News & commentary

The Bank of Canada “(BoC” or “the Bank”) left its benchmark overnight rate unchanged at 1.75% on January 9, providing temporary relief to Canadians who have been grappling with rising interest costs for the past 18 months (Figure 1) on near-record levels of debt. Click here to read our latest market bulletin.

Market & Economic Environment:  December capped the worst year for global equities since 2008, as the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average plunged 9.2% and 8.7% respectively for their biggest declines in that month since 1931. With November’s gains only providing a temporary respite from the broad selloff that commenced in October, most major […]

Everyone has heard the saying “there are only two certainties in life, death and taxes.” When we pass away most of our accumulated wealth is subject to income tax, probate tax or both. There are some simple things we can do to reduce this inevitable tax bill on our estates: own certain non-registered assets jointly […]

Investors will doubtless be glad to see the back of 2018, a year when nothing seemed to work – stocks, bonds, commodities, preferred shares. Almost every asset class finished in the red for the year, in sharp contrast to 2017, when most investments generated sizeable returns amid record-low volatility. Click here to read our latest market […]

If you break a leg, you may or may not be covered under a disability insurance plan. Did you know that there are some critical illness insurance plans where you can add an accidental fracture rider to your policy.

Upside /downside capture ratios indicates by how much a portfolio or fund has outperformed its benchmark during periods of market strength and weakness respectively. An upside capture ratio of over 100 indicates that the fund generally outperformed the benchmark during positive market periods, while a downside capture ratio of less than 100 indicates that the […]