Building Wealth

For the first 30 or so years of working, saving and investing, you’ll be first in the mode of getting out of the hole (paying down debt), and then building your net worth (that’s wealth accumulation.). But don’t forget, wealth accumulation isn’t the ultimate goal. Decumulation is! (a separate category here at the Hub).

Ethical Investments can come with Conflicts of Interest

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The hidden risk every investor should be aware of

Image courtesy Pexels/ Markus Winkler

As I’ve often mentioned, the biggest risk you face as an investor is hidden or unrecognized conflicts of interest. It’s not because any one conflict of interest can do great damage to your finances. The risk comes out of the fact that conflicts of interest are everywhere.

That’s especially so with many ethical investments, also known as ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) issues. These issues may come with pure motives, but they require outlays that depend on judgment calls rather than financial analysis. Companies deal with these issues by hiring outside consultants and firms to help with decisions. These outsiders supply guidance on how companies should spend their money. The advice they give can raise or lower a company’s profits. This is a potential source of conflicts of interest, for the companies and the consultants.

Alex Edmans is a professor of finance at London Business School and author of Grow the Pie: How Great Companies Deliver Both Purpose and Profit. He is widely viewed as an ESG advocate.

In an August 19 Wall Street Journal article entitled “A Progressive’s Case for Getting Rid of ‘ESG,’” Dr. Edmans wrote, “ESG has outlived its usefulness. It’s time we scrap the term.” He added, “While an incorporation of ESG can enhance financial and social returns, an obsession with ESG can distract companies and investors from both objectives — by causing them to ignore non-ESG factors that may be even more relevant for long-term value.”

This is what you’d call a “high-level view.” However, if you let ESG and related or similar issues influence your investment decisions, it can have a negative impact on your personal finances.

The downside of ethical investments 

Early in my career, I began writing about the harm that conflicts of interest can have on your investments. Back in 2010, I started writing an occasional column for The Toronto Star, on a wide variety of investment issues and questions from readers.

The term “socially responsible investing” was coming into fashion back then. In one of my columns, I addressed a reader’s question about investing in a mutual fund that described itself as socially responsible.

My view — then and now —i s that a socially responsible fund may not expose you to any extra risk. It may simply mean the fund’s managers are highly principled and want to do some good in the world. Of course, it may also mean they see the marketing value in declaring their good intentions.

In any event, the best way to get to a destination is generally to go there directly, rather than take a two-stage route. So I advised readers that if they wanted to do some good in the world, they should invest with profits in mind, then give a portion of their gains to a charity of their choice. Continue Reading…

The Financial Side of the Medical Industry: What to Know

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Navigating the financial landscape of the medical industry is essential for healthcare professionals and medical students aiming to build successful careers. Understanding the economic aspects enhances the ability to make informed decisions and contributes to better resource management, ultimately improving patient care.

Here’s what to know about the financial side of the medical industry.

By Dan Coconate

Special to Financial Independence Hub

Image by Adobe Stock/Photographer Nuttapong Punna|.

When it comes to fast-growing industries, few stand out like healthcare.

While the top priority in healthcare is always quality patient care, you can only provide that care if you can afford to keep the lights on.

In other words, strong financial management is the foundation that allows any healthcare organization to fulfill its primary purpose.

Let’s take a quick look and discover the financial dynamics of the medical industry, covering budgeting, revenue cycles, and economic challenges healthcare providers face.

Cost Management and Budgeting

Cost management aids in sustaining healthcare facilities. Hospitals and clinics must carefully budget for various expenses:

  • Staffing
  • Medical supplies
  • Equipment
  • Technology upgrades

By implementing strategic budgeting practices, healthcare providers can optimize their operations, reduce waste, and allocate resources more efficiently. This is particularly vital in rural areas, where financial constraints can impact the quality of healthcare services.

Funding and Revenue Streams

Understanding the various funding and revenue streams is fundamental in the medical industry. In Canada, healthcare is primarily funded through public sources, including federal and provincial government allocations. However, private contributions, grants, and partnerships also supplement these funds.

Healthcare professionals and administrators should be well-versed in navigating these financial avenues to ensure their institutions remain well-funded and capable of delivering high-quality care.

Financial Compliance and Regulations

All healthcare providers must adhere to financial compliance and regulatory standards. This includes maintaining accurate financial records, adhering to billing practices, and ensuring transparency in financial transactions.

Compliance safeguards entire institutions against legal repercussions and builds trust with patients and stakeholders. Staying updated with the latest regulations and implementing financial management systems can prevent discrepancies and enhance operational efficiency.

Investment in Technology and Innovation

Investment in technology and innovation is a significant financial consideration for professionals in the healthcare industry. Advanced medical technologies, electronic health records (EHRs), and telemedicine platforms require substantial financial outlays but offer long-term benefits. Continue Reading…

Utilities: A Long-term holding that’s Breaking out

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Aerial drone view of a wind farm on the Atlantic coast. Image courtesy BMO ETFs/Getty Images

By Andrew Vachon, BMO Global Asset Management

The Bank of Canada (BoC) cut rates on June 5th for the first time after one of the most aggressive hiking cycles in Canadian history.

Market expectations from the BoC indicate that we may see 2 to 3 more cuts before the end of the year with the second cut potentially as early as July and the remaining later in the year.

South of the border, inflation has remained “stickier” however; the market expects the U.S. Federal Reserve (the Fed) to cut rates twice before the end of the year with the first beginning in September. Moreover, forecasters are predicting the BoC could potentially cut the overnight rate from the current rate of 4.75% all the way down to 3.5% by this time next year, presenting more opportunity for the Utilities sector. 1

With the anticipation of further rate cuts from the BoC and the Fed we may see the Utilities sector shine. Government bond yields tend to have an inverse relationship with utilities (when interest rates drop, utility stock prices typically increase, and vice versa). This is mainly due to the costs involved with these companies. The cost of construction for power plants, and the maintenance of infrastructure required to deliver gas, water, or electricity can make utilities expensive when the cost of borrowing is high.

