02 Nov

Year-End Financial Housekeeping, Buffett Style

As we approach the final months of the year, why not derive inspiration from one of the greatest investors of our time? Here are a few quotes from renowned investment guru, Warren Buffett, throughout this article.
Get ahead with your retirement savings
While a pandemic has consumed most of our attention for the past 10 months and for the foreseeable future, don’t let that dissuade you from continuing to build your portfolio for your goals. Have you maxed out your tax-advantaged accounts? Consider contributing to your Tax-Free […]

By Christopher Briggs, RRC®, Wealth Advisor

19 Oct

A Closer Look at Market Performance: The Major Indices

Those of us who follow the markets on a regular basis have watched as the major indices have climbed from their lows in March of this year. What has driven this performance?
S&P/TSX Composite Index Performance

The S&P/TSX Composite Index has traditionally been dominated by the financial and resource sectors, both of which have been impacted by the pandemic. The financial sector has struggled with credit losses and the energy sector has been plagued by falling oil prices due to the […]

By Carly Broetz, BBA, Wealth Advisor

29 Sep

What Comes After a Trillion?

In the effort to combat the pandemic, the sheer amount of stimulus pledged by governments globally has been staggering. In July, then Finance Minister Bill Morneau delivered Canada’s economic update, which replaced the regular spring budget. It was an economic tally of the measures taken to date. The 2020-21 deficit is expected to be $343.2 billion, largely attributed to pandemic relief programs.1

By Carly Broetz, BBA, Wealth Advisor

18 Sep

What Happens After a Bear Market?

We have encountered many new situations in response to COVID-19 — isolation, physical distancing, economic closures globally, and others — that have created uncertainties for the short term. Doomsayers cite these factors, and others, to suggest that this time is different and the current economic downturn will somehow last forever. However, economic cycles go up as well as down.
Equity markets are also cyclical. Bear markets happen from time to time. Yet, even in the worst situations, equity markets have […]

By Christopher Briggs, RRC®, Wealth Advisor

Scientists and Health Professionals study COVID-19

01 Sep

It’s Not Just About the Antibodies

Through many conversations with different individuals we’ve heard more than once that people feel they had, and lived through, COVID-19, stating it’s the worst they’ve ever felt. Some have, and some haven’t been tested, and it makes you wonder if COVID-19 was here earlier than we thought. Some research states that we build antibodies that help fight off the disease, but these antibodies only last for a certain period, leaving people susceptible to contracting the disease again later in time.
As we continue to get barraged with negative news […]

By Christopher Briggs, RRC®, Wealth Advisor

24 Aug

Consider the Benefits of Dollar-Cost Averaging

As we have seen with recent equity market reactions, short-term price movements are often unpredictable and nobody can be certain when the next upturn will begin. Such turns can occur when the outlook is bleak and the natural inclination may be to sell, not buy. In hindsight, all down markets look like buying opportunities. But in the moment, it’s not always easy to commit money to an investment that has gone down in price, particularly in a bear market.
Those investors who […]

By Christopher Briggs, RRC®, Wealth Advisor

19 Aug

Maintaining Balance in Your Portfolio

How have you reacted to the markets of late? In uncertain times, it may be tempting to take a conservative approach to protect investments from the downside.
Selling all of your stocks and holding cash is one alternative, though not practical for many investors. The potential capital gains tax consequences may be one reason this would be unpalatable. But more importantly, equity markets are largely unpredictable and cyclical in nature. The risk of being out of stocks is, over the […]

By Carly Broetz, BBA, Wealth Advisor

13 Aug

The End of the Office Era? Keep Good Records

Is the office era over? For many office workers, working from home became the new normal this spring. As such, some may be wondering if they are able to claim a tax deduction for home office expenses.
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) currently allows for a deduction in instances in which one of the following conditions is met:

The workspace is where you mainly do your work (more than 50 per cent of the time); or
You use the workspace only to […]

By Christopher Briggs, RRC®, Wealth Advisor

11 Aug

Estate Planning and the Will: Legal Doesn’t Mean Effective

In light of COVID-19, many people have turned their minds to their estate plans.1 One news report indicated that a Canadian online will-creation site saw an increase in sales of 700 percent from the same period last year.2
A will is the cornerstone of any estate plan, and creating one on your own is not difficult these days using the support of a will kit or online tool. However, there may be good reasons why more thoughtful planning can be […]

By Carly Broetz, BBA, Wealth Advisor

24 Jul

The Increasing Rate of Change

It has been said, “there are decades where nothing seems to happen and then there are weeks where decades happen.” This spring was no exception. With the COVID-19 pandemic, we have experienced change that has occurred at unprecedented speeds, including physical distancing, home isolation, and the voluntary shut down of economies. This led to equally unprecedented reactions: oil futures prices falling to negative levels and rebounding, entire industries being shut down, and record unemployment levels.
Equity markets reacted in a […]

By Christopher Briggs, RRC®, Wealth Advisor