Bonds
ISHARES DEX SHORT BOND INDEX FUND $28.97 (CWA Rating: Income) (Toronto symbol XSB; buy or sell through a broker) mirrors the performance of the DEX Short-Term Bond Index.
This index consists of a wide range of investment-grade federal, provincial, municipal and corporate bonds with between one- and five-year terms to maturity. The fund holds 185 bonds with an average term to …read more »
ISHARES DEX UNIVERSE BOND INDEX FUND $29.56 (CWA Rating: Income) (Toronto symbol XBB; buy or sell through a broker) mirrors the performance of the DEX Universe Bond Index.
This index consists of a wide range of investment-grade Canadian government and corporate bonds with terms to maturity of more than one year. The 310 bonds in the portfolio have an average term …read more »
We generally advise against investing in bonds right now, because today’s low interest rates make them unattractive. That’s especially so in light of the potential rise in inflation that may follow the heavy deficit spending and rapid expansion of the money supply that is now underway.
However, if you need stable income and want to hold bonds, here are two bond …read more »
Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific advice on the fundamentals of successful investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a new fundamental tip and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.
Today’s tip: “Time spent …read more »
Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific investment advice on the fundamentals of successful investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a new piece of investment advice and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.
Today’s …read more »
Investors sometimes ask us whether they should hold certain investments inside or outside an RRSP to get the most tax benefits.
(We take a close look at how to use your RRSP to maximize your tax savings in our new FREE report, “Capital Gains Canada: 7 Secrets for Managing Your Canadian Capital Gains Tax Liabilities.” Click here to download your copy …read more »
Many investors buy units of asset allocation mutual funds because they think these funds provide an easy and profitable way to diversify between stocks, bonds and cash equivalents.
How asset allocation funds work
Asset allocation funds are mutual funds that can shift their portfolio allocations between stocks, bonds and cash in order to capitalize on perceived investment opportunities in any one …read more »
Utility stocks have more appeal than they used to, mainly because low interest rates have made bonds less appealing. (See later in this issue for our full analysis of why utilities are a better choice than bonds for your portfolio.)
We see all five of these electrical-power utilities as buys. That’s because they offer an attractive mix of safety, income and …read more »
Many investors buy bonds to make their portfolios less volatile. But high-quality utility stocks, like the five we analyze in this issue, have several advantages over bonds.
One advantage of utility stocks is that there is no set limit to the returns they provide. That can help protect you from inflation. Bonds can’t provide this protection, because they’re fixed-return investments.
Utility stocks …read more »
Income stocks have more appeal than they used to, mainly because today’s low interest rates have cut the yields of bonds and other fixed-return investments.
But even if you don’t need current income from your portfolio, you still may want to invest in income stocks. That’s because these stocks offer a measure of safety and security. Dividends, after all, are …read more »
