Monthly Archives: June 2017

Confident domestic investors fuel Indian markets

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 By Dwarka Lakhan (Sponsored Content)

In a display of overwhelming confidence in India’s booming stock markets, domestic investors have for the first time ever invested more money than foreign institutional investors (FII) in Indian equities.

The surge in investments is being led by mutual funds and insurance companies, which over the 1-year period ending May 26, 2017 pumped Rs 71,665 crore (US$ 11.1 billion) into the market, compared to foreign institutional investor (FII) net purchases of Rs 60,000 crore (US$ 9.3 billion.)[i]

Mutual fund inflows into the market have been primarily channelled through systematic investment plans that have become increasingly popular in the lower interest rate environment, following the demonetization of large currency notes.

“Demonetisation pushed interest rates down and a large section of investors became wary of investing in gold and real estate. That increased the flow towards mutual funds,” says Susmit Patodia, Associate Director & Head, Institutional Sales with Motilal Oswal Institutional Equities.[ii]

Domestic Indian investors see more value in local equities

Traditionally, Indian investors have been more risk averse but their shift to equities over the past year is an emerging sign of market maturity and the recognition that they could derive greater value from investing in domestic equities. Continue Reading…

Is a fixed-rate or variable-rate mortgage right for you?

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By Alyssa Furtado, RateHub.ca

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Interest rates in Canada have rarely seen such lows, which makes borrowing money to buy a home pretty attractive. But when you start looking around for the best mortgage rates, homebuyers face a choice of going with a variable-rate or a fixed-rate mortgage.

So what’s the difference? A variable-rate mortgage follows interest rates as they move up and down. And a fixed-rate mortgage is locked in for a certain term. Sounds simple, but deciding which option works for you can depend on a number of factors. Here are some essential pros and cons:

Fixed-rate mortgages

Pro: Added security

You don’t have to worry about whether your payments will change because of economic factors you can’t control during the mortgage term. This makes long-term financial planning much easier.

Say you get a five-year fixed-rate mortgage, with a 2.5% interest rate. Regardless of whether interest rates go up or down elsewhere, the rate will stay at 2.5% for the entire five-year period. This allows you to set it and forget it until it comes time to renew your mortgage, at which point you’ll need to renegotiate your rate. At this point your rate could be higher or lower.

Con: Added expense

The luxury of knowing your rate will remain the same will likely cost you, as fixed rates tend to be higher overall.

Variable-rate mortgages

Pro: You can save a bundle

Although by no means guaranteed, historically borrowers save more money over time with this method. Your rate is correlated to the prime lending rate, which can fluctuate. Your rate is quoted as the prime rate plus or minus a certain percentage, such as prime minus 0.4%. In this instance, if the prime rate is 2.7%, your mortgage rate will be 2.3%. Such a small percentage might not look like it will affect your payments, but the savings will add up significantly over time.

Con: Rates can always go up

The variable-rate option comes with a certain risk. If your bank’s prime lending rate changes, the interest moves up or down in conjunction with it. The amount you actually pay your lender on a regular basis (biweekly, monthly, etc.) won’t necessarily change. If the interest rate goes down, more money from your payment will go toward paying down the principal. If the rate goes up, more of the payment will be eaten up by interest, and sometimes your regular payment can also rise. Continue Reading…

The 10 most common Millionaire Habits

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By Jessica Kane

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

The ambition and ability that it takes to achieve wealth comes from all kinds of people, but not all from the same locale, upbringing or backgrounds. This begs the question, do rich people have anything particular in common? Well in a sense, yes they do.

Most of the people who have achieved the status of millionaires engage in daily rituals that help them meet their goals. These are primarily activities that engage them in a personal and private way, but many other millionaires share these daily rituals in common with other wealthy individuals.

So for readers who would like to become richer and realize their potential to become millionaires themselves, here are the ten things to consider incorporating into your own daily routine. These 10 daily rituals may be the boost you are looking for to become the next millionaire, or at least a person of better financial means.

1.) Be the Early Bird

Everyone has heard this one expressed by mentors in life, but not everyone takes it to heart like they probably should. Starting early is a common theme when discussing daily rituals with most modern day millionaires. Getting a jump on the rest of the day begins by being awake earlier than the other birds out there. Also, being up early allows more time in the day and more hours to engage in personal activities. This seems to be the most common daily ritual that most millionaires practice.

2.) Maintain a healthy diet

Staying healthy is important, but a lot of people don’t make it a priority. Not the average millionaire: these people understand that a sick day means a non-working day. The more involved in wealth building a person becomes, the more value they place on their personal health and well being. Because if you are not able to get out of bed, you surely cannot make decisions and be there when needed in the business world. So eating right is a first step to being more successful.

3.) Keep fit and exercise

Continue Reading…

How to make realistic retirement calculations for your future

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When you’re investing and planning for retirement, make realistic calculations rather than indulging in wishful thinking.

If you plan to retire at 65, and you’re 50, you won’t be dipping into your investments for 15 years. If you are in reasonably good health, you could live well into your 80s: possibly longer.

Let’s say you have $200,000 in your RRSP, and expect to add $15,000 in each of the next 15 years.

To determine if this is enough, you need to make some realistic retirement calculations about investment returns and income needs.

What you can expect

Long-term studies show that the stock market as a whole generally produces total pre-tax annual returns of 8% to 10%, or around 6% after inflation. For the purposes of retirement planning, we’ll assume a 6% yearly return, and disregard inflation. Your $200,000 grows to $479,312*, and your yearly $15,000 RRSP contributions add up to $370,088, for total retirement savings of $849,400.

*Be sure to check your math. There are many compound-return calculators available online. For example, you can find a comprehensive compound-return calculator at the Bank of Canada’s web site.

Income and outgo

If you continue to earn 6% a year, and you withdraw $50,964 a year (6% of the $849,400 in your RRSP), you can avoid dipping into capital until your mid-70s, when RRIF rules require a larger withdrawal.

However, if you start taking money out faster, or earn lower returns, you’ll run out of money.
If you withdraw $90,000 a year while earning 6%, the money you’ve accumulated will last just over 13 years. If you earn 5% but withdraw $90,000 a year, your money will be gone in just over 12 years.

Beware of getting caught in a vicious circle

Continue Reading…

Self-employed? 5 tips on meeting the June 15th tax-filing deadline

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By Lisa Gittens, Tax Expert at H&R Block

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

With more than half a million Canadians entering the ranks of self-employment each year according to Statistics Canada, the self employed are truly a (work) force to be reckoned with. As such, they should also be reminded their tax return deadline is just around the corner, on June 15th.

If you carried on a business in 2016 [sole proprietorship with a December 31st year-end: see Editor’s Note at the end of this blog], you should file by that date to avoid a late-filing penalty. And although penalties can be avoided if you file on time, it’s important to note that interest will still be charged on any balance due from May 1st 2017.

If you’ve recently joined the ranks of self-employment or have been self-employed for many years, here are a few pointers that can help you file this tax season:

Are you self-employed?

Although most people know if they are self-employed, generally speaking, you fall under this category if you retain control of how and when you do the work, supply your own tools to get the work done and run a financial risk if the venture is unsuccessful. Examples of the self-employed include Uber drivers, freelancers and small-business owners.

Some employers, however, treat their employees as self-employed when they should not be classified as such in order to avoid payroll taxes. If you are unsure of your status, be sure to request a ruling from the Canada Revenue Agency.

When to claim GST/HST

Continue Reading…