Canadian Capitalist

WisdomTree, a new provider of ETFs has launched 20 new ETFs based on proprietary, fundamental indices. Most of these new ETFs represent asset classes for which (as far as I know) dividend ETFs were not available: a MidCap Dividend ETF, a SmallCap Dividend ETF and a whole bunch of foreign dividend ETFs. Fees range from [...]

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In response to yesterday’s post, reader JB left the following comment:
I’ve placed some cash into several GICs (30 day cashable) at 3.95%. As interest rates increase I’ll roll it over into a higher paying GIC. I’ve gone from 3.5 to 3.75 to 3.95 in the last 3 months. I thought this seemed like a good [...]

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Getting a decent yield on the cash in a brokerage account is a hassle. Most money market accounts charge a MER of 0.9% and transferring money to a high-interest savings account is not practical for funds held inside a RRSP.
Rob Carrick, personal finance columnist for the Globe and Mail, offers an excellent tip for the [...]

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Enbridge (TSX: ENB) has announced that starting July 1st, it will start charging 27.9 ¢/m³ for supplying natural gas to its residential customers. The new rate is 17.5% cheaper than the current rate of 33.8 ¢/m³ and 32% cheaper than last winter. Note that the new rate includes an adjustment to refund customers because the [...]

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The C. D. Howe Institute thinks that any proposal by the federal government to tinker with the CPP is a bad idea:
These projections and the dismal record of provident funds elsewhere add a worrisome aspect to even the benign-sounding proposal in the 2006 federal budget to tuck extra surpluses into the CPP’s fund (Canada 2006, [...]

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I sometimes watch Mack Wealthtrack on PBS (Fridays at 8 p.m.) because they interview interesting money managers. I am really looking forward to an upcoming interview with famed value investor (and native Canadian) David Dremen. A few weeks back, Ms. Mack interviewed authors Suze Orman and David Bach. I am not a big fan of [...]

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The Globe and Mail is reporting today that the Tory government is planning a series of fiscal proposals in the fall, one of which is a plan to cut both employee and employer contributions to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). Note that employees contribute 4.95% of earnings between $3,500 and $42,100 into the CPP. Employers [...]

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Many books are still being written about Enron’s implosion but it would be difficult to find a better one than Conspiracy of Fools by Kurt Eichenwald, a reporter for The New York Times. Mr. Eichenwald takes an interesting approach, using a slightly fictionalized version of events and conversations, in telling the story behind America’s biggest [...]

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Time magazine has a series of excellent stories in its latest issue on Asia’s other emerging power: India. While the outsourcing story is fairly well known, I was surprised to learn that large companies like Hyundai Motors, L.G. Electronics and Nokia are setting up manufacturing plants in India. Another story describes the metamorphosis of [...]

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A recent column in The New York Times offers good financial advice to recent graduates. Sure, it only offers common-sense suggestions like avoiding frivolous spending, saving for retirement etc. but it is so easy to forget the basic lessons when the first pay checks start coming in.
Link

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