Reader Alert: This is the second of a three-part series on how ETFs can help control costs when constructing core portfolios. The alarm rings reliably every morning just before daybreak. If it doesn’t sound, does that mean the sun will not rise? Maybe, if you live in the shadow of Iceland’s volcano, but otherwise get […]
Every week at home, as a keen young portfolio manager, I would pore over the charts of all the stocks traded on the New York and American Stock Exchanges that were included in a binder with 12 charts to the page, 24 in total when open. My pet cockatiel – named Dow Jones – would […]
The 1 kg of stewing beef I bought ended up tasting like pork. When confronted, the butcher retorted “Well buddy, it’s meat isn’t it?” Most consumers would be incensed at this response, but for some reason, investors are far more tolerant. It may be that mutual funds have dulled our expectations by underperforming their benchmarks […]
The three key characteristics that make exchange–traded funds (ETFs) tax-efficient are easily defined. They are: Index-based ETFs have extremely low turnover. Transactions trigger gains taxable in the hands of unit holders. The redemption of ETFs allows for in-kind transfers, allowing sponsors to transfer out the lowest cost shares without incurring tax. This maintains the adjusted-cost […]
There’s not much new in the world of asset allocation despite the drubbing portfolios sustained last year. Many of the best and the brightest minds, and the most researched and supported techniques, failed to save Humpty Dumpty from shattering on impact. To be sure, diversification never seems to work when fear and flight take control […]
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are less expensive than mutual funds by a wide margin. Embedded mutual fund distribution costs – paid to financial advisors for selling them – are most of the difference. Claymore is the only ETF sponsor in Canada paying advisors from a separate ETF series that is 0.50% to 0.75% more expensive. While […]
Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are less expensive than mutual funds by a wide margin. Embedded mutual fund distribution costs – paid to financial advisors for selling them – are most of the difference. Claymore is the only ETF sponsor in Canada paying advisors from a separate ETF series that is 0.50% to 0.75% more expensive. While […]