Posts by Ed Rempel
Irrational Pessimism?
“It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much.” – Yogi Berra In 1996, Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan coined the term “irrational exuberance” to describe what he felt was unjustified speculation in the stock market as the S&P 500 rose past 744. Now, 12 years later, the S&P500 has moved past…
Read MoreHow to Take Advantage of the Market After the Crash of 2008
“It’s never happened in the World Series history – and it hasn’t happened since.” – Yogi Berra 2008 was a difficult year, producing results not seen in recent history. In past bear markets, some sectors and significant groups of investors still made money. In 2008 only 4 of 3,438 equity mutual funds showed a profit.…
Read MoreTax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) – How should we use it?
The only reason I need these gloves is ’cause of my hands. – Yogi Berra 2009 brings one exciting new development – TFSAs. You may have seen a bunch of news coverage about them. We consider them to be the best new retirement savings vehicle since RRSPs. For many, perhaps most Canadians, they will be…
Read MorePeak Oil or Oil Bubble?
“No one goes there anymore – it’s too crowded.” – Yogi Berra Tired of high gas prices? They have risen sharply because oil prices have shot up from $10/barrel in 1990 to $20/barrel in 2002 to $60/barrel in 2005 and now to $145/barrel in 2008. Is this just a temporary spike or just the…
Read MoreTFSA vs. RRSP – Best Retirement Vehicle?
“You give 100 percent in the first half of the game, and if that isn’t enough, in the second half you give what’s left.” – Yogi Berra Tax Free Savings Accounts (TFSA’s) will be available in 2009. Should we be using them instead of RRSP’s to save for retirement? The short answer is that there…
Read MoreIs the Market Efficient? Understanding the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH)
Efficient Market Hypothesis
Read MoreEd Rempel’s Picks for The Best Smith Manoeuvre Mortgage
“It was impossible to get a conversation going; everybody was talking too much.” – Yogi Berra The Smith Manoeuvre is a simple concept, but fairly technical to set up. It is easy to do, but also easy to mess up. The first step is to get the right mortgage, which is why one of the…
Read MoreIs “Management Integrity” an Oxymoron?
Warren Buffet said: “In looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence, and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.” The story of Conrad Black, as told in the media, is of a very intelligent and energetic manager that used his skills to benefit…
Read MoreIs 100% Tax-Efficient Investing Possible?
One of the 3 D’s of tax savings is Defer. Paying tax some time far in the future is much better than paying tax now. One of the most effective ways of getting huge, compound growth in your portfolio is to pay as little tax as possible along the way. This is why RRSP investments…
Read MoreUniversal Life Insurance – Part 2
So, do we NEED universal life insurance? The main life insurance need most people have is income replacement. If you have anyone that is financially dependent on you (your family) and you want to know they will be okay if you die, you probably need to have some life insurance to replace that part of…
Read More