Someone I knew that passed away a few years ago was very organized. She never forgot appointments, always arrived on time, and remembered the names of all her friends’ kids. But, when she passed away, it was discovered by her children that the beneficiary information on her RRIF was unfortunately left blank. Instead of the […]
Several years ago, a friend reached out about a distressing personal matter involving her mother’s retirement savings. Her mother, a client at one of Canada’s “Big Six” banks, had her savings spread across four different mutual funds, and two of those four funds became suddenly frozen. (Note: Mutual funds are pooled vehicles and their underlying […]
Even after the Strait of Hormuz eventually reopens and Iranian tensions ease, it’s doubtful that the West Texas Intermediate (“WTI”) oil price will decline to its pre-strike level of $65. Instead, we expect today’s $98 price to settle in the $80–90 per barrel range. There are several reasons why we expect a higher floor for […]
The average price of gas at the pump for U.S. consumers is up 30% since the year began. Most of that occurred recently, following the strikes against Iran. If you follow the prediction markets, it doesn’t look very likely that the Republicans will win the House or even the Senate this fall. Current odds suggest […]
Each month, we select a handful of questions that were asked by clients or soon-to-be clients. We like to post our answers online because others may have that same question as well. Here are a few of the things we were asked about most recently. What is the account opening process like? The account opening […]
Geopolitical uncertainty is a frequent companion to market selloffs, primarily because the market tends to despise surprises and prolonged instability. However, taking a historical perspective reveals that while no one desires the outbreak of war, it is rarely a sound reason to sell off your portfolio. We always tell clients that if their portfolio grows […]
By: Sunni Schneider In honor of International Women’s Day, we’re sharing insights from our recent webcast designed to help women build long-term wealth and take control of their financial futures. During the webcast, Julie McLaren of bringonfocus.com, Lisa Kennedy, and Sunni Schneider explored the powerful difference an early start can make. We also tackled some […]
About 4 years ago, we got the thumbs up from the Ontario Securities Commission (“OSC”) to start a business on February 1, 2022, in what is called the “portfolio manager category”. Unlike a doctor or lawyer – who can practice medicine or law – managing money is a bit more complicated. It’s somewhat like a […]
The Greater Toronto Area real estate market has officially dipped below the $1 million mark for the first time in five years, with the average selling price for all home types landing at $973,000 last month. This contraction represents a 27% price decline from the market’s all-time peak in February 2022. I’ve heard many people […]
The RSP contribution deadline for the 2025 tax year is Monday, March 2, 2026. Contributions made by this date can be deducted from your 2025 taxable income. The maximum contribution limit is 18% of earned income, up to $32,490. Depending on your personal situation, it doesn’t always make sense to contribute. Contributing to an RSP […]
The investments you don’t own are often just as important as those you do. After years of strong performance, software stocks have had their largest non-recessionary drawdown in almost three decades. One exchange-traded fund (called the iShares Expanded Tech-Software Sector ETF), which is a basket of software stocks, is down nearly 25% so far this […]
Last week, Donald Trump announced he would nominate Kevin Warsh to be the next Federal Reserve Chair, a move that surprised plenty (including us, since we thought Rick Rieder would be selected). The market did not take the announcement well. Many attributed the selloff to Warsh’s criticism of easy-money policies and the large expansion of […]
While leadership changes at the Fed can spark uncertainty, the S&P 500 historically rallies whenever a new U.S. Federal Reserve Chair is appointed. In fact, going back to 1970, the S&P 500 has gained 12.7% in the twelve months that follow. This data is particularly timely, as Jerome Powell’s term ends on May 15, 2026. […]
In the world of behavioral finance, there is a well-documented phenomenon known as loss aversion. Nobel Prize-winning psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky found that the pain of a loss is psychologically twice as powerful as the joy of an equivalent gain. Statistically, most investors require at least a 2-to-1 gain to offset the emotional […]
This time last year, California was engulfed in devastating wildfires. Thousands of acres of property were destroyed, and it didn’t take long for fingers to point at Edison International (“EIX”). Consequently, the stock plummeted over 30% over a matter of days, wiping out almost $10 billion in the stock’s market value. The investigation into whether […]
Over the weekend, the United States took control of Venezuela’s oil assets. Given Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, it has naturally raised questions about whether Canadian oil producers should be concerned. On paper, Venezuela’s oil reserves are enormous. The country holds close to 17% of the world’s oil reserves, roughly 300 billion barrels, more than Saudi […]
By: Sunni Schneider Nuge Schneider would have turned 87 years old today. While he never knew this firm would be created, I am certain he would be proud to know that I am a founding force behind it. I have many fond stories about my dad, but there is one in particular I wanted to […]
Rogers v. Rogers investigates the power struggle that tore apart one of Canada’s wealthiest telecommunications families. Journalist Alexandra Posadzki details the 2021 boardroom battle between Edward Rogers and his family over the company’s leadership. It serves as a compelling look at how family drama and unique corporate governance can trigger a public crisis. The book […]
While both the S&P 500 and S&P/TSX Composite Index are flat so far this month, December is historically a great month for stocks. In fact, over the last hundred years, the only decade to post a negative median return during December was in the 1930s. All decades since — from the 1940s until the 2020s […]
When our clients first became shareholders of South Bow (SOBO) on September 25, 2024, it wasn’t by choice. The new company was a spinoff from TC Energy. To be frank, we weren’t expecting much. (Disclosure: Clients, Jeff Pollock, and Sunni Schneider hold a financial interest in South Bow as shareholders but no compensation was offered to […]
