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Canadian MoneySaver asked me to write an article on the outlook for the Canadian dollar. I do feel there are some encouraging positives for the Loonie that could see our currency rise in the near term. However, while I am bearish on the U.S. dollar versus global currencies, it is my opinion that the Canadian dollar will continue its relative weakness against both global and U.S. currencies in the longer term. Please don’t get me wrong. The longer-term downside influences on our dollar that I present below could very well change positively. We must be cognisant of the current conditions, while allowing new data to change our outlook in the future. This article covers the fundamental and technical evidence behind my near-term optimism on the Loonie. It also covers my longer-term caution on our dollar. At the end of the article, I present some strategies for investors to hedge against the potential of a longer-term falling Loonie.

There used to be an assumption that tying the knot also meant tying funds into one family pot. During a time when people married at younger ages, sometimes even before graduation from college or a first job, joint finances grew organically alongside their march into adulthood.

Q: Can you elaborate a bit on your philosophy “Letting Winners Ride”? This is very difficult to do when consistently managing position sizing. I own companies that are becoming larger allocations in my portfolio and they feel like “Winners”, so why should I trim?

In the realm of divorce, one of the most sensitive aspects for high-net-worth clients is the requirement for full and frank financial disclosure.

When it comes to divorce settlements, there is no withholding all of the fine details of each spouse’s personal assets and debts, corporate holdings, foreign investments, ventures, personal and business income and expenditures, personal spending habits, trust assets and beneficiaries.

The wildly popular 1970 movie, M*A*S*H, which was later made into a television sitcom that ran from 1972 to 1983, introduced us to the medical practice defined as “triage”. The term triage was used by French military surgeon, Dominique-Jean Larrey in the late 1700s and was derived from the 12th century old French word “triàre”, meaning “to sort”.

I recently was on a Zoom call checking in with two friends out in Nova Scotia, retirees Paul and Aisha. I apparently had caught them sitting at their kitchen table with two mugs of tea and a box of old photos. Their kids live in Alberta and Ontario, and their first grandchild was born last spring.

Registered accounts like Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RRSPs) can only be used to defer tax for so long. Eventually, an accountholder needs to take withdrawals.
Although there are rules around the latest you can wait to make this decision, there can be cases when early withdrawals make sense. There are also different options to consider for the account that can impact your tax planning and investment strategy.

Consumer Staples is the industry sector that refers to companies that sell essential products to consumers, things that people consume on a day-to-day basis including foods, beverages, household goods, personal care products, etc. Due to the predictability and resiliency of the sector even during economic downturns, no matter what happens on the macro level, individuals still need to buy groceries and other essentials.

Deciding whether to buy back pensionable service can be complex. When you’ve taken time away from work, such as a parental leave or a sabbatical, you can end up with gaps in your pensionable years. It’s common to wonder if you should put money back into the plan to make up for that time.