Posts by Ed Rempel
Are you “Smart Money” or “Dumb Money”?
Amateur investors often look down on professional fund managers thinking they are not worth their fees. Meanwhile, professional fund managers tend to think of amateur investors as “dumb money”. What is “dumb money”? It is investors that invest when the markets are high and then sell when the markets are low.
Read MoreTiming the Market vs. Buy and Hold
After the recent strong stock market gains, I have been asked a few times lately: “What should we do to protect against a possible market downturn? Should we become defensive?” If you could move in and out of the market at the right time, you would obviously increase your returns and avoid some losses. On…
Read MoreSmith Manoeuvre – Convert your mortgage to tax deductible interest
This article was written for The TaxLetter, a subscription newsletter for accountants and tax specialists. It discusses the tax implications of the Smith Manoeuvre strategy in depth. Read more… TTL_Maximize Tax Savings_2013 06
Read MoreLosing Money by Chasing Yield
The classic truism by Raymond DeVoe Jr. is particularly appropriate today: “More money has been lost reaching for yield than at the point of a gun.” Searching for investments with higher yields has often led to bubbles and has often lost money for investors. For example: The sub-prime mortgage-backed securities that collapsed in 2008 were…
Read MorePaying too much tax? How much is too much?
Do you ever wonder whether you are paying more tax than you need to? Do you hear stories about people claiming all kinds of deductions or about rich people being able to avoid tax? At tax time each year, these questions are foremost in Canadians’ minds.
Read MoreCase Study: Figuring Out Your Optimal RRSP/TFSA Contribution
In the last article, Ed Rempel discussed the steps to creating your optimal RRSP/TFSA contribution. Here is a case study to help put the steps into practice. Case Study: Optimal RRSP/TFSA Contributions for John and Mary Smith To understand the interplay between these six factors, lets look at an example. John Mary Income $100,000 $60,000 Marginal…
Read More7 Steps to Determine Your Optimal RRSP/TFSA Contribution Strategy
Put all the pieces together to create your optimal RRSP/TFSA strategy to determine the optimal contributions for you to make this year and in future years.
Read MoreThe Optimal RRSP Contribution
In RRSP season, you may wonder “How much should I contribute to my RRSP?” The proper way to figure this out is to identify your “optimal RRSP/TFSA contribution”. Understanding how to figure out the very best RRSP contribution to make is a vital concept. It is a key factor in every retirement plan. This article was…
Read MoreDumbest Investment Line of 2012 – “In these uncertain times”
One of my pet peeves is the phrase “in these uncertain times”. I see it constantly in the media and in financial industry talks and articles. Rarely is anything smart said after “in these uncertain times”. When are times not uncertain? Was 2012 uniquely full of uncertain news? No. Pick any year. If you google…
Read MoreThe Optimal RRSP/TFSA Contribution
Now that we are in RRSP season, you may be wondering “How much should I contribute to my RRSP?” The proper way to figure this out is to identify your “optimal RRSP/TFSA contribution”. This is a key factor in every retirement plan.
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