|
What can we do for you?
- 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 |
10283.10 |
 |
| Dow Jones |
8280.74 |
|
| S&P500 |
896.42 |
|
| Dollar |
0.861 |
|
| XIU.TO |
15.65 |
|
| IVV |
90.07 |
|
| EFA |
45.23 |
|
| EEM |
31.92 |
|
| XBB.TO |
29.23 |
|
| AGG |
102.01 |
|
| XSB.TO |
29.11 |
|
| XRE.TO |
9.14 |
|
| RWR |
32.63 |
|
| RWX |
28.55 |
|
|
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
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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.
|
|
What's new on the web
|
 In this week's review of investment news on the Internet, always from the viewpoint of do-it-yourself investors, we look at a financial cooperative for consumers, the solvency of the pension system in Canada, lessons from the financial crisis, the docility of investors faced with the high costs of investing, the composition of a new committee on financial education, and how deposit insurance applies to TFSA's.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
News accessible to all
|
|
 Canada has the reputation abroad of a dull country, populated by honest people, and regulated by well-intentioned police officers in red uniforms mounted on horses. But does this comforting, but not very exciting, image apply to Canada’s financial markets, and particularly to mutual funds? A comparative world study of mutual funds by Morningstar reveals a less flattering portrait of Canada.pbgkevh2x6
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
News accessible to members only
|
 The debate on active versus passive (or index) investing usually relates to the management of stock portfolios. Our regular readers know our preference for an index approach. But the debate can also cover your bond portfolio. Is it better to actively or passively manage your bond portfolio? A recent article by Barclay's look at this issue.
|
|
Register to read more...
|
|
|
News accessible to members only
|
 When is the time to buy or to sell? Our readers know that we are not practitioners of market timing. However, we recognize that many sophisticated investors practice this technique with a variable degree of success. One of the most famous is Denis Ouellet, who has more than 30 years experience as a Canadian equities analyst at TAL (now part of the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce), Lévesque Beaubien (now part of the National Bank), the Caisse de Dépôt et placement du Quebec and Montrusco & Associates. Mr. Ouellet, now retired, regularly writes articles on various financial websites. Mr. Ouellet, in recent articles, shares his thoughts on one of the market timing techniques he used during his long career.
|
|
Register to read more...
|
|
|
News accessible to members only
|
 In difficult markets investors wonder, in the light of what are often disappointing results in their own portfolios, if the time is not ripe for change: a change of financial adviser, or even deciding to take over the management of their own portfolios and using a discount broker. This is an important decision that deserves your full attention.
|
|
Register to read more...
|
|
|
News accessible to members only
|
 Do you find the economic, political and financial systems in Europe, and of France in particular, difficult to understand, even a little intimidating? Are you looking for help in managing your financial and other assets? Help has arrived, and from an unusual source. We will review a book on financial planning, and at the same time invite you to visit another country with very different approaches to investing. The book is tailor-made for curious, North-American do-it-yourself investors. And don’t worry: there is no need to understand french to benefit from our commentary. Bon voyage!
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
News accessible to all
|
|
 Translation from the french
May 11, 2009
Michael Sabia
President and CEO
Caisse de Dépôt et Placement du Quebec
Topic: An open letter to the Caisse from a do-it-yourself investor
Dear Mr. Sabia
Many Quebecers manage their own portfolios. In addition, one of their important indirect assets is often an interest in portfolios managed by the Caisse. Therefore, what happens at the Caisse is of considerable interest to Quebecers generally, but especially to DIY investors, for whom the Caisse is an example of sophisticated investing.
The year 2008 was not a good one for most investors in general, and the Caisse and its clients in particular.
In the annual report of the Caisse
doc.1321E it is stated (p.10) that:
In November 2008, Caisse senior management started a series
of projects to review the organization’s practices and operational
model.
I am writing to review with you a few of the ideas on which my website www.independentinvestor.info
is based, since I am convinced that the Caisse could usefully draw upon them in reviewing its organization’s practices and operational
model.
|
|
Read more...
|
|
|
|
Congratulations!
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.
- For more, see Who are we?
Learn more about us
- Take 15 minutes to read the Summary.
- 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.
|
