Blog: Cutting Through the Noise
Postings
Video: Global Equity Fund Update
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 22, 2012
Edinburgh Partners’ Craig Armour was in Toronto recently where Tom caught up with him to talk about the Global Fund. Topics of discussion include Europe, the U.S., the emerging markets and Japan. While the cinematography and sound are admittedly poor...Read More
Get More Active
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 16, 2012
We don’t spend a lot of money advertising at Steadyhand (at the end of the day, investors pay for it). If we did, you might see something similar to IA Clarington’s latest campaign on Active Mind. But with a Steadyhand spin, of course. As part of their campaign...Read More
Natural Gas
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 14, 2012
We’re in one of the greatest bear markets of all time. In natural gas, that is. The commodity’s price has fallen from over $10 per thousand cubic feet (Mcf) in July 2008 to about $2.50 today. Last month, it touched $1.90, representing a decline of roughly 85% from peak to trough. Natural gas is used to heat and cool homes and...
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Five Years of Undexing
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 7, 2012
Our Small-Cap Fund is at the top of its game. Over the past year (ending April 30th) it has gained 13.6% while the market, as measured by the BMO Small Cap Index, has fallen -13.8%. It’s been zigging as the market’s been zagging. Over the past five years the fund has gained 6.2% per year, while the small-cap index and the S&P/TSX Composite Index are up 1.3% and 1.1%, respectively. What's more, the fund's annual returns since...
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Shades of Gray
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on May 3, 2012
iShares fixed income turns 50. The global leader in exchange traded funds (ETFs) recently launched their 50th U.S.-based fixed income ETF (iShares offers 22 fixed income ETFs in Canada). Investors can access a wide array of products, including 8 different...Read More
5 Means 7
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 23, 2012
At the end of this month we’ll be rewarding our earliest clients with an additional fee rebate, as our first ‘tenure discounts’ come into play. Clients who hold our funds for 5 years receive an additional 7% reduction on their total fees. This discount is in addition to any rebates they receive based on the size of their accounts with Steadyhand. The tenure discount will apply every year until investors hit their 10th anniversary...
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Fun with Google Analytics
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 19, 2012
A theme in our blog postings this month is to bring readers inside the tent. Many clients express an interest in how we run our business, so we’re bringing it to life. In the second article of our five-part series (Five Sources of Tension), we noted that our website is one of our greatest sources of constant tension, as we aim to keep it fresh and...
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Podcast: 5-Year Review
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 18, 2012
It was a good start to the year for Steadyhand. We welcomed close to 200 new clients to the firm in the first quarter, our assets under management grew by 15%, and our transfer pipeline is healthy. Stocks also had a strong showing, with the Canadian market rising 4% and the U.S. and World markets gaining roughly 10%. The bond market declined as interest rates edged upwards, although losses...
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Five Sources of Tension
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 16, 2012
We go through our fair share of Advil at Steadyhand. Like any business, we’re faced with strategic decisions that involve internal discussions in which not everyone sees eye to eye. While some choices are easy – the boardroom m&m’s are for clients only – others face more rigorous debate. Below are five issues that have been constant sources of tension within the walls of 1747 West 3rd Avenue...
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Bradley's Brief - Q1 2012
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 12, 2012
From our Quarterly Report: We’re celebrating our fifth birthday this week, so this letter is going to be more about us than usual. Indeed, during the rest of this month, our plans are to share five stories, post a few ‘five’ lists and drink too much 5-year old wine...Read More
Five
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on April 9, 2012
Steadyhand opened its doors to investors five years ago tomorrow. Since that bright spring day in April 2007, we’ve witnessed a lot – the biggest stock market decline since the Great Depression, a collapse in the U.S. housing market, derivatives gone wild, a global debt crisis, a strong market rebound, record low interest rates, investor paralysis, political revolution ... and more. It’s been an eventful period. And...
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Introducing Emmylou
Excerpt from Scott Ronalds's blog on March 6, 2012
Emmylou is a typical Steadyhand client (notwithstanding her mono-tooth). Like Bruce, we’ll follow her investing journey and provide periodic updates on the decisions and challenges she faces. Emmylou is 57 years old and divorced. She’s been down the road with a couple of potential partners since splitting with her husband 10 years ago, but is not seeing anyone at the moment. She has one daughter, Stacey, who is a 30 year old teacher in Toronto...
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