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| Why rising rates haven't hurt housing
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ROB CARRICK
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Thursday, September 09, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comSo much for the housing market being crushed by rising interest rates.The Bank of Canada cranked up its trendsetting overnight rate for the third time in four months on Wednesday and the impact will be felt by a wide range of borrowers. But home buyers? Not so much.
FULL STORY 
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| An RESP can educate your kids in more ways than one
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ROB CARRICK
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Tuesday, September 07, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comParental anxiety plays a big part in the annual back-to-school spending extravaganza.Anxiety about whether our kids have the best we can give them as they head back to the classroom or away a post-secondary education.
FULL STORY
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| It's a big world - you should own a piece of it
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ROB CARRICK
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Saturday, September 04, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comIt's back to business for global equity funds in 2010, which is to say they're losing money again.Mackenzie Cundill Value C, the largest fund in the category, lost 4 per cent for the year to Sept. 1. Mackenzie Ivy Foreign Equity, as conservative as they come, was down 1.9 per cent. Templeton Growth, one of oldest funds in the business, was down 6.7 per cent.
FULL STORY
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| A Tiger with pinstripes
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ROB CARRICK
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Thursday, September 02, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comYou may never be a member of an exclusive investment club for the wealthy called TIGER 21, but you can still benefit from its expertise.The Investment Group for Enhanced Results in the 21st Century has about 140 members in the United States and expects to sign up more than 50 Canadians by next year. Membership requirements include at least $10-million (U.S.) in investable assets and a willingness to pay $30,000 a year in membership fees.
FULL STORY
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| Huddling for safety comes with a price
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ROB CARRICK
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Saturday, August 28, 2010
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There has never been a worse time to own balanced funds, and yet nothing is more popular in the mutual fund world right now.Oh, those thickheaded investors? No way. Balanced funds make sense for nervous types, even if they too often demonstrate the fund industry at its most exploitative.
FULL STORY
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| Storing your financial data the safe way
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ROB CARRICK
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Thursday, August 26, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comYour head is a terrible place to store all your family's important financial information.How are your spouse and kids supposed to find all your bank and investment accounts and insurance policies if you're laid up by a serious illness or worse? Account numbers, passwords and user names, due dates for payments of this and that. It's all vital information that could be inaccessible to your family if you're incapacitated or, let's get real, dead.
FULL STORY
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| It's pretty tough to be underweight in financials
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ROB CARRICK
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Wednesday, August 25, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comYou're richer than you think - in financial stocks, anyway.Financials permeate the global stock indexes to a surprising extent, which means they're probably a major factor in your portfolio, too. Thinking of adding some financial stocks or sector funds to your mix? You probably don't need to and, in fact, you could end up overdosing.
FULL STORY
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| How to reduce the risk of bad stock choices
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ROB CARRICK
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Saturday, August 21, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comChoosing from among the three Canadian-market dividend ETFs traded on the Toronto Stock Exchange is faster, easier and safer than picking individual dividend stocks.But don't get the idea that any dividend-focused, exchange-traded fund will do. Each of the three choices has unique characteristics that make them good for some portfolios and not so good for others. Ready to dig down into the three to find out which is right for you?
FULL STORY
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| Reasons to keep your adviser on speed-dial
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ROB CARRICK
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Friday, August 20, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comWhat we're looking atAll week, we've been focusing on high-achieving funds that have delivered consistently good returns. And now for something completely different. Here, we've gathered a collection of funds with consistently disappointing results.
FULL STORY
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| Gone fishing ... for top performing bond funds
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ROB CARRICK
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comWhat we're looking atAn all-star team of Canadian bond funds, which have been a popular choice for investors during the recent financial market ups and downs.
FULL STORY
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| ING jumps into no-fee chequing fray
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ROB CARRICK
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Wednesday, August 18, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comNo-fee chequing accounts are the great idea that just won't click in Canada.Truth is, they haven't worked out great for banks or consumers in the U.S. market, either. And yet, online bank ING Direct will introduce a new chequing account Wednesday that charges no monthly fee, period.
