Financial procrastination affects how we manage our personal finances
Today, let’s talk about financial procrastination, writes Peter Watson. It is not a matter of scolding yourself when human characteristics interfere with the way you operate. Accept the fact that people do things a certain way. If you choose, try and develop personal strategies that can lead to better results. As you read this article, […]
Does Working During Retirement Interest You?
Your plan during retirement could be to get a job, writes Peter Watson. The conventional retirement age has been 65 for many decades. However, things have changed. Life expectancy has increased, therefore the number of years spent in retirement could be much longer than in the past. Continuing to work has many advantages. If you’re […]
Inflation Does Not Harm Investors
Inflation is not bad for investing, writes Peter Watson. There is a relationship between investment returns and inflation. Stock market returns in the United States, as measured by the S&P 500 index, posted an annual return of 10 per cent over the last 30 years. Inflation during that same period, as measured by the […]
AI is Not a Tool That Can Successfully Predict Stock Market Values
Can Artificial Intelligence be used to successfully predict stock values? My opinion is no. The benefit of AI is the ability to search vast amounts of known data at an extremely fast rate. That will change many aspects of our lives. Investing is different. It requires an opinion of the future. If you buy […]
Are You at Risk if Your Bank Fails?
Investors are encouraged to manage their investments to be insured with the Canadian Deposit Insurance Corporation, writes Peter Watson. The banks that have failed in the US and Europe recently likely had customers that thought their bank would never go out of business. The reality is this can happen, not likely, but can happen. The […]
Canada’s Financial “Tug of War”
The Bank of Canada and Canadian Parliament have conflicting strategies to manage our economy, writes Peter Watson. There is a financial tug-of-war that occurs when managing the Canadian economy. Covid invaded North America and economic activity in many areas came to a screeching halt or at least slowed down. We were at a financial breaking […]
Investing for the Long Term Can Bring Success
Two important ingredients to successful investing are patience and taking a long-term perspective, writes Peter Watson. One of the most important attributes to successful investing can be found in what you don’t do. Unfortunately, this flies in the face of how humans are programmed. We are taught from a young age to be proactive. When […]
Canadians Worry About Personal Finances
People worry about retirement and investments, writes Peter Watson. Canadians are concerned about their ability to fund retirement and they have negative feelings towards their investments. There are many reasons creating this pessimism, including Covid, higher interest rates, and everything seems to be more expensive. Plus, personal debt levels continue to rise. According to a […]
Bad Year for Bonds in 2022
There are a few fundamental guidelines we recommend people use when developing their investment portfolio, writes Peter Watson. It starts with diversification: a combination of stocks and bonds. Stocks usually have a higher expected rate of return that can help your portfolio grow. Bonds usually have a lower expected rate of return, but they provide […]
Government Grants Offered to Parents
The government is offering free money to help educate your children, writes Peter Watson. Today a question. If you could make an investment that provided a 20 per cent return guarantee in the first year, would that be of interest? There are no hidden glitches. You can invest with the financial institution of your choice […]