Commentary

Canada has quite a good system of helping to reduce poverty in our senior citizens.  OAS is payable to most.  GIS is available for low income seniors, plus every province and territory has a variety of support programs. But what about a guaranteed minimum income amount for all adults? This fall Swiss voters will vote…

I read a lot and often come across ideas and concepts that are not really explained to my satisfaction.  Here are some things that I often think about. Beating the Index Many financial writers and advisers are touting the benefits of the passive investing strategy of an index-based portfolio for low cost and good performance. …

There’s been a lot discussed in the media recently about Generation Y and all the difficulties they are facing today.  See this Globe and Mail article, for example. Who are these disadvantaged youngsters? There are differing time frames, but the generally acceptable one refers to the generation born during the 1980’s and early 1990’s –…

“Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened.”- Jennifer Yane. In a recent BMO survey 42% of Canadian baby boomers said that if they could go back in time, they would have started saving up for retirement much earlier in life. Baby Boomer Mistakes As they say, hindsight is 20/20 and many…

Apple’s Steve Jobs proclaimed that we are entering the “Post-PC era” back in 2010.  This refers to a time when a PC is no longer needed since everything can be done from a tablet connected to the Internet. Post-PC technologies include tablets, touch screens and cloud computing.  Die hard Apple fans might agree with his…

Many investors are concerned that the aging baby boomers will adversely affect equity markets and home prices by dumping their stocks and selling their homes, leading to a sharp decline in prices for both. Changing Demographics: Economic Implications The aging population will definitely have economic and financial consequences.  As older workers retire, the limited availability…

At this time of year many corporations are announcing their profits and governments are handing down their budgets.  On the one hand, the economy seems to be forging ahead.  On the other hand, governments are preaching restraint.  In the meantime the media loves nothing better than doom and gloom and uses fear tactics that cause…

There have been repeated talks about getting rid of the penny and using the nickel as our smallest coin. In fact, New Zealand and Australia have already eliminated their one-cent coins.