It’s just not true that you can't beat the market. Every year about one-third of the fund managers do it. Of course, each year it is a different group. Robert Stovall, asset manager
Identify the many Myths in the financial system, including the dream of “beating the market” through individual stock selection.
Identify the key factors to becoming better do-it-yourself investors AND identify those which are under your control, such as an optimum allocation of your investments across appropriate asset categories.
Accompany you each step of the way in the saving and investment process- see our User Guide.
Help self-investors to better control their costs, what Warren Buffett calls the financial system’s friction costs.
Help you better use your tax-exempt (RRSP) account.
Show you how to minimize your tax-related investment costs.
Give you access to information to help you better manage a portfolio intended to constitute an important source of retirement income.
Identify areas where the financial system does not adequately take into account the interests of independent investors.
Encourage reforms to the regulatory system.
HELP-US
Help us to help you become a better independent investor. Your comments are appreciated and welcomed on our commentaries or on any other aspect of the site- not only what you find but also how it is presented. In addition, we specifically ask for your input at various points throughout our site.
Technorati Profile
Stock Quotes
For more details on the choice and meaning of the symbols click here.
S&P/TSX
11115.30
Dow Jones
9908.39
S&P500
1056.74
Dollar
0.00
XIU.TO
16.32
IVV
106.20
EFA
50.46
EEM
36.83
XBB.TO
29.80
AGG
104.60
XSB.TO
29.38
XRE.TO
11.78
RWR
45.17
RWX
32.53
Syndicate
WELCOME to our site for the independent investor which was officially launched March 18, 2008. Become a member (it’s free) and enjoy full access to the site + receive on a preferred basis our weekly newsletters. Our site has been described as one of the few educational websites that offer the unbiased, clearly written material that busy investors need (The Globe & Mail 30 05 2008) and as a site dedicated to providing individual investors with independent, objective, free advice and information (The Gazette, Montreal 31 03 2008). See In the Media under the tab Media on our home page. MEMBERS-PLEASE NOTE: Depending on your software and internet provider, it may be necessary for you to add http://independentinvestor.info to your list of safe contacts in your spam filters. Otherwise, you may not receive our newsletters. Our newsletters notify our members in priority of our commentaries on current events and other topics of interest. If you miss a newsletter, it will eventually be filed on the site at a later date under Information on the home page. We are also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DIYinvestor
The Canadian retail investor community enjoys a limited number of ongoing, objective, reliable sources of information on investing. Week-in week-out financial journalist Rob Carrick is one of those sources. We are delighted that he has also found the time to write a book bringing together much of that information for his existing and new readers. Looking for a primer on investing from a Canadian perspective? This book will be of interest to you.
Dividend investing has many followers. And they can describe numerous advantages of a pro-dividend approach (some of which we skeptically, but hopefully fairly, commented on in our previous commentary in this series).
We now take a look at some of the disadvantages. First and foremost, contrary to an index-based approach, dividend-based investing runs up against the rock of Gibraltar of modern investing: diversification. And in practice this technique starts looking like old fashioned stock-picking, on whose shores so many boats of investors have sunk. And the dividend-focused investor also exposes himself to additional risks which we label as irrational factors, that is to say risk factors that are unrelated to the fundamental profitability of the companies issuing those dividend-paying shares. Interested? Read on.
The MEDAC (the Quebec-based association for the education and defense of shareholders) held its annual conference January 23, 2010 in Montreal. We were honored to have been invited to participate in a roundtable discussion and to give our views as an observer of financial markets on the recent evolution of shareholders' rights.
What a memorable year! In this, the second and last of our year-end 2009 commentaries we review the many highlights of the year for a self-investor in three categories: the good, the bad and the rest. In particular, how did the crisis affect investor behavior? Were you in panic mode in March at the absolute bottom of one of the worst markets on record? Instead of trying to forget the beginning of 2009, it would be preferable to remember both the ups and downs of the year, and draw a few lessons for the future. And let’s not forget the conduct of our governments and regulatory agencies during the crisis, which left much to be desired.
The beginning of a new year is the ideal time for all of us to critically review the performance and composition of our portfolio. In this, the first of two commentaries on the year 2009, we look at how the various financial markets behaved, and the performance that would have been produced by a portfolio created following some admittedly arbitrary criteria but which are nevertheless based on the philosophy of our site. We hope it will encourage you to look at the returns and composition of your own portfolio, and consider what changes might be appropriate. In a subsequent commentary on the year 2009 we'll look more generally at the highlights of the year for a self-investor.
What are the benefits of dividend investing? In this commentary, we look at the six main arguments put forward by proponents of this approach to investing: a source of regular, tax-favored income characterized by above-average returns, offering down-side protection in bear markets, facilitating dollar cost averaging investing, and inducing corporate management to deliver more stable, better-reported earnings. What’s not to like? The arguments seem compelling, but on second look, lose some of their luster. In a subsequent commentary in our series on dividend investing we will look at the disadvantages.