FULL STORY
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| The cream of money market funds
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ROB CARRICK
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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comWhat we're looking atAlthough they pay next to nothing these days as a result of low interest rates, money market funds remain a popular parking spot for cash. Here, we zero in on money market funds with high upfront investment requirements. What's so special about these funds? Extra low fees, and higher than average returns.
FULL STORY
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| Don't be distracted by high dividend yields
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ROB CARRICK
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Saturday, August 14, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comRemember Manitoba Telecom Services the next time you hear about the magic of dividends.Last quarter, MTS shareholders received 65 cents in cash for each share they owned. Next quarter, after the company chops its payout by 35 per cent, they'll get 42.5 cents. There's no telling what MTS shares will be worth then, but they were down 8.5 per cent the day following the announcement of the dividend cut.
FULL STORY
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| CPP's strategy offers pointers on playing it safe
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ROB CARRICK
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Thursday, August 12, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comOne of the smartest, steadiest investing teams around lost $1.7-billion in the quarter ended June 30.It was actually a pretty good quarter for the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, which looks after about $130-billion in CPP assets. While the SandP/TSX composite index fell 6.2 per cent in the quarter and the SandP 500 index fell 11.9 per cent, CPPIB lost just 1.3 per cent.
FULL STORY
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| Canadians back away from borrowing
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ROB CARRICK
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Wednesday, July 21, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comOwe Canada. It's not our anthem any more.Crazy borrowings on lines of credit? History. The gotta-buy-now housing market? Toast. Credit card debt? Slowing down, too.
FULL STORY
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| IShares not as transparent as they were
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ROB CARRICK
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Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comThe change in ownership of the iShares family of ETFs may turn out to be a good or at least neutral thing for investors, but right now there's room for doubt.
FULL STORY
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| Low fees, high returns: These funds deliver both
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ROB CARRICK
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Saturday, July 17, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comThe cheapness of some mutual fund companies! They spend little or nothing on marketing, and what happens? Some rather excellent low-fee mutual funds go unnoticed by many investors.
FULL STORY
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| Banks, baubles and a battle for your money
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ROB CARRICK
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Tuesday, July 13, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comCan you be bribed?The big banks think so. They're offering cash - up to $250 - as well as reward points to get people to switch their chequing accounts, credit cards and mortgages.
FULL STORY
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| One way to fight the bear market
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ROB CARRICK
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Saturday, July 10, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comOwn bonds, collect dividends and stop watching the stock market's daily drama.Looking for more help to get through what could be troubled times ahead for financial markets? One option is a managed futures fund, an advanced portfolio-building tool that worked like a charm in 2008 but can also turn on you in a big way. Some portfolio managers won't touch them for that reason.
FULL STORY
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| Triple-digit drop leaves TSX at low for year
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ROB CARRICK
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Tuesday, July 06, 2010
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The stock market's summer slump has taken the benchmark Canadian index to a low point for 2010.The SandP/TSX composite index fell 103.56 points to 11,092.50 on Monday. The 0.92-per-cent drop was the latest setback in a decline that saw the index fall about 4 per cent last week.
FULL STORY
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| Do-it-yourself ETF research
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ROB CARRICK
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Tuesday, July 06, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comRemember the Titans.That would be the BMO Dow Jones Canada Titans 60 Index ETF we're talking about here, not the Denzel Washington movie. With more than 170 exchange-traded funds to choose from in the Canadian market, you could easily miss a small newcomer like this BMO product.
FULL STORY
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| A rare expertise with bond funds
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ROB CARRICK
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Friday, July 02, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comWhat we're looking atThis week's Cruncher series focuses on the largest fund families in Canada. How good are their most popular funds? Here, we look at TD Asset Management, the fund arm of Toronto-Dominion Bank.
FULL STORY
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| A story of consistently strong returns
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ROB CARRICK
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Thursday, July 01, 2010
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rcarrick@globeandmail.comWhat we're looking atThis week's Cruncher series focuses on the largest fund families in Canada. How good are their most popular funds? Today we look at CI Investments.
FULL STORY
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