Finding safety in government bonds
With the slowdown now here, the question is how far out should you go in pursuit of a safe haven?
With the slowdown now here, the question is how far out should you go in pursuit of a safe haven?
The success of companies in this sector depends mostly on which way the economy goes
Because of the Big Six banks’ exposure to debt securities, various calculations must be used to determine their balance-sheet strength
With premiums rising, some interesting option-writing opportunities exist
Exposure to Great-West Lifeco and IGM Financial, at a discount, make Power Financial a worthy consideration
Although the EU12 face risks associated with a slowing western Europe and a stronger euro, there are positive signs
In the insurance industry, management ranks filling up faster than sales positions
Skills gained in previous careers — such as building relationships and communicating complex facts — are the keys to success
Trend of more women at mutual fund dealers is driven by flexible working arrangements and receptive women clients
Women started to occupy senior management positions 20 years ago; the trend will continue to improve
Although progress has been slow, brokerage firms are becoming more aware of women’s needs
Keeping a business active during maternity leave can be vital for women
Although a wealth of opportunities and increasingly fewer obstacles exist, there are still many sacrifices that have to be made
Firms and women themselves have a role to play in making sure women advance
Book offers week-by-week process that touches on such issues as strategic analysis, targets and referrals
Starting a financial advisory office means leasing office space, becoming an employer and managing tax issues
Tom McCullough, CEO of Northwood Stephens Private Counsel Inc. in Toronto, says hard work, always doing the right thing and patience are a powerful combination…
Protecting your digital files is tantamount to protecting your business. Here is how to make sure nothing gets lost
Tom McCullough, CEO of Northwood Stephens, offers a wide range of services to wealthy families
Dimming vision can mean clients misread prescription labels and miss out on fine print on securities documents
Vision problems require immediate care, so routine eye examinations are essential for early detection, says Dr. David Maberley, associate professor of ophthalmology at the University…
Working with a spouse has unique benefits — and pitfalls. It requires clearly defined roles and boundaries
This middle-aged couple plans to spend heavily in the present and still have an estate for their children
Workaholism can lead to drug and alcohol abuse as well as social and family problems
There’s more to knowing your clients than asset levels and risk tolerance; personality determines the ideal relationship style
Ensure the new recruit understands the team’s goals, vision, expectations
They are not the same. A coach helps you develop specific skills, while a mentor focuses on life development
Clients will visit your site if you promote it well and provide good information
Terry Howard, a successful financial advisor, had reached a stage in his career at which a coach was not enough. What he needed in order…
Strengthen client relationships by letting investment counsellors manage your clients’ portfolios
If you’re too ambitious, resolutions become more difficult to keep
Funny, but I have always thought that the financial services industry was a great place for a woman. Granted, I like numbers. Give me an…
The trademark phrase of Bernard Derome, Television de Radio-Canada’s long-running anchorman, is: “Si la tendance se maintient,” which means “If the trend continues.” Derome is…
It’s starting to feel a bit like a replay of the early 1990s. Talk of a U.S. recession is in the air; banks are coming…
When Alberta’s economy crashes, you really know it. There are mass layoffs, foreclosures, bankruptcies, empty office towers, weed-eaten industrial parks, homeowners walking away from mortgages,…
There’s no doubt that new Brunswick’s forestry industry was dealt a knockout punch in 2007.With its profitability solely dependent on the long-gone weakness of the…
There is a certain irony in that Stephen Harper’s Conservative government is now dogged by two Cold War relics from previous regimes.One of those relics…
National Bank launches new GICMontreal-based National Bank of Canada has unveiled its Advantage 8 Plus GIC, which provides investors with principal protection while offering them…
Mutual fund families that feature growth funds, index funds or funds that hedge exposure to the Canadian dollar performed best in 2007. On the other…
Over the past year, Nandu Narayanan, founder and chief investment officer at New York-based Trident Investment Management LLC, has generated a return of almost 100%…
The “three factors” model developed to determine why different stocks generate different results is used by many analysts. The model considers size (small stocks vs…
A paper published in the U.S. in December compares U.S. equity mutual funds’ published performance from 1991 through 2004 with estimates of what investors in…
The fact that the majority of actively managed funds fail to beat the market consistently is one big reason for the popularity of index investing.…
Canadian dividend funds enjoyed another steady year in 2007, thanks to strong demand for dividend-yielding stocks and a general sense that the global growth story…
High-yield bonds were side-swiped last year, victims of the strong Canadian dollar and the liquidity crisis that ensued from the U.S. subprime mortgage mess. As…
The merger mania that has swept among credit unions in Canada for more than a decade has now spread to Nova Scotia with the proposed…
As the fallout from the demise of the Crocus Investment Fund continues to wash through Manitoba financial circles, the provincial government has quietly put a…
An action for breach of fiduciary duty and unjust enrichment against the Ontario Municipal Employ-ees Retirement System, which is one of Canada’s largest pension plans,…
The global banking business has taken a pounding over the past two quarters, and there’s every indication of more pain to come in the following…
Promutuel Capital Trust Co. Inc. is hoping its acquisition of beleaguered Triglobal Capital Management Inc.’s assets and goodwill will give the firm the breakthrough it…
Standard Life Canada aims to finish a hiring campaign by the end of the first quarter to help it recover from more than a year…
Apart from the desire for lower taxes, there are few things on which all facets of the Canadian financial services industry can agree. And when…
Tax reductions, improved business productivity and incentives to encourage Canadians to save for retirement — these are the common themes several financial services industry interest…
In March 1994, in Invest–ment Executive’s research report on women in the financial services industry, a woman broker predicted that in “five or 10 years,”…
In an era in which some senior and near-senior citizens still feel uncomfortable using an ATM or telephone banking system, a trio of 60-plus members…
For regulators, as for many organizations, hiring and hanging onto quality employees is a challenge. Indeed, that chore appears to be at the heart of…
It looks as if this year will be the last RRSP season for ENSIS Growth Fund. The fund appears destined to vanish from the investing…
These aren’t particularly happy days for the world’s key rating agencies, and Canada’s own DBRS Ltd. has certainly been served its own portion of misery.…
Parents of disabled children who have been waiting to take advantage of the new federal Registered Disability Savings Plan will have to wait at least…
The big banks are the canaries in the coal mine of Canadian corporate governance. As a result of the shareholder proposals they receive, the banks…
David Beatty, managing director of the Canadian Coalition for Good Governance, believes that the shareholder’s “best line of defence” in ensuring that companies behave as…
If TD Life Insurance Co. could be the Amazon.ca of Canadian life insurance sales, that would suit its president.Like the online book retailer, Sean Kilburn…
Although the Canada Pension Plan seems to be going from strength to strength, things are not looking quite so rosy for the Quebec Pension Plan.…
The new “passport” system of securities regulation coming into effect on Mar. 17 is designed to streamline the red tape associated with filing a prospectus…
Albertans like their cowboy hats big, their steaks bigger and their taxes simple. That’s the consensus from a panel of experts in the only province…
With a federal election just a failed non-confidence vote away, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation has presented some possible campaign fodder should the governing Tories be…
Quebec’s financial regulator has lowered the boom on a former evangelical pastor turned investment advisor who is alleged to have sold illegal investments to members…
