Planning to Drive a Monte Carlo
One of the lessons I’ve tried to stress is that investing is not about choosing the right products. ETFs changed the game by giving the little guy sophisticated and low-cost investment tools—no doubt [...]
What Would Buffett Do?
When I set out to educate myself about investing, Larry Swedroe was one of the most influential authors I encountered. What I loved about his books (including The Only Guide to a Winning Investment St [...]
Does a 60/40 Portfolio Still Make Sense?
For as long as I can remember, the traditional balanced portfolio has been 60% equities and 40% bonds. Indeed, all of my own model portfolios use that overall asset mix as a starting point. But a lot [...]
Updated Couch Potato Report Card
Last week I announced the 2012 returns for my model portfolios. Now it’s time to present the updated longer-term returns of the portfolios, with data provided by Justin Bender. This information covers [...]
Calculating Foreign Returns in Canadian Dollars
Global diversification was a huge benefit to investors in 2012, as Canadian equities lagged well behind the rest of the world. Two core funds in the Complete Couch Potato are the Vanguard Total Stock [...]
An Interview with John De Goey
On Monday, the UK implemented new rules banning embedded commissions on investment products. We’re still many years away from that in Canada, but it’s not for lack of effort on the part of John De Goe [...]
Ask the Spud: Do I Have Enough for a DRIP?
Q: I’m planning to use my 2013 TFSA room to purchase a bond ETF. How can I make sure I’m investing enough to benefit from a dividend reinvestment plan? – Phil B. Dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs) ar [...]
What Investors Can Learn From Weather Forecasts
I’ve never made a secret of my opinion that acting on market forecasts is destructive to investors. Nate Silver’s fascinating new book, The Signal and the Noise: Why So Many Predictions Fail—But Some [...]
A Market Forecaster’s Report Card
As 2011 came to a close, the usual army of market gurus began making predictions for 2012. I’ve often criticized market forecasters for their embarrassing track records, so this year I made a point of [...]
How Much Are You Paying For US Dollars?
Currency conversion remains one of the biggest rip-offs in banking and investing. It's made worse by the lack of transparency: if you call your discount brokerage they'll quote their current rates, bu [...]
