The Buffoonery Portfolio Canadian - May 2006
(May 9) Over a year ago, I set out on my quest to answer the age old question of whether one can do better by randomly selecting a small basket of individual stocks, as compared to the index as a whole. My theory is that I can do as well as most mutual fund managers out there ...
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My Experience with President's Choice Financial
(May 7) I've been banking with PC Financial for about a year and a half now. Here's the report card. Two things motivated me to open an account with PC. The first was the lack of banking fees. I had been paying $28 per month with my old bank - that's $336 per year. PC promised me ...
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ICICI Bank Savings Account
(May 6) Until recently I had never even heard of ICICI Bank. However, with my recent review of interest rates at the major banks on savings accounts, theirs caught my eye. ICICI pays 3.50% annually on both Canadian dollar and U.S. dollar savings accounts. Although this may not be the highest rate in the country, it is ...
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HSBC Savings Account One-Ups the Competition
(May 5) Earlier this week, I reported that HSBC was introducing a new high-yield savings account to compete against the likes of ING Direct and President's Choice. Now, they've gone one step further and increased the rate on their savings account. HSBC now pays 3.10%, which is an increase from their original rate of 3.00%. This compares ...
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My Experience with Vonage
(May 5) I recently signed up with VOIP service provider Vonage. I have a cellphone that I use regularly, but I almost died last month when I got my bill for $300 (!) because I was over my allotment of minutes. I did not have a home landline at that time. My local phone company charges $35 ...
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Leverage
(May 3) Archimedes said: "Give me a lever long enough and a fulcrum on which to place it, and I shall move the world. " The same principle applies to investing - but watch out you don't get crushed on the rebound. Leverage in investing involves the use of borrowed money. Instead of being limited to your ...
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HSBC Introduces High-Yield Savings
(May 2) Stung by high-yield accounts offered at smaller (at least in Canada) financial institutions such as ING Direct, President's Choice and others, HSBC has revealed its new high-yield savings account at an initial rate of 3%. This compares favourably with President's Choice, is slightly less than ING, and is better than most of the other major ...
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The Difference with Canadian Mortgages
(May 1) There are some important differences between Canadian mortgages and those offered to our neighbours to the south. Although there are basic similarities, one of the main differences is the manner of calculating the payments. In Canada, the interest rate on the mortgage must be expressed as a rate calculated yearly or half-yearly, not in advance ...
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