Bank of Canada Issues Financial Warning
The Bank of Canada issues a warning about our financial health, writes Peter Watson. Several warning signs indicate the financial prosperity of people living in Ontario will decline. Canada needs to Improve productivity by increasing investments in machinery, equipment, and intellectual property. A senior Bank of Canada official said last week that we have reached […]
Investment Diversification Can be Misunderstood
Some investors misunderstand the importance of diversification, writes Peter Watson. The concept of having strong diversification with your investments can be misunderstood. Let’s consider the example of an investor who prides themselves on taking risks. That person is not afraid of risk and sometimes that characteristic can reflect the type of person they are. You […]
Financial Mistakes Should be Corrected
Correcting financial mistakes can help you achieve your financial objectives, writes Peter Watson. Everyone makes mistakes. That is normal, so consider that a characteristic of being human. Correcting mistakes does not always happen. We will consider this reality in the context of your personal financial planning. Long-term financial success can be achieved with a series […]
How a Flock of Birds Can be Similar to a Group of Investors
The instant changing pattern of a flock of birds can resemble the behaviour of investors, writes Peter Watson. This column is going to call on mother nature to help us understand how investors can react when making investment decisions. Have you ever noticed a flock of birds suddenly change course and amazingly all the birds […]
Women May Have Financial Planning Challenges in Later Life
Retirement planning for women should take several things into consideration, writes Peter Watson. Women’s finances can get difficult. If a woman is married or in a long-term relationship, often she is younger than her husband. Plus, a women’s life expectancy is longer than men’s. A woman could outlive her husband by 10 years. If the […]
Business Investment Decline is Bad for Workers
Business investment helps maintain good jobs, writes Peter Watson. Canadian companies are investing less per worker and that could have negative consequences. Recent information from StatsCan showed Canadian businesses investment per worker fell by 20 per cent over the 15-year period ending in 2021. Business has a delicate balancing act between the output of work […]
Thieves are swiping your hard-earned money via phone, text and email
It is time we did more to protect Canadians from theft, writes Peter Watson. A significant risk, as well as a significant nuisance, is the continuous attempts that are made on our technology devices to take our hard-earned money. Thieves call, text, and email. My own experience and that of others is these attempts at […]
Was 2023 a Good Year to Sell Your Stocks?
Investors sold stocks in 2023 and missed out on significant gains, writes Peter Watson. Should you have sold your stock holdings last year? Consider significant world events because many investors use that information as an indicator of how to invest. If bad news is a reason to get out of stocks, we had plenty of […]
Investor Communication with Advisors Still Has Room for Improvement
Communication between a client and financial advisor is an important part of their relationship, writes Peter Watson. Are you satisfied with the relationship you have with your financial advisor? Research from Angus Reid highlights the most important characteristics of how your advisor communicates with you. Offering personalized service combined with transparency are key ingredients. There […]
The Shock of Higher Mortgage Payments Could be Just Around the Corner
Most homeowners face higher mortgage payments in the next two years, writes Peter Watson. Last year many homeowners escaped the burden of rising interest rates pushing their mortgage payments higher. That will soon change. Interest rate increases do not immediately affect all existing mortgages. For example, if you have a five-year mortgage at three per […]
