Cutting Through the Noise
July 22, 2013
I’ve written about RRSP transfers a few times and will continue to do so because the way some large institutions treat their investment clients is ridiculous, abysmal, maddening, inexcusable, disrespectful, unnecessary, unethical, despicable, appalling...
Read MoreJanuary 11, 2013
I guess I’m more optimistic than executives at the major banks. When we lose a client (we’ve been lucky so far, our clients have been very loyal), I fully expect she/he will come back one day when circumstances change. As a result, when a client takes money...
Read MoreSeptember 26, 2012
Forbes magazine came up with a list of the 15 most outrageous ETFs last year. The winners included the Market Vectors Mongolia ETF, the PowerShares Lux Nano Tech ETF and the HealthShares Dermatology and Wound Care ETF. We thought we’d...
Read MoreApril 4, 2012
The investment banking league tables came out this week and they showed that Scotia Capital was at the top of the equity list. BNS was lead underwriter on $2.4 billion worth of deals in the first quarter. What pushed them to the top was a $1.66 billion stock...
Read MoreAugust 26, 2009
Be warned. I write this after a long day, a glass of wine and having just read an article on ‘Target Date’ funds in Monday’s Report on Business (Target-date Funds Miss Their Mark). Shirley Won’s piece on these packaged, marketing-driven, fee-laden...
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2008
I stumbled across a large ad in the Vancouver Sun last week that caught my attention. The headline: Retire 12.2% Faster. How could I not read on! The ad was from the Bank of Montreal and it was referring ...
Read MoreAugust 8, 2007
I wrote a piece in March about the TD Bank double ending an investment banking transaction ( TD Securities Does a Double Ender ). The theme of the posting was how free the investment banks are to operate with huge ...
Read MoreMay 1, 2007
The Glove and Mail, Report on Business Published April 28, 2007 I get grouchy when I see products being offered that are just plain bad for investors. I've been grouchy a lot lately, particularly with all the high-fee, principal-protected products ...
Read MoreMarch 5, 2007
There was a small item in the paper last Wednesday entitled “TD gets a double-dip from Fortis transaction.” The transaction involved repatriating the old B.C. Gas distribution business back into Canadian hands (Yeh!). U.S.-based Kinder Morgan sold Fortis the assets ...
Read MoreFebruary 27, 2007
I like to read Doug Steiner’s columns in the ROB Magazine. You never know what he’s going to write about. You do know, however, that he will have a strong view on whatever it is. In this month’s issue, Doug ...
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