From a technical perspective, the BMO Equal Weight Utilities Index ETF (Ticker: ZUT) just broke out of a massive “double bottom” reversal pattern this week. A double bottom pattern is a classic technical analysis charting formation showing a major change in trend from a prior down move. The recent close above resistance at $20.60 completed the pattern, shifted the long-term trend to bullish, and opened an initial upside target that measures to $23.40.

One of the key drivers for the turnaround in utility stocks as of late is a sharp decline in long-term interest rates. There is now a possibility of yields testing the lows of 2023, which could be a persistent tailwind for interest rate sensitive sectors of all stripes and perhaps push this Utility ETF above the initial upside target of $23.40 at some point in the next 6-12 months. 2

Yielding the Benefits

For the long-term investor, Utilities offer investors stable and consistent dividends over time along with lower volatility. The long-term growth potential to deliver safe and reliable returns, make the sector an attractive investment to consider adding to your portfolio. Utilities overall have remained fundamentally strong as they provide basic services such as gas, water, electricity and telecommunications that will always be in demand regardless of where we are in the economic cycle.

There are long-term benefits for Canadian investors, especially those who might consider the current environment as an opportunity to capture growth. Continue Reading…

Vanguard finds Canadians’ 50% allocation to home market higher than the recommended 30%

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A just-released study from Vanguard Canada on Home Country Bias shows that Canadians have about 50% of their portfolios allocated to Canadian equities: well beyond what is recommended for a country that makes up less than 3% of the global stock market.

As the chart below shows, Vanguard recommends just 30% in Canadian stocks but notes that the domestic overweight is slowly decreasing as investors move to global and U.S. equities.

Vanguard says home country bias is not unique to Canada: Americans behave similarly with respect to the U.S. stock market. But as you can see from the chart below, because the U.S. makes up more than half of the global stock market by market capitalization, the gap between its relative overweighting is far less dramatic than in Canada. Canada’s home country bias is almost as pronounced as in Australia (a similar market to Canada in terms of resources and financial stocks), and Japan is not far behind.

However,Vanguard adds, “overall, Canadians and investors in other developed countries are trending towards a greater appetite for diversification through global equities.”

 

Too much Canada can be volatile

So what’s wrong with having too much Canadian content (both stocks and bonds)? Vanguard says portfolios overweight Canadian equity can be volatile because the domestic market is too concentrated in just a few economic sectors. “Relative to the global market, Canada’s market is concentrated within a few large names. It is also significantly overweight in the energy, financials and materials sectors, and significantly underweight in others.” Continue Reading…

June Checkup: Healthcare & Technology

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Image courtesy Harvest ETFs

By Ambrose O’Callaghan, Harvest ETFs

(Sponsor Blog)

The United States stock markets have delivered positive returns through much of 2024, continuing the positive momentum that was established in the previous year.

However, that performance has increasingly been powered by a smaller segment of large-cap companies. Indeed, readers have undoubtedly heard about the outsized performance of the “Magnificent 7” in the tech space over the past year. If we strip out the “big six” of Amazon, Meta, Nvidia, Microsoft, Apple, and Alphabet from the S&P 500, we have experienced three calendar quarters of negative earnings growth across the rest of the market.

Investors took profits in the month of April. Demand resumed in the month of May, but with a broader range of equities. Nvidia continued to show its dominance, but there were other sectors and stocks that were able to catch up with the leaders to close out the first half of 2024.

The summer season is historically slow in the markets. Harvest’s portfolio management team expects volatility to persist for both bonds and equities. Moreover, the team emphasizes that this summer is a key moment to stay active, attentive, and invested. A prudent strategy in this environment involves looking under the surface for opportunities while generating cash flow from call options to support total returns.

June Healthcare check up

The healthcare sector pulled back slightly in the month of May 2024. Negative moves in the healthcare sector over the course of May 2024 were driven by stock specific events. Macroeconomic data sets impacted the healthcare sector in line with others. Within healthcare, the managed care subsectors experienced volatility earlier in 2024 and changes to reimbursement structures impacted valuations in the near term. The Tools & Diagnostics sub-sector has also proven volatile due largely to a slower-than-expected recovery in China.

Regardless, there are still very promising opportunities in the GLP-1 drug category space for diabetes and obesity. The uptake of these drugs in the U.S. has been significant at a still-early stage in their lifespan. A recent study from Manulife Canada found that drug claims for anti-obesity medications in Canada rose more than 42% from 2022 to 2023.

Harvest Healthcare Leaders Income ETF (HHL:TSX) offers exposure to the innovative leaders in this vital sector. This equally weighted portfolio of 20 large-cap global Healthcare companies aims to select stocks for their potential to provide attractive monthly income as well as long-term growth. HHL is the largest active healthcare ETF in Canada and boasts a high monthly cash distribution of $0.0583.

Harvest Healthcare Leaders Enhanced Income ETF (HHLE:TSX) is built to provide higher income every month by applying modest leverage to HHL. It last paid out a monthly cash distribution of $0.0913 per unit. That represents a current yield of 10.44% as at June 14, 2024.

Where does the technology sector stand right now?

Investors poured back into technology stocks in May 2024 after taking profits in the month of April. However, they were more discriminating than in previous months and showed a preference for hardware stocks, specifically semiconductors.

Nvidia maintained its leadership position. It has soared past a $3 trillion market capitalization in the first half of June 2024. However, other AI-related tech stocks encountered turbulence which may give some investors pause around the broader bullish case for AI. Continue Reading…