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 […]
Stock Market Returns can be Misleading
Investors short- term and long-term experience is often very different, writes Peter Watson. Understanding how the stock market performs can be very misleading to how risky and unpleasant the investment experience can be. We have a perfect example of this over the last three years. From 2020 to 2022, the US stock market had 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 […]
2023 is the year of side hustles
Your side hustle, an extra part-time job, could be your solution to cope with the rising cost of living, writes Peter Watson. Many are facing serious financial challenges this year. Let’s look at possible solutions. A starting point is what we know. One, things are more expensive including mortgage payments, housing rental rates and groceries. […]
Lessons Learned from 2022 Disappointments
Investor disappointments from 2022 can be a guide to building your portfolio, writes Peter Watson. Five high-tech stocks that previously were considered the darlings of investing lost $2.8 trillion in the first 10 months of 2022, according to S&P Global. These companies are referred to as FAANG stocks. Facebook (Meta), Apple, Amazon, Netflix and Google […]
What’s your New Year’s resolution
Today we suggest is the time to think about your New Year’s Resolution. The question to resolve during the next 12 months is what will you start when work stops? Picture yourself in retirement. You could be there now or hope to be there at some point in the future. The easy focus on retirement […]
The Holiday Season is a time to reflect
We have a lot to reflect on this past year. For many it will be time for difficult financial decisions caused by some of the unkindest events we could imagine. The world was progressing nicely and then there was COVID-19. That resulted in the most significant reset to our everyday lives that many have experienced […]
The New Financial Challenge for Seniors – Mortgage Payments
Statistics Canada reported 1.5 million people older than 65 had a mortgage in 2021. This was an increase from 1.2 million during the previous five years. Rising interest rates will make paying off a mortgage more difficult so it is understandable that the trend for more seniors to have a mortgage will continue. That will […]
Investments Too Good to Be True
Another large speculative company fails, and investors lose billions, writes Peter Watson. In life, people like to pick a winner, and this is certainly true in the world of investing. But this can sometimes backfire. Until recently, FTX was a global giant as a cryptocurrency exchange platform. According to CNBC its value was $32 billion. […]