Canadian Capitalist

Since the Bank of Canada has been neutral for a while now, interest rates on personal savings accounts have barely budged. However, competition in this area is heating up and here are some of the better options:

ING Direct Investment Savings Account: 2.4%.

AMEX Investment Savings Account: 2.4%. $10 with an initial deposit of $200.

President’s Choice [...]

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The Globe and Mail newspaper publishes a monthly feature on investing called Trade by Numbers. It is usually worth checking out and the latest issue has a “Spring Cleaning” theme. Highlights from the current issue:

Columnist Rob Carrick suggests selling some income trusts that have been strong performers for the past five years.

Mathew Ingram says that [...]

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Highlights from last weekend’s crop of articles in the WSJ:

Cost is one of the few factors under the control of individual investors. In this regard, it is gratifying to see the fund industry lowering its fees. The Globe and Mail reports that even in Canada, mutual fund fees are falling (though at 2.02% it [...]

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We already have a cell phone (on a monthly plan) and a landline phone, but with both of us working, we really feel the need for another cell phone. The new phone would only be used for short calls and for emergency purposes.
Our cell phone usage tends to be very patchy. We tend to make [...]

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Statistics Canada released its April job report yesterday, which showed the Canadian economy generating 29,000 new jobs, mostly in full-time jobs. The unemployment rate in Canada is near 30-year lows.

The Globe and Mail newspaper had a recent story on executive compensation in Canada. Topping the list is Power Financial’s Robert Gratton who cleared a cool [...]

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We see a lot of people driving around in quirky little smart cars in Ottawa these days and my wife really wants to get one of these puppies. I have to admit that the car looks really cute and I even had one overtaking my trusty (and rusty) old Honda Accord on the highway yesterday.
The [...]

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The Toronto Star is reporting that major Canadian banks are launching an initiative that will allow consumers to pay for their web purchases with their debit card. There is also a story on how to use the debit card online.

IMHO, managing risk is the most important job for an investor. BusinessWeek has a primer [...]

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The New York Times reports that the Loews Cineplex movie chain is bowing to public criticism and plans to advice the viewing public that the feature presentation will start 10 to 15 minutes after the posted time. Movie theatre commercials probably rank very high (along with mail-in rebates) among consumer annoyances, so any improvement is [...]

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One of the disadvantages of index funds is that the dividend yields on most stock market indices is very low. An investor in index funds has to rely almost entirely on capital gains for their returns. I noted that this was a drawback of my sleepy portfolio.
Noticing the demand for dividend income, S&P has launched [...]

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Does the market volatility so far this year make you reach for Pepto-Bismol? Don’t Abandon Stocks, says S&P’s Joseph Listani. It is very good advice.
Long-term investors should ignore short-term market volatility, save and invest regularly in a well-diversified portfolio. Prof. Ibbotson estimated in 1999 that over the next 25 years, small-cap stocks would return 12.5%, [...]

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