Q1 Portfolio Commentary
The Pause that Refreshes – Twenty-fifteen was a forgettable year for all the major asset classes: bonds returns were middling, the S&P 500 closed the year below where it started, and the unrelenting slide in energy prices helped weigh our stock market to a loss of more than 8%. On the price basis, US stocks have now treaded water for about 18 months and one has to go back more than two years to find a point when the TSX was meaningfully lower than it is today.
Click here to read more: DM-Portfolio-Commentary-Q1-16
January Monthly Insight
Rate Hikes Do Not Mean Doom – In theory rising interest rates spell trouble for stocks but history confirms that equity market returns have varied significantly following the initial central rate hike. This is because not all interest rate hikes are equal.
Click here to read more: Monthly Insight – January 2016 – Interest Rate Hikes Do Not Mean Doom
Six creative ways to teach your kids about money
Understanding financial issues is challenging enough for adults, so it’s no wonder many parents struggle when it comes to teaching them to kids.
According to a Harris/Decima Youth Financial Literacy Study for the Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, 84% of Canadians believe young people are ill-prepared to manage their finances when they enter the workforce. While 78% of Canadian parents have attempted to teach their children financial management skills, 60% believe that they haven’t been successful. Read more 
Get Your Corporate Dollars Doing Double Duty
Owners of very successful private corporations are well aware of the importance of cash flow. Many are protective of how they allocate corporate capital so that business ventures are adequately funded and investment opportunities are not missed.
The Immediate Financing Arrangement offers an opportunity to provide life insurance coverage and accumulate wealth on a tax-advantaged basis without impairing corporate cash flow.
What is an Immediate Financing Arrangement (IFA)?
An IFA is a financial and estate planning strategy that:
- Combines permanent, cash value life insurance with a conservative leverage program allowing the dollars allocated to the life insurance premiums to do double duty by still being available for business and investment purposes;
- In the right circumstances and when structured properly so that all possible tax deductions are used, an improvement in cash flow could result.
