Archive for October 2011
Net Worth Update Oct 2011 (+2.66%) – Market Bottom?
Welcome to the Million Dollar Journey October 2011 Net Worth Update – Market Bottom Edition. For those of you new to Million Dollar Journey, a monthly net worth update is typically posted near the end of the month (or beginning of the next) to track the progress of my journey to one million in net…
Read MorePension Basics: Selecting a Form of Pension Payout
Defined benefit (DB) pension plans have a reputation for their complex formulas for determining monthly pension benefits. Unfortunately, when you retire it doesn’t get any simpler. Depending on your employer and your province of employment, employees may be presented with a number of forms of pension to choose from upon retirement. The various forms of…
Read MoreHow Leveraged ETFs Work
Several posts on this blog have dealt with ETFs including their suitability and terminology. ETFs offer the diversification of mutual funds, trade on an exchange similar to stocks, and have lower MERs when compared to mutual funds. However, investment vehicles are updated and upgraded like software packages and there are new products released frequently; one…
Read MoreHow to Save Money at Costco
We’ve been Costco members for a while and really enjoy the store for essentials and unfortunately, non-essentials. I’ve written about the great Costco debate which included the pros and cons of the store. Some of the high points are the competitive prices, quality, samples and the best in the biz return policy. Like anything, there…
Read MoreA Primer on Closed-end Funds
Mutual funds come in different flavors; they could vary in their investment styles (growth, value, or blend of both), type of securities held (stocks or bonds), sectors (energy, utilities, financial to name but a few), etc. They also differ in their mode of operation: namely, open-end or closed-end funds. Open-end Funds Many investors would be…
Read MoreSocially Responsible Investing
Socially responsible investing refers to choosing investments that combine social factors, corporate actions that reflect such social views, and good investment returns. This type of investing seeks to achieve competitive annualized returns, while making the world a better place or at least assisting to sustain what is left of it. Investors with a social criteria…
Read MoreTop Stock Picks 2011 – Q3
Over the past couple of years, a group of bloggers have enlisted in a friendly competition as to who can pick the best stocks for the year. This time around, I was a little less aggressive and picked well known names that appeared to be relatively undervalued at the beginning of the year. My top…
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