Let’s start by giving you a general overview of what a mutual fund is and why you should use it when investing. A mutual fund (MF), is just that – a fund of different types of products such as stocks, bonds, and money markets. When you invest in a MF you invest money into the fund with everyone else, and by doing so, your contribution is measured in units. [...]
What a great question! There are some basic ways to save regardless of your age. Of course, if you are young and just starting out, adopting the right habits will benefit you immensely, perhaps even for your entire lifetime. Saving must be a conscious decision you make to yourself that requires long-term discipline. Actually James, these principles can be applied to anything that is important to you, such as, [...]
My son who is in his mid-twenties with two degrees in physics and mathematics, seems to think he can take on the stock market through options trading, so today we are going to talk about this type of investment strategy. Options and forwards are quite a complicated model even though there are many investors who think they can master them. Essentially you will use a security or derivative in [...]
Everyone can agree that improving our daily habits should greatly impact our life and our future, yet we all tend to do the same things every day, rather than something better. Many people walk through life in a cognitive slumber, blindly following the norms attached to their identity. “I’m terrible with directions.” “I’m not good with technology.” “I’m not a morning person.” Why is it so easy to repeat [...]
This is a very good question – and there are many other ways to make money instead of the traditional method of purchasing securities in the stock market. Let’s look at the top five. Remember, the key to investing wisely is to choose an investment that will monetize upon itself, to grow and compound over time. You want some type of appreciating asset that you can rely on to [...]
I always told my kids I would help them as best I could – but I never thought they would come back to live with me. I am 74 and I like living on my own and I don’t think I can afford to keep them here. Please help. (PS: they also have two big dogs and I have a 12-year-old cat – ouch!). Margaret I feel for [...]
Dear Money Lady Readers, Many of you have sent me emails with genuine worry about your retirement portfolios as we ride the waves of high inflation, lending rates, and low stock market returns. I want to introduce you to an alternative to securities, mutual funds or exchange traded funds (ETFs). Why not consider diversifying your portfolio in part with structured notes? There is something for everyone in the [...]
I often travel across the country doing speaking events and had the privilege of speaking to a charity in December. After the event, I spent some time with a group of ladies, (all over 70 years), who were very active in their communities. As I worked my way through the group, meeting all these wonderful women, I realized each one had single handily enriched their retirements by supporting a [...]
Many first-time home buyers have cooled off and ceased their house hunting searches as the market levels off with interest rates still climbing. Home prices have still not dropped down as low as some buyers were hoping for; and as we sit poised for another year, it is now anyone’s guess what will happen. Many economists say the interest rates will climb even higher especially with the Canadian prime [...]
So, let’s talk about what to do if you have low-income or maybe the occasional no-income situation and are finding it hard to save. What can you do to budget and save for future expenditures, let alone a retirement fund? It is much harder for those impoverished to improve their situation than it is for those in our middle-class, especially today. That being said, there are many poor that [...]
