investment

An investment is an asset or property acquired to generate income or gain appreciation. Appreciation is the increase in the value of an asset over time. It requires the outlay of a resource today, like time, effort, and money, for a greater payoff in the future or for generating a profit.

An investment involves using capital in the present to increase an asset’s value over time.

Investments may include bonds, stocks, real estate, or alternative investments.

Investments can be diversified to reduce risk, though this may reduce the amount of earning potential.

In business contexts, investments are financial; however, consider how some people spend time to make higher incomes in the future (i.e. invest in a college education).

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‘How to Make $48,483 in dividends and pay no tax’—download our free TSI Network Canadian Investor’s Tax Guide 2014



Yes, you can collect up to $48,483 in dividends every year, and not pay a single dime in income tax....
800 new Tim Hortons outlets on the horizon TIM HORTONS INC. (Toronto symbol THI; www.timhortons.com) operates 3,588 coffee-and-donut stores in Canada, 859 in the U.S. and 38 in the Persian Gulf. Franchisees operate 99.6% of these outlets....

MANULIFE FINANCIAL $21.24 (Toronto symbol MFC; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $39.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.5%; www.manulife.ca) sells life and other forms of insurance, as well as mutual funds and investment-management services. The company operates globally and has $599 billion of assets under management.

Manulife’s earnings per share rose 25.0% in the three months ended December 31, 2013, to $0.35 from $0.28 a year earlier. However, revenue declined 2.4%, to $5.92 billion from $6.07 billion. Insurance revenue fell mostly due to lower sales in Asia, where the year-earlier quarter was unusually strong ahead of tax changes. That offset higher demand for mutual funds and investment products.

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LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD., $47.01, Toronto symbol L, has received approval from competition regulators for its acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart Corp. (Toronto symbol SC), which operates 1,253 drug stores across Canada. To win approval for the purchase, Loblaw has agreed to sell 18 stores and 9 pharmacies. It does not plan to close any of its 1,000 supermarkets. Loblaw will pay roughly $12.4 billion in cash and shares for Shoppers when the deal closes on March 28, 2014. The price is equal to 93% of its $13.3-billion market cap. After the deal closes, Shoppers shareholders will own 29% of the combined company....
Rising drug firm aims to break through with ‘bad cholestrol’ drug
red and yellow pills on white background
Pat McKeough responds to many requests from members of his Inner Circle for specific advice on stocks to buy as well as questions on investment strategy and the economy. Every week, his comments and recommendations on the most intriguing questions of the past week go out to all Inner Circle members. And each week, we offer you one of the highlights from these Q&A sessions. While we reserve our buy-hold-sell advice for Inner Circle members, these excerpts provide a great deal of information and analysis on stocks we’ve covered for members of Pat’s Inner Circle....
Canon, Philips strive to keep up with fast-changing technology
Investors can gain international exposure through multinationals that trade on New York as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs). To qualify as ADRs, they have to conform to U.S. accounting and listing requirements, which cuts their risk....
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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 that will help you develop a successful approach to investing. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental tip and shows you how you can put it into practice right away. Today’s tip: “While many numbers and statistics frequently prove to be of limited value in judging stocks, there is one that is often undervalued: market cap.”...
Free of Obamacare, CGI Group adds new contracts
This Canadian technology firm is adapting to fast-changing markets by making acquisitions, aggressively cutting costs and eliminating slower-selling products. It is also adding to its backlog as it sheds a U.S. government contract that was plagued by political interference....
Strong cash flow lets these two utilities boost spending, keep dividends high
BELL ALIANT INC. (Toronto symbol BA; www.aliant.ca) sells phone and Internet services to 2.5 million customers in Atlantic Canada and rural Ontario and Quebec. It also provides wireless services through an alliance with BCE, which owns 45% of Bell Aliant....