Blog

Cutting Through the Noise


October 23, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Market Timing

A look at the meaning of the term, as defined in the Steadyhand Dictionary.

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October 14, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Bradley's Brief - Q3 2014

The Cub Scouts motto, Be Prepared, should also be a big thing with investors.

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October 10, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Tom on BNN

Tom was on BNN yesterday discussing why it’s a good time to give your portfolio a gut check.

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September 26, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Video: Small-Cap Equity Fund Update

Wil Wutherich gives a rundown of the Small-Cap Fund's positioning and provides some colour on its energy holdings.

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September 24, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Video: Global Equity Fund Update

Craig Armour discusses the Global Fund's positioning and drills into its holdings in Japan, European healthcare stocks and Asian banks.

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September 22, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Video: Equity Fund Update

Gord O'Reilly provides an update on the Equity Fund.

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September 18, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Mark Your Calendar - National Portfolio Simplification Day

The calendar needs to trim the fat, which is why we’re going up against butterscotch pudding and proclaiming September 19th National Portfolio Simplification Day.

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August 12, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Lunch Date

A man from Singapore recently paid over $2 million to have lunch with Warren Buffett at a New York steakhouse. It’s a pricey tab for a T-bone, but in support of a good cause. Buffett auctions off an invitation to lunch every year (for up to eight people) on eBay and the proceeds go to a charity that runs anti-poverty programs and serves free meals in San Francisco. Other financial types ...

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August 6, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

No Small Journey

If you grew up in the late 70’s or early 80’s, you know the band Journey. You probably owned one of their vinyls or cassettes, and maybe even had a poster of the quintet on your bedroom door (you know who you are). If the name doesn’t ring a bell, you’ve ...

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July 16, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Sentiment

sen∙ti∙ment (noun) The mood of the market. The attitude of investors towards the near-term prospects for a particular index, asset class, or security. Some investment managers view market sentiment as a valuable contrarian indicator. That is, when the bulk of investors are sour on the prospects for the market, it is often a good time to buy, as much of the bad news is already reflected in prices and the ...

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July 11, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Bradley's Brief - Q2 2014

From our Quarterly Report: “It’s not the time to chase yield or return, but rather, it’s about managing risk and making sure the odds are in your favour ... I don’t think a 10-20% cash cushion is excessive at a time when we’re going through a grand economic ...

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June 23, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Income Fund: Distribution Cut

We’ve decided to reduce the amount of the Income Fund’s quarterly distribution to $0.07/unit, from $0.10/unit, effective June 30th. The fund pays a fixed distribution for the first three quarters of the year (end of March, June and September), and a variable ...

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June 16, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

The Best

I recently got back from a holiday in Europe. My wife and I crammed a lot into three weeks: Rome, the Amalfi coast, Tuscany, the Adriatic coast, Verona, Venice and Paris. #Yolo, as my niece says. It was our first time to Italy and France, and we took away many great memories, impressions, and carbs. One thing that stuck out was the ...

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May 22, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Dollar Cost Averaging (DCA)

dol∙lar cost ave∙rag∙ing (noun). A strategy of buying a fixed amount of an investment (such as a mutual fund) on a regular, pre-determined schedule. The investment is purchased regardless of price, which helps take emotion out of the process. Dollar cost averaging can help smooth out the path of returns of an investment, as more shares, or fund units, are purchased when the investment’s price is falling and less are ...

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May 20, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Elective Reading

I read a lot in this job, out of both necessity and interest. I often find it refreshing to take a break from the likes of The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, the Report on Business, etc., to read something lighter, inspirational, controversial, or just offbeat ...

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May 12, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Sell in May and Go Away?

You may have heard the phrase "Sell in May and go away". It’s an investment strategy that involves selling your stocks in May and repurchasing them in the fall. It’s based on the premise that stocks have historically performed better during the months of ...

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May 5, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

The Investment Fee Tree

Investment fees reduce returns. This much is obvious. What isn’t so clear, however, is what constitutes reasonable fees. A number of variables play a role, such as whether you work with a full-service advisor, follow an active or passive (indexing) investing ...

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April 24, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Strategic Asset Mix (SAM)

An investor’s long-term mix of stocks, bonds, cash and other investments that will provide her with the best opportunity to achieve her objectives. It should take into consideration an investor’s goals, risk tolerance, and investment time horizon. An investor should not alter her Strategic Asset Mix unless she experiences a change in her personal circumstances such that her investment objectives, risk ...

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April 16, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

The Ultimate Commitment

David Toyne (our Toronto guy) pointed me to an interesting story the other day about doing a job right. David’s a fan of Terry O’Reilly and his radio series Under the Influence. He was listening to a recent episode in which O’Reilly was reciting stories from some of ...

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April 14, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Income Fund: A Focus on Dividend Growth

Roughly one-third of our Income Fund is currently invested in stocks. Equities add both diversification and yield to the portfolio, which can be particularly beneficial in today’s low interest rate environment (10-year government of Canada bonds are yielding a paltry 2.4% ...

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April 11, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Bradley's Brief - Q1 2014

From our Quarterly Report: Looking to the future, the advice we’re giving our clients has increasingly focused on risk management. Rising stock prices have resulted in increased valuations and a renewed thirst for risk assets. The current stock market run ...

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April 9, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Diworsification

di∙wor∙si∙fi∙ca∙tion (noun). The practice of owning too many securities or investments such that a portfolio starts to look very similar to the broad market and has no sense of direction. Also known as Overdiversification. The term is taken from The Steadyhand Dictionary, which is a collection of investing terms and colloquialisms. Some are widely used, some aren’t used enough, and some are seen ...

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March 25, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Short-Termism

short term∙i∙sm (noun) (1) To focus on short-term market moves, economic news or company fundamentals. (2) To act on recent events without considering the longer-term implications. (3) To veer off course from an investment plan based on prevailing trends or fads. (4) Investors plagued by short-termism often damage their portfolios by buying high and selling low. (5) A chronic condition ...

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March 20, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

It's Good to be Here

The sun is shining. Flowers are blooming. And ideas are sprouting. It’s the first day of spring in Vancouver, and as our local brewery says (Granville Island), it’s good to be here. Leading thinkers, innovators and communicators have swarmed the city for the TED ...

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March 17, 2014

By Scott Ronalds

Appetite for Disruption

Remember the days of trotting down to the video store to rent a movie? You’d hope the flick you wanted to see was still available, then grab a copy of the box, wait in line at the counter, whip out your membership card, grab a bag of Twizzlers and fork over ...

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