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Secular bull market is very much alive: BMO’s Brian Belski

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Brian Belski

By Jonathan Chevreau

“The largest stealth bull market of our careers” is still very much alive, says BMO Capital Markets chief investment strategist Brian Belski.

In the keynote address  Wednesday for BMO Global Asset Management’s Global Vision, Global Perspectives conference in Chicago, the American-born investment veteran said U.S. stocks are now six years into a 20-year secular bull market.

“Bull markets rarely end when everyone is looking for an end to them,” he said, “The media is consumed with negativity.”

Canada “bottoming”

While Belski believes America is setting the pace for global markets, Canada “is in the process of bottoming,” he said. Most of the investment professionals at the three-day conference on mutual funds and ETFs are Canadian. It might not yet be quite time to buy Canada, he added, since the first quarter has been one of “shock and awe” caused by the worldwide plunge in energy prices. Looking further out, though, he said “Canada is the place to be.”

One reason the Canadian market has languished is a call by a large Wall Street firm to “sell Canada.”   Continue Reading…

Settling on the elusive definition of Financial Independence

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Money flying out of cage birds , Financial independence , eps10Here’s my latest MoneySense column, which tries to nail down a definitive definition of Financial Independence. As I note in the above headline, this exercise is a bit more elusive than you might think, and the waters continue to be muddied by the mainstream term, Retirement, which I do NOT regard as synonymous.

As also noted in the Hub’s version below, I’m inviting reader feedback: Has Wikipedia’s definition nailed it, or can the term be improved?

Maybe I should grab the bull by the horns and create my own formal definition of Findependence, even though I view that term simply as a contraction of Financial Independence.

Reader input welcome! Continue Reading…

ETFs: the next 25 years

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Mark Yamada

By Mark Yamada, PUR Investing Inc.

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

From zero assets in 1989, to $79 billion in 2000, to $2.7 trillion into 2015, it has been quite a ride for global exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Few financial sectors have approached the over 25% compounded annual growth that ETFs have enjoyed. Yet many industry observers are disappointed.

ETFs’ value proposition is well known: diversification, professional management, shared expenses, all the benefits of mutual funds at a fraction of the price plus better transparency and continuous intraday trading. Yet ETFs represent only 12% of US and 6% of Canadian mutual fund assets (10% if US-traded ETFs owned by Canadians are included). If ETFs are so much better than mutual funds, why haven’t they replaced them by now?

Adopting new ideas Continue Reading…

Experiential Vacations as part of your Encore Act

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Couple snorkeling in Caribbean watersBy Frank Psoras, VP Credit Cards, TD Bank

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

A growing number of North Americans – both young and old – are using vacations as a time to embark on a new adventure or pursue a personal interest. In fact, my wife and I recently travelled to the Cayman Islands to snorkel with exotic fish and swim with local sting ray.

According to a recent TD travel survey, roughly three quarters (74%) of Canadians have already taken or are interested in taking an experiential vacation. And older baby boomers are also interested in trying new travel experiences, with 65% having taken or expressing interest in this type of trip.

But when it comes to travel, there are various factors people consider when determining the type of trip they will take. Continue Reading…

Helping love ones in their financial crisis

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Food Relief CharityBy Peter Christopher,

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

It’s disturbing  to see loved ones undergoing financial hardships at any time of year, let alone during Easter. It may feel like you’re going through a monetary crisis yourself.

The hard reality is that while most of  will want to help friends or family members get out of a financial hole, we may be reluctant to do so at the expense of leaving our own finances in a more precarious condition. So it’s good news that there are reliable ways to guide your friends and/or family members to identify resources that could get them back on the track.

Lend them a hand

It’s often difficult to know where to seek help. To make things worse, constant strain can negatively affect thoughts and skill to solve problems. A good way to help a loved one in financial distress is to put them in touch with a center within their community. These centers may be able to help with housing, food, medical services and more.

Some communities may also offer such assistance online. Visit local community centers, houses of worship, schools and libraries to collect information on where to get help. Continue Reading…