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Are We In a Secular Bear Market?
If you’ve spent any time at a cottage this summer, away from the bright city lights, you’ve probably enjoyed some beautiful views of the Milky Way. Astronomers believe that our galaxy is a barred...
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The Second Coming of the Perfect Portfolio
The anticipation has been palpable, I know, but the waiting is over. The second edition of The MoneySense Guide to the Perfect Portfolio is now available. The first edition of my handbook for...
View ArticleShould You Buy Stocks For Your Kids?
If you’re a parent, how can you set your child on the road to investing success? One popular way is to buy young kids shares in companies familiar to them—maybe Disney, Apple, or McDonald’s. The idea...
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Passive Investing: The Movie
There are countless books laying out the case for index investing, but as far as I know there has never been a film—until now. A UK investment firm has just released a 54-minute documentary called...
View ArticleA Market Forecaster’s Report Card
As 2011 came to a close, the usual army of market gurus began making predictions for 2012. I’ve often criticized market forecasters for their embarrassing track records, so this year I made a point of...
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An Interview with John De Goey
On Monday, the UK implemented new rules banning embedded commissions on investment products. We’re still many years away from that in Canada, but it’s not for lack of effort on the part of John De...
View ArticleCouch Potato for Hire
In the three years since I launched Canadian Couch Potato, I’ve received countless e-mails from readers. Often they’re baffled by the ETF choices available today. Others are unsure how to determine an...
View ArticleUpdated Couch Potato Report Card
Last week I announced the 2012 returns for my model portfolios. Now it’s time to present the updated longer-term returns of the portfolios, with data provided by Justin Bender. This information covers...
View ArticleRevisiting the Couch Potato Model Portfolios
Before we get too deep into the new year, I’ve decided it’s time to review my model portfolios. Regular readers will know I’m reluctant to tinker with the portfolios, since new ETFs are launched all...
View ArticlePlanning to Drive a Monte Carlo
One of the lessons I’ve tried to stress is that investing is not about choosing the right products. ETFs changed the game by giving the little guy sophisticated and low-cost investment tools—no doubt...
View ArticleConfessions of an Investing Parasite
As index investing has gained popularity, it is also attracted its share of scorn. The latest example is an unintentionally amusing blog post called Index funds are parasites and are going to kill the...
View ArticleAsk the Spud: Should I Buy In Now?
I’ve just inherited a six-figure sum and am interested in investing using the Couch Potato approach. What is your opinion on entering the market now, given it’s at a record high? — C.T. This is the...
View ArticlePutting the Portfolio Odds in Your Favour
It’s well known that the majority of actively managed mutual funds underperform comparable index funds over any period longer than a few years. In fact, that statement has become so uncontroversial...
View ArticleMore Power in Passive Portfolios
Rick Ferri and Alex Benke recently collaborated on an interesting white paper called A Case for Index Fund Portfolios, which I introduced in my previous post. They compared index portfolios to...
View ArticleHow to Argue With a Couch Potato
Last week, Advisor.ca published a debate under the heading “Faceoff: Index, friend or foe?” The arguments against passive investing should be helpful to mutual fund salespeople trying desperately to...
View ArticleETF Choices Are Less Important Than You Think
The comments following my recent post about new ETFs from Vanguard were another reminder of just how often investors get overly focused on products. I accept part of the blame here, since I write a lot...
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Deep Thoughts on Diversification
Just shy of two years ago—in October 2011—I wrote a post that laid out the year-to-date returns for the Complete Couch Potato portfolio. If you can remember that far back, the third quarter of 2011 was...
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Is Your Portfolio Just a Pile of Parts?
Is there difference between a diversified portfolio and a collection of investments? That’s an insightful question Chris Turnbull asks in his new book Your Portfolio is Broken: Who’s to Blame and How...
View ArticleThe One-Fund Solution
What’s the best way to get started with index investing? That’s the question Justin Bender and I ask in our new white paper, The One-Fund Solution. In our opinion, if you’re new to self-directed...
View ArticleMore DIY Investing Challenges
In my last post, I looked at some of the biggest challenges faced by DIY investors. I came up with the list after working with clients of PWL Capital’s DIY Investor Service. The theory behind indexing...
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