Cardinal Quarterly – January 2018
MARKET OUTLOOK – The fourth quarter ended strongly with markets across the globe seeing sharp gains. What were already high valuations have stretched even further as economic data from across the globe has been excellent. Our view is that we are not yet at the peak of the bull market and 2018 should be another good year for equity markets. None of the traditional recession indicators are flashing red, or even yellow, and though stocks appear to be fully valued, they still look cheap relative to other asset classes like bonds, most areas of the real estate market, and especially bubbles like Bitcoin.
Click here to read more: Cardinal Quarterly – January 2018
DM Monthly Report – January 2018
YES, IT IS DIFFERENT THIS TIME – About two and half years ago, the NASDAQ index reclaimed the high mark it had set a decade and a half earlier when the dot-com bubble was at its most inflated. Rather than being met with hand wringing and apprehension, however, the re-crossing of this once frothy threshold generated little angst amongst the investing public and not even much fanfare from the ordinarily excitable financial press.
Click here to read more: DM-Monthly-Report-Jan-18
Budgeting
If you’ve made a resolution to be more disciplined with your spending, or you’ve overspent over the holidays, a budget is a good way to get back on track. Here’s a good article from Practical Money Skills that you might find helpful.
A budget is a plan, an outline of your future income and expenditures that you can use as a guideline for spending and saving.
Only 47 % percent of Canadians use a budget to plan their spending. But Canadians are feeling more in debt than ever with 90% saying they have more debt today than five years ago. A budget can help you pay your bills on time, cover unexpected emergencies, and reach your financial goals — now and in the future. Most of the information you need is already at your fingertips. Read more 
The Importance of Critical Illness Insurance in Retirement Planning
There are a number of obstacles that could potentially de-rail a comfortable retirement. These include marriage breakdown, a stock market crash, and being sued. Another huge obstacle would be the diagnosis of a life threatening critical illness affecting you or your spouse. While it might be difficult to insulate yourself against some of the threats to retirement security, Critical Illness insurance goes a long way to mitigate the financial disaster that could result from a change in health as we approach retirement.
Considering that the wealth of many Canadians is comprised of the equity in their homes and the balance of their retirement plans, having to access funds to combat a dreaded illness could put their retirement objectives in jeopardy. Imagine that you are just a few years into or approaching retirement and you or your spouse suffers a stroke. The prognosis is for a long recovery and the cost associated with recovery and care is projected to be substantial. Statistics show that 62,000 Canadians suffer a stroke each year* with over 80% surviving* many of whom would require ongoing care. Since 80% of all strokes happen to Canadians over 60 those unlucky enough could definitely see their retirement funding jeopardized. Read more
