Blog: Cutting Through the Noise

Transparency in the Investment Industry

Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on February 1, 2011

Tom Bradley was recently a guest on the Women’s Financial Learning Centre’s “Let’s Talk Money Podcast” with Karin Mizgala, a co-founder of WFLC. The topic of the show was transparency in the investment industry (or lack thereof). Tom and Karin...

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Monthly Income Funds - Some Useful Math

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on January 12, 2011

For investors that own a monthly income fund of some kind, Dan Hallett’s article in the Report on Business today is a must read. As Dan says, “the industry has created numerous products that kick out generous amounts of cash each month...

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Facebook - Friending an Underwriter

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on January 6, 2011

It was reported this week that Goldman Sachs is investing $500 million in Facebook, which is a private company. Goldman’s 470 partners and select clients are also being given an opportunity to buy shares. One report suggested that this investment puts...

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It's a Real Beauty

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on December 8, 2010

"We’ve priced this product to do well in the marketplace … it’s the right product for the times …” - Martin Nel, vice-president of personal bank lending and investment products, Bank of Montreal. I’m sure there are readers who wonder why we write so negatively about...

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Be Like Prem

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on December 2, 2010

There was a story in the ROB today about how Prem Watsa’s investment acumen has made a huge difference to the Sick Kids Hospital Foundation. By reducing equities to 35% of the portfolio in 2007, the foundation held up well when markets were...

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Media Monday

Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on November 20, 2010

Tom will be on Business News Network (BNN) on Monday morning (November 22) at 9:15 AM eastern time (6:15 AM PST). Later in the day, he'll be sitting in with Amanda Lang and Kevin O'Leary on The Lang & O'Leary Exchange, which airs at 7:00 PM...

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Buffett on Gold

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 17, 2010

In response to my post last week, a friend and former partner, Dan Lewin of Lewin Capital Management, sent me a clip on gold. It came from a conversation between Ben Stein and Warren Buffett for Fortune magazine. When asked, "What about gold? Is this a classic bubble or what?", the Oracle of Omaha responded with the following...

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'Safe Spread' - A Gross Term

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 11, 2010

In his monthly letter, Bill Gross, the Managing Director of PIMCO and acclaimed ‘King of Bonds’, suggested that the Federal Reserve’s QE2 announcement last Wednesday (the second round of Quantitative Easing) “will likely signify the end of a great...

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Banks Cry Wolf

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 10, 2010

When there is a message on voicemail for me to call my bank, I ignore it. I didn’t used to, but I do now. In the past, if I got one of those calls, it was because I was overdrawn or someone in Des Moines was using my credit card. There usually was something I needed to know or deal with. The urgency of the call was appropriate. In...

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Not Sad About Potash

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 4, 2010

At the risk of alienating some of our clients and my Bay Street friends, I admit to being happy that the BHP takeover of Potash Corp was turned down. I keep wondering if it’s just my prairie roots (I want desperately for Saskatchewan and Manitoba to have...

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Colour Me Bad

Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on November 3, 2010

Account statements from most Canadian mutual fund companies are so bad that splashing a little colour on the document can propel you to the top of the list. Never mind features that clients are really interested in like performance and fees, just add a little...

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Quality Unappreciated

Excerpt from Tom Bradley's blog on November 2, 2010

In recent years I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know Danny Bubis, President and Chief Investment Officer of Winnipeg-based Tetrem Capital Management (anyone from my home town is a great person). Tetrem manages private and institutional...

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