Welcome to Weekend Reading friends. Tough week hearing about the events in Dallas as I write this post. Heartbreaking and very, very sad news and world we live in…
Earlier this week I started yet another giveaway on my site. Check out my review of Loonie to Toonie and enter for your chance to win a copy in the coming week. I also revisited some assumptions about our financial freedom journey – I think it’s good to challenge your assumptions every now and then.
Last but not least, a big thanks to Canadian MoneySaver for putting my article about Getting Wealthy Eventually on the cover of their July/August edition. A really nice honour and I look forward to working with them again to host a webinar in the coming months.
Enjoy these articles from the personal finance blogosphere. Have a good summer weekend.
Sure Dividend covered a list of quality U.S. blue-chip stocks here.
Here’s a report about former NHLer Bryan Berard who got duped out of $3 million.
Here are some saving and investing resources for new investors – some of them FREE.
Justin Bender helps you perfect your portfolio here, with an assessment of the costs associated with holding U.S.-listed ETFs directly versus holding a Canadian ETF that wraps-up those underlying U.S. investments. From the blogpost using VXC as an example: “Although VXC’s wrap structure may not seem important at first, holding the underlying US-listed ETFs directly in your RRSP would be much more tax-efficient. To help illustrate this concept, I’ve estimated the total cost of holding VXC (0.71%) versus holding the underlying US-listed ETFs directly (0.19%).”
Yield Hog John Heinzl answered a reader question: what is better for tax purposes – dividends or capital gains? The answer: it depends. Do know this – the tax rate for dividends (thanks to the Canadian dividend tax credit) can actually be negative depending on your income level.
Arbor Investment Planner took a look into intrinsic value – and its relationship to risk, market value, safety and more.
Tawcan shared his dividend income update for June. I will do the same next week.
Shares of Beau’s beer would have been really nice to own. “With more than 500-per-cent revenue growth over the past five years, and five million litres of beer sold in 2015, Beau’s Brewery has built a strong foothold in Ontario and Quebec.” #goodbeer
Ryan Modesto says diversification is key when constructing a portfolio.
Big Cajun Man said downsizing your home is another money maker for real estate agents.
Michael James on Money looked at narratives related to banning trailing commissions.
Mark
My name is Mark Seed - the founder, editor and owner of My Own Advisor. As my own DIY financial advisor, I'm looking to start semi-retirement soon, sooner than most. Find out how, what I did, and what you can learn to tailor your own financial independence path. Join the newsletter read by thousands each day, always FREE.
Thanks for sharing a lot of great reads. I always enjoy finding those dividend income updates from across the blogosphere. Have a great weekend.
I enjoy reading the dividend income updates as well. Stay tuned for mine soon 🙂 Back to my beer(s)!
Another interesting line up Mark. Thanks for posting.
….getting duped out of $3M….geez
Thanks RBull!
re: “Tough week hearing about the events in Dallas as I write this post. Heartbreaking and very, very sad news and world we live in…”
These types of insane events happen, generally, in two regions: the US (firearms) and the Middle East (bombs).
Touchy subject, yup, but let us not forget America is not the world. It’s hard for Canadians to delineate that fact because we are so closely tied to our neighbours to the south in so many ways. Cognitively, it’s “very, very sad news” because of our proximity — it ‘hits close to home’; why no mention of the terrorist attack in Iraq (or Libya, or Syria) on the exact same day which killed possibly 20 times as many people as in Dallas!? #ALLlivesmatter. It’s also difficult to step outside our very safe bubble and truly view things through the eyes and minds of citizens of other societies. We tend to think that America is just Canada on steroids, but it’s not. America has created their own special brand of culture — societal, political, racial, economic, etc. — that does not exist within any other border. There is much terribleness going on in the States, in many different forms, it’s mind boggling.
Be VERY glad you live in Canada!
I’m saddened by the fact that police were targeted SST, on this side of the world, which is not common – which makes it sad and sickening.
All lives matter, yes, regardless if this event happens in the US or Libya or Korea or Russia. I don’t have a proximity bias but rather I’m looking at the context of the situation – the attack on men and women in blue – purposely.
I am very glad I not only live in Canada, but where I do!!
(Hey Mark, this comment may not fit with the tone/content of your site — it’s also days late — so do as wish with it: private, publish, edit, etc. Thanks for the space.)
