Blog

Cutting Through the Noise


May 23, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Wanna Pick Tom's Brain?

Investment Lunch/Breakfast Tired of high fees? Want to learn more about direct investing? Curious about the Steadyhand funds? Join us for lunch on Thursday, June 7 th , or breakfast on Tuesday, June 12 th , for an intimate and ...

Read More

May 23, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Structured Products - Warning Flags

Over the last few weeks, a couple of warning flags have popped up that reminded me that with closed-end funds and structured products, it’s ‘ buyer beware ’. The first flag was an announcement that Sceptre Investment Counsel was merging ...

Read More

May 22, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Keep Going Bill, We're Cheering for You

At Steadyhand, we couldn’t be more delighted that Bill Holland is continuing to move CI Financial into the banking world. In the Financial Post last Friday, Bill reiterated that “we have to be in most of the business lines the ...

Read More

May 18, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Carrick's Two-minute Portfolio

In his article in last Saturday’s Report on Business, Rob Carrick dredged up an idea he came up with in 1999 - the ‘Two-minute Portfolio’. It involves investing equal amounts in the two largest stocks in each of the S&P/TSX’s ...

Read More

May 15, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Must-Reads on Investing (Part II)

We’ve had some good discussions, internally and with clients, about a blog that I posted back in March titled Must-Reads on Investing . The list of books that I compiled covers a fairly broad spectrum of topics, ranging from tips ...

Read More

May 14, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Passion was the Key in our Search for Money Managers

Prologue to Globe and Mail Article I wanted to put today’s Globe and Mail article in context with Steadyhand. The process described in the article occurred prior to the decision by Neil and I to go ahead with Steadyhand. Since ...

Read More

May 10, 2007

By Tom Bradley

For 'New Paradigm' Read 'Decoupling'

We’ve got an excellent piece from Edinburgh Partners for our Fund Manager’s Corner. As part of his quarterly report, Dr. Sandy Nairn, the founder and President of the firm, provides some excellent background on economic and market cycles. The piece ...

Read More

May 7, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Bubbles, Animal Spirits and Other Depressing Stuff

One of my favourite investment writers is Jeremy Grantham, who is one of the founders and still a driving force behind GMO, a very successful investment manager. In addition to regularly reading his quarterly piece, I’ve met Jeremy and seen ...

Read More

May 4, 2007

By Tom Bradley

As Wealth Blooms Around You, Don't Forget About the Concept of Risk

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published May 4, 2007 Feeling richer?  But are you better off? When Lori and I left Toronto to move west in 1991, we kept our summer cottage in the Haliburton.  Back then, we ...

Read More

May 3, 2007

By Tom Bradley

An Appeal to the Provinces: Come Talk to Us About Securities Regulation

This week Premier Ed Stelmach said that Alberta is not interested in moving towards a national securities regulator. His government supports the current regime and the improvements that are being made to coordinate efforts amongst Canada’s 13 regulators (Yes, 13). At ...

Read More

May 1, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Closed-end Funds: Should Small Investors Pay Startup Costs?

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 More

April 23, 2007

By Tom Bradley

The Flip-side of the Foreign Takeover Binge

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published April 20, 2007 Like everyone else, I don’t like seeing corporate Canada get gutted by foreign buyers. I’ve thought for years that we were getting hollowed out, even if study after study ...

Read More

April 17, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Podcast: The Steadyhand Income Fund (mp3)

In this podcast, we sit down with Jay Menning, a member of Connor, Clark & Lunn's fixed income team, to talk about the Steadyhand Income Fund. Jay discusses the Income Fund's strategy and sheds some light on why it isn't a conventional bond fund. Who said bonds are boring?

Read More

April 13, 2007

By Tom Bradley

A Beautiful Day - Part II

In our self-congratulatory posting about our official opening, we noted what a beautiful day it was in Vancouver on Tuesday. That nice spring weather is also symbolic of what is going on in the pension world these days. Thursday’s papers ...

Read More

April 10, 2007

By Tom Bradley

A Beautiful Day

Bono once said, "It's a beautiful day; don't let it get away." So we captured it in digital film. After months of preparation and hard work, it was truly a beautiful day in Vancouver as we opened our doors to ...

Read More

April 9, 2007

By Tom Bradley

The Argument Against Canada-only Equity Funds

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published April 6, 2007 As we take Steadyhand on the road over the next few weeks, we anticipate that one of the most frequently asked questions we’ll face will be: Why don’t you ...

Read More

April 2, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Mutual Fund Wraps - Right Product; Wrong Fee Structure

There is plenty of ink devoted to mutual fund wraps these days. Wraps are investment products that package a number of mutual funds together to provide individuals with one simple solution to their investment needs. Firms that sell these products ...

Read More

March 23, 2007

By Tom Bradley

When a Trend Reverses, the Slide Won't be Painless or Short

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published March 23, 2007 In the investment industry, I’m what people call a “bottom-up” guy. That means I get my jollies from finding undervalued businesses to invest in, rather than predicting what the ...

Read More

March 20, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Must-Reads on Investing

There are thousands of books written on investing. Some will make you think, some will keep you grounded, and some will put you to sleep. Here are some of my favorites. We'll add to this list as time goes by. ...

Read More

March 13, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Got Money to Invest? Buck Stops with You

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published March 12, 2007 It sounds corny to say that investing is a team sport. Of course it is. But sometimes there is too much focus on the individual player and as a ...

Read More

March 9, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Podcast: Why Steadyhand?

We're pleased to present Steadyhand's inaugural podcast, " Why Steadyhand ". Seeing as it's our first broadcast, we thought we'd talk about Steadyhand and why we're starting a new fund company. Tom Bradley tackles the topic at hand. Click on ...

Read More

March 5, 2007

By Tom Bradley

TD Securities Does a Double Ender

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 More

March 2, 2007

By Tom Bradley

29 Funds and Counting (Part II)

I couldn’t resist. Here’s another response to my Globe column the other week ( RRSP Nightmare: Too Many Funds in Your Basket ) on the couple that owned 29 mutual funds. Tony Evans wrote: Sitting here in Tokyo on a ...

Read More

February 27, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Structured Products – Proud to Shroud

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 ...

Read More

February 26, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Appetite for Risk may Lead to a Bad Case of Cramps

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published February 23, 2007 I’ve always encouraged investing enthusiasts to read more than just the newspaper for ideas and education ( User’s Guide to the Business Media ). If you discover a professional ...

Read More