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25
Jul

Cardinal Quarterly – July 2018

Market Outlook – Global stock markets jumped higher in the second quarter of 2018, moving most markets back into positive territory for the year. The UK FTSE-100 and Australian ASX-100 were the top performing markets, up 8.6% and 7.6% respectively. Other international markets were also positive with the German DAX-30 and French CAC-40 up 2.5% and 3.3% respectively. However, U.S. dollar appreciation in the 5% range offset most of these gains. In North America, the S&P TSX and the S&P 500 gained 7.0% and 5.3% respectively with the US dollar gaining slightly on the Loonie.

Click here to read more:  Cardinal Quarterly – July 2018

19
Jul

Canada Pension Plan – Should You Take it Early?

New Rules governing the Canada Pension Plan took full effect in 2016.  Under these rules, the earliest you can take your CPP Pension is age 60, the latest is 70. The standard question regarding CPP remains the same – should I take it early or wait?

If you take it at the earliest age possible, age 60, your CPP income will be reduced by 0.6% each month you receive your benefit prior to age 65.  In other words, electing to take your CPP at age 60 will provide an income of 36% less than if you waited until age 65.

CPP benefits may also be delayed until age 70 so delaying your CPP benefits after age 65 will result in an increased income of 0.7% for each month of deferral.  As a result, at age 70, the retiree would have additional monthly income of 42% over that what he or she would have had at 65 and approximately 120% more than taking the benefit at age 60. The question now becomes, “how long do you think you will live?” Read more »

11
Jul

DM – Q2 Portfolio Commentary

Checking the mathOne of the most fundamental operations that students learn at business school is how to estimate the value of an asset based on the cash flow it generates. In this calculation, an appropriate current price is derived by “discounting” income streams at a given rate, often the prevailing bond yield of appropriate maturity or the return that the individual requires to commit capital to the investment. All else equal, if the asset can be acquired for less than that figure, the investor should go ahead; if not, he or she may want to look elsewhere. This method can be used to gauge fair price for income producing real estate, privately held businesses, listed stocks, and just about anything generating (or expected to generate) ongoing earnings. We can also use the technique to get a sense of where an entire equity index is trading relative both to its underlying fundamentals and how investors have valued those characteristics in the past.

Click here to read more:  DM-Portfolio-Commentary-Q2-18