I’ve been trying to pen an appropriate response, when I came across this article from Neil Macdonald (CBC):
Shootings raise unanswered life-or-death question for black men in America
http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/shootings-police-race-america-1.3670654
It touches on the context of the matter in its entirety, including the cause, not just the effect:
“Dallas didn’t happen in a vacuum….It’s been going on for ages.”
It should come as neither a shock not surprise when the roles are reversed when Black men (and women) in America are attacked and targeted by men (and women) in blue — purposely — and have been for many, many decades:
“Police forces across America, which are increasingly militarized and which enjoy tremendous discretion to act, not to mention effective immunity for their actions, have racists in their ranks who are more inclined to kill a black suspect than disarm him or talk him down, which is what they more often do with white suspects.”
What should be “sad and sickening” is the wholesale propagation of a culture of fear and violence which fuels the actions of both sides:
“…former Congressman Joe Walsh declared on Twitter after the Dallas shootings that “this is now war…Real America is coming after you.” Thank god he’s a “former”.
It’s marginally akin to cultures which target — and condone — attacks on the women of their society. Generally accepted, with appropriate outrage, but yet generationally cultivated. We, as safe, white, and male Canadians, don’t really have any concept of what it is to live a society where we are continually subject to fear and violence. Yes, we can have an opinion, but it doesn’t really count for much.
Where do I begin with this? 🙂
Beau’s Brewery — once again the power of private equity rears its pretty head. It’s always the owners who reap the big rewards (and suffer the big risks); a shareholder would enjoy but a fraction of that growth/profit. I can remember owning stock during the early days of Big Rock (BR)…sigh…
“With more than 500-per-cent revenue growth over the past five years…”
Let’s break it down for some weekend fun:
2015:
5 million litres = 8.333 million bottles(!!!)
~$6/bottle* = $50 million in revenue (beer only)
25% profit margin (wild assumption) = $12.5 million profit
(2010 revenue/profit = $8.3 million/$2 million — of course revenue and profit don’t track parallel; it’s a ballpark.)
Bob and Doug would be proud, eh. If they ever show up in BC, I’ll give them a try.
*(you’ll never retire early if you keep spending $6 on a single bottle of beer!)
Sometimes I do spend $6 on my beer….heck, I spent $10 on my tall can last night at the game! It’s just money, money is not everything.
Bob and Doug would be proud of Beau’s – good beer.
You’re right…money is not everything.
But concerning my beer I’m a little on the cheap side (retirement can do that to you along with allowing time for more hobbies) – make my own- drinking a raspberry wheat right now. One of my more expensive ones costing just under 1.00 each ($3.40/liter), most cost around 65-70 cents.
The resident here and visitors seem to find them tasty too.
Ha. Nice. Drinking a Stella now. Moving to my craft beer within the hour. Cheers. 🙂
Sounds great.
I make my beer in 1 liter re-seal able bottles.
Thanks for the mention. Just heard about Dallas this morning, what a sad news. 🙁
Yes. Hopefully better days prevail.
I find it tough to get excited about mutual fund fees because it’s been so long since I paid them, but they’re still a big deal for so many Canadians. Thanks for the mention.
I recall it’s been about six years since I “left the mutual fund industry” so I have little context for the pain most are suffering as well. Thanks for reading my friend.
“intrinsic value and its relationship to margin of safety”
It was articles like these that I was never able to apply to actual investing decisions when I was in the accumulation mode. It’s not that it didn’t make sense, but in the end it didn’t really say anything that helped me make a decision on what and when to buy.
Add:
“Buy Low and Sell High!”
“‘Rule No. 1: Never lose money. Rule No. 2: Never forget Rule No. 1.’”
“Never take an investment risk that doesn’t pay a premium for taking that risk over the long term.”
“Cut your losses and let your profits run.”
“Don’t invest in anything you don’t understand.”
All great advice but seems you only know if you followed the advice, after the fact.
I liked your quotes 🙂
Thanks for including my Blue Chips article. The Dallas situation is very sad. They are saying it’s the worst attack on police since 9/11.
Yes, I read that as well Ben. Hopefully better days are ahead. Quite sad.
Why do you want to sell your house if it is paid off? Thanks for the inclusion this week, hopefully we will get rain in the next little while.
My wife and I are nowhere near downsizing with 3 young kids, but that is a damn good question. I am well aware of RE costs but never actually thought about it in that light. Around here, you are looking at probably 5-6% RE commissions alone, never mind the other costs you mentioned. Good food for thought.
Some people want to, so they can take the equity they have built up, and invest it, and rent. Others – hard to say. To each their own 🙂 Stay dry this weekend.