Hot Off the Web Rob Arnott in Financial Times’ ”Stellar earnings not a certainty” indicated that while many point to P/E ratios that have now fallen to more historically average levels from the obscene heights reached in 2000, but the earnings on which these P/Es are based are at historical highs. He also points to […]

Hot Off the Web WSJ’s Jonathan Clements in “Invest it all in stocks…no way” re-emphasises that 100% stock asset allocation is not a good idea, as most investors (especially those near or in retirement) wouldn’t be able to deal with the resulting volatility; 20-40% drop in asset value is possible, and many countries have histories […]

Hot Off the Web In WSJ’s “Trade oil, gold, rice and more in one fund”  Eleanor Laise discusses a new ETN, Total Return Elements RJI, tracking commodities based on Rogers International Commodity Index. We have covered ETNs earlier (they are essentially a bond reflecting a promise by the issuer to deliver the index after (0.75%/year) […]

Hot Off the Web Rob Carrick questions the advantages of ETFs in down markets, when active fund managers may have the advantage to move into cash and or reduce heavy weightings in overpriced stocks in “Funds more nimble than ETFs” . He identifies 20 funds that had significantly better peak (September 200)-to-peak (October 2007) returns […]

Hot Off the Web In “’Finsurance’ has room to improve” Financial Post’s Chevreau discusses Guaranteed Minimum Withdrawal Benefit (GMWB) products from Manulife’s Income Plus, Sun Life’s Sun Wise Elite Plus and Desjardin’s Helios. He quotes various advisors whose perspectives are diametrically opposite on these products. Some like them because they provide “growth potential, tax efficiency…and […]

Hot Off the Web Jonathan Clements has a must read article in the WSJ for the do it yourself-er entitled “Make it to the end with money to spare” that covers just about all the mechanisms for decummulating your assets in retirement. His list covers: (1) cash-equivalents over the next 3-5 years and perhaps target-date […]

Hot Off the Web In “Minimizing the pain of withdrawal”  the Financial Post’s Chevreau writes about the complicated (usually means expensive) new products becoming available in Canada like Income Plus (Manu Life), a variable annuity with downside protection and participation in the stock market returns; also TSWP (Fidelity), TFLEX (AIM Trimark) and Series T (Franklin), […]

Hot Off the Web Short selling has arrived to Canadian mutual funds as reported in “Mutual funds add short selling to their arsenal”  . While new in Canada, this is seen a growing trend, though here it comes with many restrictions (maximum short position 5% and must be kept in cash rather than additional equities). […]

Hot Off the Web WSJ’s “New funds for retirement payouts” reports the arrival of ground-breaking funds from Fidelity and Vanguard. What is different in these funds is that the annual payout is variable. Fidelity family of funds with target dates of 2016 to 2036 have payouts that are an increasing percentage of the investors’ remaining […]

Hot Off the Web Arne Alsin of the Financial Times reminds readers about the difference between price (what something costs?) and value (what is its value?) in “Pitfall that awaits the emotionally motivated ‘blind investor’”  . To determine the value is the more difficult of the questions. Often, when the price drops, investors panic and […]