INVESTING 101

I'm often asked if I will manage my clients' money. The answer is no, for a number of reasons:

I believe strongly in the entire financial plan. History shows that the actual selection of individual stocks and bonds is not nearly as important as asset allocation and how the entire plan works together - income, investment, and spending. We won't invest for you directly, but we will figure out your best asset allocation.

There are many ways to successfully invest and build a portfolio. I am a very strong believer in just one method, which I detail below. I'm not sure I'd be acting in the best interests of all my clients if I only used this one technique (even if it has been very successful).

As my senior citizenship looms, I don't have a yearning for hundreds of panicked phone calls from clients when the market is down. (If you're currently freaking out about the market, read this.)

I'm not a licensed broker, so while I can give advice, I cannot actually take over the funds and invest them.

That being said, I have a long history of successful investment management and a solid philosophy of what works and what doesn't (backed by empirical evidence). Under the heading of "putting my mouth where my money is", I will share these theories and actual practices with you in the posts below. These are not necessarily recommendations on my part, but it is an overview of the process that I do use for managing my own and my family's investments.

My portfolio as of March 19, 2022 is shown below. The year that I first purchased my current holding is displayed, followed by the overall investment return since the stock was purchased, and then the current dividend yield (if any) is shown. The Canadian side is up a cumulative 159%, while the US side is up 175% (in US dollars - in Canadian dollars it is up close to 220%). None of this is really brilliant stock selection - rather it is simply "sticking with the plan". The effect of being a buyer when stocks were way down in 2008 is still evident in the portfolio, as well as sticking to the plan through the COVID-19 plunge in March, 2020. I will update this from time to time.

NOTE: the % yield shown is the current yield. The actual yield that I am receiving on my original investment is often much greater. For example, while the TD Bank yields 3.6%, I have owned the stock for so long and it has risen so much since my original purchase that I am yielding more than 20% on my original cost. Many of my stocks are yielding over 10% on the original cost, and this will only keep going up. THIS SHOWS THE POWER OF PURCHASING SOLID, DIVIDEND PAYING STOCKS, AND SIMPLY HOLDING ONTO THEM FOREVER!

My Canadian stocks are all very conservative, dividend paying companies. I take advantage of the dividend tax credit that favors Canadian dividends. My U.S. holdings are more diversified, and while there is no advantageous dividend tax treatment, I have benefited from the overall rise in the U.S. market as well as the rise of the U.S. dollar. All in all, my U.S. stocks have significantly outperformed my Canadian holdings. I have several non-dividend paying U.S. stocks, but they are either small holdings or “necessary” tech holdings (Google).

Investing 101

INVESTING 101

I'm often asked if I will manage my clients' money. The answer is no, for a number of reasons:

My Portfolio