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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). Several investment options are available for investors in 2022. Investors have to find the best investments among them to make profits. Careful research of the investments is important before investing in them to reduce risks. 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 under DIYInvestor.

 

 

The Quebec government proposes retroactive legistation
News accessible to all

images_wolf.jpgOne limit that democratic governments are reluctant to cross is to legislate retroactively, i.e. to pass a law that alters the legal, tax or other effects of an action taken in the past by a citizen in accordance with the rules of the game in force at the time of the action.

The Quebec government is currently holding hearings on whether to introduce a bill that just would cross that limit. Maybe because the people involved are unionized municipal employees most of the media have to date given extensive coverage to the apprehended benefits
to municipal finances of the proposed legislation rather than the retroactive nature of the proposed measures for the impacted individuals .

Is the state of public finances in Quebec  in such bad shape that the government is justified in taking such measures? As a lawyer and as an investor we have serious reservations. The vast majority of retroactive laws are bad. We believe that once a government adopts such measures with respect to one class of citizens, the risk increases that it will adopt retroactive measures, for example, aimed at investors, businesses or other categories of citizens.

Read more...
 
Tax-Efficient Investing for Canadians by André Fok Kam- a book review
News accessible to all

tax_efficient_investing.jpgIt is the net, after expenses, return on your investments that is the key number for investors. And income tax is generally the biggest, and often the most complex, of all retail investor expenses. So effective tax management is indispensable for all do-it-yourself investors. André Fok Kam, a self-described consultant to the securities industry, has recently published through the IFSE Institute an excellent book on the subject for both financial advisers and Canadian retail  investors. It gives a good overview of most of the key tax questions of interest to retail investors. Its explainations are as clear  as the subject matter permits. It  covers not only direct investing, but also investing through mutual funds and exchange-traded funds. And finally, it is short enough so as to not discourage most readers.

 

 

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New models of online investment advice and services- part 3
News accessible to all

img-idema-ian-gascon.jpgNew investing offerings aimed at the mass retail investor market are gradually appearing that are based on online advice. At present, investing in crypto is considered extremely profitable. You can get direct exposure to crypto trading mainly with resources like the bitcoin buyer plattform, which helps you to know more about automated crypto trading and crypto investing. They use online questionnaires and other technology to minimize labor costs and provide cookie-cutter advice using model portfolios, with some customization to take into account some personal circumstances. In part 1 of this 3-part series we looked at the forces behind these new product offerings. In part 2 we looked at the range of new entrants in the USA. In the final part of this 3-part series we now look at developments in Canada.  Regrettably, the Canadian scene for the moment does not offer the diversity of offerings found in the USA. Only one pure new entrant, Idema Investments(see photo of its founder, Ian Gascon) and a few businesses which are add-ons to traditional securities businesses can now be found in Canada.

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New models of online investment advice and services- part 2
News accessible to all
index.jpgNew models of online investment advice and services- part 2

New investing offerings aimed at the mass retail investor market are gradually appearing that are based on online advice. They use online questionnaires and other technology to minimize labor costs and provide cookie-cutter advice using model portfolios, with some customization to take into account some personal circumstances. In part 1 of this 3-part series we looked at the forces behind these new product offerings. In this part 2 we look at the range of new entrants in the USA. The US market is blessed with a wide variety of new entrants, as well as a number of traditional financial groups who have supplemented their basic businesses to offer similar competing services. (NB- photo is of US economist and indexing guru Burton Malkiel, currently asssociated with new entrant WealthFront). A DIY investor will find entrants who can help them obtain low cost, independent one-off advice and low-cost index based investment products. But the business models of other entrants are less investor-friendly, so buyer beware is certainly the operative phrase here. In the final part of this 3-part series we will look at developments in Canada. 

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New models of online investment advice and services-part 1
News accessible to all

images.jpgNew investing offerings aimed at the mass retail investor market are gradually appearing that are based on online advice. They use online questionnaires and other technology to minimize labor costs and provide cookie-cutter advice using model portfolios, with some customization to take into account some personal circumstances. Do-it-yourself investors, who have made the decision to manage their own investments, often want to get advice on a cost-effective basis focused on the key determinants of long term returns, such as the right Asset Allocation, but have had  trouble locating sources for such advice. Instead they often end up receiving recommendations based upon stock-picking or market timing techniques that are rarely as successful as a low-cost, buy and hold indexing approach. Do the new investing offerings address these unfulfilled needs of retail investors? Why are so few of them available to Canadian investors? In part 1 of this 3-part series we  look at the forces behind these new product offerings. Do you recognize yourself in some of the reasons driving investors towards online solutions? In part 2 we will look at the broad range of new entrants in the USA,  and In part 3 we will look at developments in Canada .

Read more...
 
Abnormal Returns, by Tadas Viskanta- a book review
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mhp0948viskanta300x250.jpgThe founder of one of our favorite blogs, AbnormalReturns.com, has written a book under the same name. In a clear and direct fashion, without excessive detail, he covers all the basics of the field of investing. And, strangely enough, despite its title, the book does not downplay the challenges of successful active investing. Instead, much of the book explains the advantages for most individual investors of a long term, index approach to investing.

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Passive investing site promoted by UK fee-based manager Barnett Ravenscroft
News accessible to all

sensibleinvestinglogosymbolr.pngIt is rare to find financial intermediaries who promote passive investing.  Barnett Ravenscroft is a UK based asset manager who has even gone to the length of setting up its own web site on the subject, SensibleInvesting.tv, where investors can find professional quality videos on why they should consider passive investing.

Read more...
 


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