advisor a lemon? Personal Finance and Investments In the Globe and Mail’s “Revealed the lowdown on advisor fees” Rob Carrick quotes fee data from […]
Hot Off the Web- March 26, 2012
Topics: Malkiel: bonds worst asset class, life insurance cash-value taxable, more reverse mortgages, GMWBs- No, annuities: Hartford exits and agent to jail, lifestyle inflation, advisor evaluation and messages, fiduciary, VIX index expensive protection, Canada’s synthetic ETFs safer? Canadian real estate investment??? US real estate bottom? OAS and MP/public-sector pensions to be hit? Poor retirement prospects, new retirement options: […]
Hot Off the Web- March 19, 2012
Topics: Crooked advisors, stocks risky, condo living? US housing market factors, resurgent Phoenix? pensions + ERP + savings rates, ETF regulatory tightening? stewardship of assets, concierge and retainer medicine, Goldman toxic exit. Personal Finance and Investments In the Globe and Mail’s “How to spot a crooked advisor” Rob Carrick interviews CFA Institute’s Steve Horan […]
Pension Reform (presented to Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions- Nov 1, 2007)
Problems and solutions for DB pension plans and a proposal for pension system revolution (presented to Ontario Expert Commission on Pensions in Ottawa on November 1, 2007) ‘click’ on Pension Reform
Hot Off the Web- March 12, 2012
Hot Off the Web- March 12, 2012 -Topics: Dividend investing, Canadian taxes, emergency travel insurance? US housing revival? reduced employer pension contrintributions? conflicted objectives of EM state-controlled companies, Boomers investment return problem. Personal Finance and Investments Tom Bradley in the Globe and Mail’s “Dividend obsession distracts investors from the big picture” reminds readers that a […]
GMWB III – Q & A: Are GMWBs more desirable investments in “post-2008” context of low interest rates?
Last week I received the following question on GMWBs (Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit insurance products) that I discussed in earlier blogs. Question: “GMWB discussions. Time to update your conclusions. Outdated pre-2008 markets. Inflation numbers of 3%, GIC numbers of 5%? Will be interested to see part III of this.” Answer: It’s a good question, since […]
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