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How to build credit history in Canada + MORE Sep 28th
In Canada, a credit history is a person’s track record of using credit (borrowing money) and repaying debt. Your credit history can affect many aspects of your financial life—from getting approved for a credit card or renting an apartment to taking out a mortgage or a car loan, among other thing.... More »
Business Highlights + MORE Jun 13th
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Greece set to present fresh proposals to break impasse
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece said Friday it will present its creditors with new proposals over the weekend in an attempt to breathe life into stalled bailout discussions that have stoked fears of the country’s bankruptcy.
Confirmatio.... More »
How to make a spousal RRSP work for you + MORE Oct 30th
P O R T F O L I O F I X
THE PROBLEM
James and Claudia Williams are in an envious position. The’ve paid off their home, they’re debt free and they have healthy savings in RRSPs, TFSAs, and other accounts. They’ve also just welcomed their first child and are already talking abo.... More »
What Wall Street analysts are saying about Apple’s ugly quarter + MORE Apr 27th
Latest earnings release draws concern
.... More »
Eyes on the Prize: 5 Questions to Ask When Designing Your Perfect CRM Strategy Mar 19th
Understanding the customer is key to meeting their needs and boosting your business’ revenue. More and more businesses are coming to realize this. That’s why the customer relationship management software market is expected to reach $48.4 billion by 2020. It is already regarded the world’s bigg.... More »
CTV NewsNumber of houses sold over 3 mln Canadian dollars up 31 pct in 2014XinhuaVANCOUVER, Jan. 20 (Xinhua) — A record number of homes were sold for more than 3 million CAD (2.5 million U.S. dollars) in Vancouver and its surrounding cities in 2014, up 31 percent from 2013, Vancouver's major real estate company Macdonald Realty …Metro Detroit housing ranked as most affordableThe Detroit NewsVancouver's housing affordability is now the worst it's ever beenMoneySenseVancouver's housing market second most unaffordable in the world: studyWinnipeg Free PressCBC.ca -mysask.comall 61 news articles »
Oil patch turns into the survival of the fittest
– theglobeandmail.com
The energy sector presents a good buying opportunity, but there’s no guarantee your chosen stock will hang on until oil prices recover
Netflix Inc. added 13 million worldwide subscribers last year, including 4.3 million during the final three months, according to figures released Tuesday in the company’s fourth-quarter earnings report. The performance marked Netflix’s biggest quarter of subscriber gains ever, eclipsing the 4.07 million added in the final three months of 2013.
New Year, New TFSA Room, Great Investment Ideas Here
– myownadvisor.ca
Learn, save, invest and prosper by subscribing to My Own Advisor.
Get excited savers! A new year means more Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) contribution room. Here are a few facts about the TFSA and how you can benefit from this magical account.
TFSA 101
The Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a flexible, registered, general-purpose savings account* that allows Canadians to earn tax-free investment income. The TFSA complements existing registered savings plans like the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP).
How the TFSA works:
Get excited savers! A new year means more Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) contribution room. Here are a few facts about the TFSA and how you can benefit from this magical account.
TFSA 101
The Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is a flexible, registered, general-purpose savings account* that allows Canadians to earn tax-free investment income. The TFSA complements existing registered savings plans like the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and the Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP).
How the TFSA works:
As of January 1, 2013, Canadian residents, age 18 and older, can contribute up to $5,500 annually to a TFSA. This was a hike from the annual contribution limit of $5,000 for 2009 through 2012.
Investment income earned in a TFSA is tax-free.
Withdrawals from a TFSA are tax-free.
Unused TFSA contribution room is carried forward and accumulates in future years – hence, Happy New Year!
Full amount withdrawals can be put back into the TFSA in future years…
Taking ETF Trades to the Next Level
– CanadianCouchPotato.com
Experienced investors know the theory: ETFs are supposed to trade very close to their net asset value (NAV). And most of the time they do. But this week my PWL Capital colleague Justin Bender and I encountered a glaring exception that could have had expensive consequences.On Monday, Justin and I wanted to sell the iShares US Dividend Growers Index ETF (CUD) in a client’s account. It was a large trade: more than 5,000 shares, which worked out to over $160,000. As we always do before making such a trade, we got a Level 2 quote, which reveals the entire order book. In other words, it tells you how many shares are being offered on the exchange for purchase or sale at various prices. By contrast, a Level 1 quote—the type normally available through discount brokerages—only tells you how many shares are available at the best bid and ask prices.
If an ETF’s market maker is doing its job, there should be thousands of shares available at the best price. But we were surprised to find the Level 2 quote looked like this:
Source: Thomson ONE
Let’s unpack this…