As a Canadian do-it-yourself investor you probably occasionally read financial or investment information obviously prepared for an American audience (the opposite is more rare). While the information may interest you, you may find it difficult to understand or measure its relevance for a Canadian investor. You may also wonder if the American system more vigorously protects its retail investors. In this commentary, we briefly compare the two countries in terms of their investment markets, how to invest, mutual funds, the regulatory/ judicial systems, and the comparable tax-advantaged investment vehicles.
Your efforts have paid off. You have ended up on a site which is focused on delivering investment information, not selling you financial services or products.
Our site is not associated with, and accepts no financing, advertising or other financial assistance from:
Banks
Insurance companies
Investment dealers or
Financial advisors.
OUR MISSION
Help you become a better independent self investor.
Be a source of free, objective, independent and unbiased investment information for self-investors.
Build on our past to earn the trust of Canadian and non-Canadian do-it-yourself investors. Our founder has several years experience with a securities regulatory agency and over a quarter century of experience with two blue chip Canadian securities issuers.
To assess the credibility of our site. It’s the best investment decision you will make today.
The information on self investing is divided into 44 sections (and counting) which are organized under eleven main headings or topics. Click on Themes at the top of this page for a short summary of the information covered under all of the topics.
For a list of the sections under any particular theme, click on the name of that theme at the top of this page.
Who should visit our site?
You are an independent investor looking for investment information focused on the needs of do-it-yourself investors.
You are a novice in investment matters, but are considering becoming more independent in your investing.
You trade in reliance on a financial advisor, but wish to better use his services, or perhaps understand the other alternative trading methods.
Perhaps you see self investing as a retirement project, or are merely curious about the world of investing.
Perhaps as a result of your professional activities (institutional investor, broker, professor or journalist), you seek access to a non-industry source of objective investment information.
We intend to regularly circulate by email newsletters to our members. To access our newsletter, click here. We are also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/DIYinvestor .
RRSP
The Canadian retail investor community enjoys a limited number of ongoing, objective, reliable sources of information on investing. Week-in week-out financial journalist Rob Carrick is one of those sources. We are delighted that he has also found the time to write a book bringing together much of that information for his existing and new readers. Looking for a primer on investing from a Canadian perspective? This book will be of interest to you.
Dividend investing has many followers. And they can describe numerous advantages of a pro-dividend approach (some of which we skeptically, but hopefully fairly, commented on in our previous commentary in this series).
We now take a look at some of the disadvantages. First and foremost, contrary to an index-based approach, dividend-based investing runs up against the rock of Gibraltar of modern investing: diversification. And in practice this technique starts looking like old fashioned stock-picking, on whose shores so many boats of investors have sunk. And the dividend-focused investor also exposes himself to additional risks which we label as irrational factors, that is to say risk factors that are unrelated to the fundamental profitability of the companies issuing those dividend-paying shares. Interested? Read on.
The MEDAC (the Quebec-based association for the education and defense of shareholders) held its annual conference January 23, 2010 in Montreal. We were honored to have been invited to participate in a roundtable discussion and to give our views as an observer of financial markets on the recent evolution of shareholders' rights.
What a memorable year! In this, the second and last of our year-end 2009 commentaries we review the many highlights of the year for a self-investor in three categories: the good, the bad and the rest. In particular, how did the crisis affect investor behavior? Were you in panic mode in March at the absolute bottom of one of the worst markets on record? Instead of trying to forget the beginning of 2009, it would be preferable to remember both the ups and downs of the year, and draw a few lessons for the future. And let’s not forget the conduct of our governments and regulatory agencies during the crisis, which left much to be desired.
The beginning of a new year is the ideal time for all of us to critically review the performance and composition of our portfolio. In this, the first of two commentaries on the year 2009, we look at how the various financial markets behaved, and the performance that would have been produced by a portfolio created following some admittedly arbitrary criteria but which are nevertheless based on the philosophy of our site. We hope it will encourage you to look at the returns and composition of your own portfolio, and consider what changes might be appropriate. In a subsequent commentary on the year 2009 we'll look more generally at the highlights of the year for a self-investor.
What are the benefits of dividend investing? In this commentary, we look at the six main arguments put forward by proponents of this approach to investing: a source of regular, tax-favored income characterized by above-average returns, offering down-side protection in bear markets, facilitating dollar cost averaging investing, and inducing corporate management to deliver more stable, better-reported earnings. What’s not to like? The arguments seem compelling, but on second look, lose some of their luster. In a subsequent commentary in our series on dividend investing we will look at the disadvantages. 
As a Canadian 