Blog

Cutting Through the Noise


September 18, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Questions from an Informed Investor

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 ...

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September 16, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Bigger Isn't Better, So Give Some Love to the Little Guys

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 ...

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September 12, 2007

By Chris Stephenson

Reverse Mortgages

Tom has a thing for Principal Protected Notes. He thinks that most PPN’s don’t benefit investors. I feel the same way about another product, the reverse mortgage. Reverse mortgages are a product targeted towards seniors who are house rich but ...

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September 12, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Longevity Ultimately Leads to Success

Richard Croft wrote a good article in yesterday’s National Post about how longevity is the most important factor in determining investment success. “In the end, one strategy or style is probably as good as another...the problem for average investors is ...

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September 10, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Is Apple Doing the Right Thing?

After only two months on the market, Apple has dropped the price of its new iPhone from $599 to $399. Steve Jobs, the company’s CEO, posted a note on Apple’s website explaining the reasoning behind the 33% price slash. Essentially, ...

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September 7, 2007

By Chris Stephenson

Words From the Oracle

If you search for the definition of the word oracle, a lot of interesting definitions come up. Here are a few I handpicked: 1. a) prophet: an authoritative person who divines the future. b) a prophecy (usually obscure or allegorical) ...

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September 6, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist

Tom's been busy reading during his recovery from surgery (we've taken away his laptop, but we can't take away his library). He recently dusted off Roger Lowenstein's book, Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist , and added it to ...

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September 4, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Immaculate Correction? Maybe, But Times Have Changed

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published September 1, 2007 Are we experiencing another immaculate correction? That’s how I describe the market corrections we’ve experienced while living under the protective umbrella of U.S. President George W. Bush and former ...

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August 30, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Taking the Middle Road

As a start-up, we have the luxury of starting with a fresh piece of paper and blazing our own path. We’re not confined by legacy issues, dated technology platforms, archaic policies and procedures, etc. We’ve set up a business that ...

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August 27, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Steadyhand and the Boomer Retiree

The following blog was written by Tom just before his surgery, from which he is recovering well. Dan Richards is a name you may be familiar with. He has been in the wealth management industry for years and currently operates ...

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August 27, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

A Recipe we Like

Every time I venture down to California or Vegas (not as often as I’d like), a stop at In-N-Out Burger is a must. Health food it’s not, but if you’re looking for a fresh, good old fashioned burger, this is ...

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August 22, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Countrywide Financial

In the wake of the subprime fallout in the United States, shares of Countywide Financial have fallen considerably. Countrywide is America’s #1 home loan lender and the country’s third largest federal savings bank. The Steadyhand Global Equity Fund holds shares ...

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August 21, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Third Party Asset Backed Commercial Paper (ABCP)

Third party asset backed commercial paper (ABCP) has been the subject of attention in the investment press recently, as some issuers have experienced problems finding funding for their maturing debt. The Steadyhand Savings Fund does not hold any of this ...

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August 20, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Keep Emotions in Check, and Stick to the Plan

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published August 18, 2007 Shouldn't I be doing something? In historical terms, volatile markets like we're experiencing now are not unusual, so I don't want to overplay it. I'll admit, however, that I ...

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August 15, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Update: Tom's Liver

As you may have heard, Tom has a long-standing liver condition known as PSC. It goes back to his youth and has been monitored for over 25 years. While not normal, it has always been stable and hasn’t held him ...

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August 13, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Proud to Shroud II - Claymore Balanced Funds

I’m picking on Claymore Investments again. I don’t have a thing about them, but they’re hard to ignore because they advertise a lot and are releasing a steady stream of new products. They are also an interesting firm in that ...

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August 9, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

The Shareholder Letter You Should, But Won't, Be Reading Next Spring

Here's a real beauty that made the rounds at Steadyhand: The Shareholder Letter You Should, But Won't, Be Reading Next Spring . If you want to see the circus, there's no need to go to the big tent...there's plenty of ...

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August 8, 2007

By Tom Bradley

TD Securities II - Wow, That was a Decision!

I wrote a piece in March about the TD Bank double ending an investment banking transaction ( TD Securities Does a Double Ender ). The theme of the posting was how free the investment banks are to operate with huge ...

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August 7, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Time for Advisers to Temper Investor Expectations

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published August 4, 2007 At some point in the next year or two, it is going to get much harder to be an investment professional. A significant market decline and/or bursting of the ...

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July 31, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Private Equity II - Jeremy Grantham's Buyer's Guide

I’ve admitted before that I am a Jeremy Grantham junky. He’s not ahead of Steve Nash or Lucinda Williams, but he’s in the running. He’s often accused of being perpetually bearish, as am I, but both of us are able ...

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July 25, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Podcast: Edinburgh Partners & the Steadyhand Global Equity Fund (mp3)

In this podcast, Dr. Sandy Nairn, the chief executive of Edinburgh Partners, discusses his firm's history, investment philosophy, approach to global equity investing, and why "this time it's different" are the four most expensive words in the investing language.

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July 24, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

Starbucks: Great Business, Great People, Good Price

Shares of the world’s largest specialty retailer were recently added to the Steadyhand Equity Fund. Why? Because Starbucks is now a “franchise” company – that is to say, a great business , run by great people , trading at a ...

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July 23, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Will Going Public Kill Private Equity?

The Globe and Mail, Report on Business Published July 21, 2007 My first gig in the investment industry in the early eighties was as a conglomerate analyst at Richardson Greenshields. It was while doing that job I first became sensitive ...

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July 19, 2007

By Tom Bradley

Observations on Client Portfolios

Chris, Scott and I have had ample opportunity to see what’s going on out there in investor land as we’ve each had a chance to work with a number of our new clients. We have done enough portfolio reviews and ...

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July 16, 2007

By Scott Ronalds

The Blog Days of Summer

Posted by Scott Ronalds I must admit that before I started working at Steadyhand last year, the term blog was pretty much a foreign concept to me. ‘Blogging’ sounded more like a slang term or a new extreme sport from ...

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