Cutting Through the Noise
March 6, 2008
In our first video blog, Tom discusses why investors should steer clear of principal-protected products. He notes that professional investors would never touch these products because the odds are clearly stacked against them. Watch the video to learn more.
Read MoreFebruary 28, 2008
In Tuesday's budget, the Conservatives introduced a new savings vehicle that will allow Canadians to shelter investments from tax. Known as the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), investors over the age of 18 will be able to contribute $5,000/year to a tax ...
Read MoreFebruary 27, 2008
We just wrapped up a series of conference calls with our equity managers. The key message from all three is that they’ve been sitting tight. None of them have made any material changes to the funds but they all have ...
Read MoreFebruary 14, 2008
I stumbled across a large ad in the Vancouver Sun last week that caught my attention. The headline: Retire 12.2% Faster. How could I not read on! The ad was from the Bank of Montreal and it was referring ...
Read MoreFebruary 12, 2008
Derek DeCloet wrote an article in today’s Globe and Mail that most fund companies probably don’t want you to read. He cites strong net redemptions in January from some of the industry’s "lumbering giants", and concludes that poor markets are ...
Read MoreJanuary 31, 2008
Generally speaking, the financial services industry isn’t known for punchy, let alone creative advertising. Most of the big firms tend to stick to conservative, feel-good campaigns. I came across an ad in a magazine the other day from E*Trade that ...
Read MoreJanuary 22, 2008
It’s times like these that test our patience as investors. As of yesterday’s close, the TSX had dropped more than 12% since the beginning of the year. Last year’s gains were gone in a mere three weeks. The S&P 500 ...
Read MoreJanuary 17, 2008
In this podcast, we review the fourth quarter, touch on some of the highlights of our Quarterly Report, and take a closer look at how our funds are positioned for 2008 and beyond. The session was fuelled by Nibs (Steadyhand's licorice of choice) for those wondering about the obscure reference toward the end.
Read MoreJanuary 2, 2008
Bell-bottom jeans, the Chia Pet, and the $5 latte. What do they have in common? All were seemingly ridiculous ideas that were brushed over and laughed at in the conceptual phase. But who’s laughing now? We were inspired by a ...
Read MoreNovember 22, 2007
This was just too good to pass up... ...
Read MoreNovember 21, 2007
In this podcast, Christine Montgomery, an insurance analyst and portfolio manager at Edinburgh Partners (EP), reviews her firm's investment philosophy, gives an update on the Global Equity Fund and provides some insight into what investors can expect going forward. On a personal note, we discover that EP's insurance analyst is a fan of Led Zeppelin, bypasses Burberry, and prefers St. Andrews over Carnoustie.
Read MoreNovember 14, 2007
Some mutual fund executives must be getting pretty fed up with the academic world. First there was the study Mutual Fund Fees Around the World published last year by three professors from Harvard Business School, the London Business School and ...
Read MoreNovember 5, 2007
Ever wonder why your broker or mutual fund company doesn’t show performance on your account statement? The reason is pretty simple – they don’t have to. There’s a group of financial advisors who are trying to change that. The Investor ...
Read MoreNovember 1, 2007
With the camera rolling, the manager of the Steadyhand Small-Cap Equity Fund (Wil Wutherich) recently sat down with Tom to talk shop. Watch the video to learn more about Wil's background, investing style, and the Small-Cap Fund (note: high speed internet required...
Read MoreOctober 17, 2007
We're pleased to announce that Tom's recovery from surgery is going extremely well and he returned to work this week and will once again be a permanent fixture around the office. While the rest of the team will likely have ...
Read MoreOctober 15, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published October 13, 2007 The first column I wrote for The Globe and Mail was on hedge funds. As a guest columnist, I innocently poked my head up and declared that their fees ...
Read MoreOctober 10, 2007
There has been a lot written about Canada’s asset-backed commercial paper debacle. Unfortunately, it’s not easy to sort it all out, given that everyone has an axe to grind on the issue. Diane Urquhart is an independent analyst who I ...
Read MoreOctober 3, 2007
I got an email from Neil on Saturday afternoon: From: njensen@steadyhand.com Subject: Words of wisdom from Swensen Body: Read while watching Claire at swimming today (p.60): "Sensible investors pursue diversification as a policy to reduce risk, not as a tactic ...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 29, 2007 "Wisdom comes from sitting on your ass." According to Warren Buffett's sidekick, Charlie Munger, it's the best road to effective thinking. For the last six weeks I've been laid ...
Read MoreOctober 1, 2007
This month, Lori and I received the following notice with our Visa bill. It comes from the bank that is ‘First for you.’ Take a break this month No minimum payment required this month Because you are a valued cardholder, ...
Read MoreSeptember 27, 2007
Wil Wutherich , the manager of the Steadyhand Small-Cap Equity Fund, is leaving his perch in Montreal for a series of research meetings out west. We've booked the evening of Thursday, October 11th , for him to tell the Wutherich ...
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2007
We've had a few calls and emails lately asking how Tom's doing, so we felt it was a good time to provide a brief update. Tom is recovering well and on-track from his surgery and expects to be back in ...
Read MoreSeptember 21, 2007
With the loonie hitting parity with the U.S. dollar for the first time in over 30 years, the forecasters are once again coming out of the woodwork with predictions on the future direction of the currency. Some are patting themselves ...
Read MoreSeptember 18, 2007
We recently received an email from an investor who posed a few well thought questions about our funds and our company. We thought other investors following the development of Steadyhand may find these questions, and our responses, informative. Q: I ...
Read MoreSeptember 16, 2007
The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 15, 2007 If you've been a regular reader of this column, you know that I sometimes write about things that are driving my wife crazy. When Lori gets on a rant ...
Read More