• Forbes magazine is listing the 40 largest companies in Canada according to their methodology. No surprises here. The 5 big banks, 2 insurance companies, 2 energy companies and 1 telecom round out the top 10 list.
  • I am currently reading The Investment Zoo, so I read this interview with Jarislowsky Fraser with great interest. The recipe for investment success seems to be timeless: Buy good quality companies with sustainable competitive advantages at decent prices and hold for the long term.
  • Robert Kiyosaki’s column on Yahoo! Finance – To Diversify or Not To Diversify – is provocative, to say the least. Mr. Kiyosaki is suggesting that investors should focus their investments like Warren Buffett and not just diversify (which is for amateurs). Sounds easy, but in practice, it is really hard to beat the market.
  • Venture Capital funds are a lousy choice for almost every investor. Sky-high expenses (5% a year is not uncommon) and lousy returns for the asset class hardly make up for the tax credit. A story in the Globe and Mail is complementary of a fund that has posted 1.24% gains in 2 years.

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