Cutting Through the Noise
October 10, 2007
There has been a lot written about Canada’s asset-backed commercial paper debacle. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to sort it all out, given that everyone has an axe to grind on the issue. Diane Urquhart is an independent analyst who I ...
Read MoreOctober 3, 2007
I got an email from Neil on Saturday afternoon: From: njensen@steadyhand.com Subject: Words of wisdom from Swensen Body: Read while watching Claire at swimming today (p.60): "Sensible investors pursue diversification as a policy to reduce risk, not as a tactic ...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 29, 2007 "Wisdom comes from sitting on your ass." According to Warren Buffett's sidekick, Charlie Munger, it's the best road to effective thinking. For the last six weeks I've been laid ...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2007
This month, Lori and I received the following notice with our Visa bill. It comes from the bank that is ‘First for you.’ Take a break this month No minimum payment required this month Because you are a valued cardholder, ...
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2007
Wil Wutherich , the manager of the Steadyhand Small-Cap Equity Fund, is leaving his perch in Montreal for a series of research meetings out west. We've booked the evening of Thursday, October 11th , for him to tell the Wutherich ...
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2007
We've had a few calls and emails lately asking how Tom's doing, so we felt it was a good time to provide a brief update. Tom is recovering well and on-track from his surgery and expects to be back in ...
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2007
With the loonie hitting parity with the U.S. dollar for the first time in over 30 years, the forecasters are once again coming out of the woodwork with predictions on the future direction of the currency. Some are patting themselves ...
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2007
We recently received an email from an investor who posed a few well thought questions about our funds and our company. We thought other investors following the development of Steadyhand may find these questions, and our responses, informative. Q: I ...
Read MoreSeptember 16, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 15, 2007 If you've been a regular reader of this column, you know that I sometimes write about things that are driving my wife crazy. When Lori gets on a rant ...
Read MoreSeptember 12, 2007
Richard Croft wrote a good article in yesterday’s National Post about how longevity is the most important factor in determining investment success. “In the end, one strategy or style is probably as good as another...the problem for average investors is ...
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2007
After only two months on the market, Apple has dropped the price of its new iPhone from $599 to $399. Steve Jobs, the company’s CEO, posted a note on Apple’s website explaining the reasoning behind the 33% price slash. Essentially, ...
Read MoreSeptember 6, 2007
Tom's been busy reading during his recovery from surgery (we've taken away his laptop, but we can't take away his library). He recently dusted off Roger Lowenstein's book, Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist , and added it to ...
Read MoreSeptember 4, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 1, 2007 Are we experiencing another immaculate correction? That’s how I describe the market corrections we’ve experienced while living under the protective umbrella of U.S. President George W. Bush and former ...
Read MoreAugust 30, 2007
As a start-up, we have the luxury of starting with a fresh piece of paper and blazing our own path. We’re not confined by legacy issues, dated technology platforms, archaic policies and procedures, etc. We’ve set up a business that ...
Read MoreAugust 27, 2007
The following blog was written by Tom just before his surgery, from which he is recovering well. Dan Richards is a name you may be familiar with. He has been in the wealth management industry for years and currently operates ...
Read MoreAugust 27, 2007
Every time I venture down to California or Vegas (not as often as I’d like), a stop at In-N-Out Burger is a must. Health food it’s not, but if you’re looking for a fresh, good old fashioned burger, this is ...
Read MoreAugust 22, 2007
In the wake of the subprime fallout in the United States, shares of Countywide Financial have fallen considerably. Countrywide is America’s #1 home loan lender and the country’s third largest federal savings bank. The Steadyhand Global Equity Fund holds shares ...
Read MoreAugust 21, 2007
Third party asset backed commercial paper (ABCP) has been the subject of attention in the investment press recently, as some issuers have experienced problems finding funding for their maturing debt. The Steadyhand Savings Fund does not hold any of this ...
Read MoreAugust 20, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published August 18, 2007 Shouldn't I be doing something? In historical terms, volatile markets like we're experiencing now are not unusual, so I don't want to overplay it. I'll admit, however, that I ...
Read MoreAugust 15, 2007
As you may have heard, Tom has a long-standing liver condition known as PSC. It goes back to his youth and has been monitored for over 25 years. While not normal, it has always been stable and hasn’t held him ...
Read MoreAugust 9, 2007
Here's a real beauty that made the rounds at Steadyhand: The Shareholder Letter You Should, But Won't, Be Reading Next Spring . If you want to see the circus, there's no need to go to the big tent...there's plenty of ...
Read MoreJuly 24, 2007
Shares of the world’s largest specialty retailer were recently added to the Steadyhand Equity Fund. Why? Because Starbucks is now a “franchise” company – that is to say, a great business , run by great people , trading at a ...
Read MoreJuly 16, 2007
Posted by Scott Ronalds I must admit that before I started working at Steadyhand last year, the term blog was pretty much a foreign concept to me. ‘Blogging’ sounded more like a slang term or a new extreme sport from ...
Read MoreJuly 3, 2007
We're pleased to present the inaugural Steadyhand Top Ten List. We've faced a lot of great - and not so great - questions in our first few months of business. Here are our top picks: 10. Is this the place ...
Read MoreJune 14, 2007
I came across an article on Yahoo! Finance last week that profiled the Fidelity Advisor Mid Cap Fund (the fund is only available in the U.S.). The author led off with a quote from the fund’s manager: “ The way ...
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