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By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP In this weekend’s Report on Business, Rob Carrick nicely captured my mixed feelings about balanced funds. As I noted in a recent Wealth Steward post, it’s critical to keep an eye on fees when choosing your bond exposure. Yet, the vast majority of balanced funds – which hold significant … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP Yesterday’s Globe & Mail featured an article by U.S. equity manager Larry Sarbit making the case to invest in U.S. stocks now. He cited his 70% invested position (compared to 10% – 20% a few years ago) to illustrate his bullishness. I have never really been convinced of Mr. Sarbit’s stock picking skill … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP Several sources peg the total of U.S. bank failures at more than 9,000 during and after the Great Depression. According to this source, about 70 banks annually failed during the 1920s but the pace soared after the famous stock market crash. FDIC data on historical bank failures show that 3,555 … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP A few years ago, a research paper by three academics claimed that Canadian mutual funds levied higher average fees than funds in seventeen other countries. Since average Canadian fund fees are high, the media jumped all over this research – despite being incomplete. Reading through many versions of the paper, it became clear that … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP The Globe & Mail’s latest mutual fund number cruncher focuses on the top-performing Canadian Equity funds for the ten years ending June 30, 2010. Quantitative screens like this can be illustrative. As I read that Mackenzie Saxon Stock – Investor Series topped the list of 10-year performers, a few thoughts … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP In this morning’s Globe & Mail, I gave an overview of investors’ three main options for bond (or bond-like) exposure in taxable accounts. It seems at least two preferred share funds escaped my radar. I’d also like to touch on some other products – some mentioned in the article and some … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP Many financial advisors say that I harp too much on fees. Many investors (and investor advocates) say that I’m not tough enough on fund fees. Sometimes, I just can’t win. But nowhere are fees more important than in the selection of bond exposure. Whether choosing a bond mutual fund, bond ETF or … By Adam D. Cappelli, Partner, Cambridge LLP Conchita is one lucky Chihuahua. When her owner, heiress Gail Posner, passed away in March 2010, she and two other dogs were left with a $3 million (USD) trust fund and an $8.3-million Miami Beach mansion. A bodyguard and housekeeper who take care of the dogs were … By Dan Hallett, CFA, CFP In her latest Globe & Mail Number Cruncher, Shirley Won ranked the largest Canadian stock funds (including those with significant foreign stock holdings) by 5-year annualized return as of June 30, 2010. The column also featured each of the funds’ 10-year annualized return and the last few calendar year returns. …   ----------------------- |
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