A tale of two quarters
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times In the opening line of Dickens’ classic A Tale of Two Cities, it was almost as if he was describing the first half of 2012 rather than the struggle of French peasants before and during the French Revolution when he wrote: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the...
Read MoreSocially Responsible Investing
Helping to make the world a better place through investing For a growing number of investors, their portfolio is about more than just making money it is also about making a difference. Thanks to Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), it has never been easier to insure that your investment portfolio matches your views on a wide range of issues including the environment, alcohol, tobacco, firearms,...
Read MoreA quick review of the AGF Large Cap Canadian Dividend Fund
Question: I have held the AGF Canadian Large Cap Dividend Fund for a number of years .What is your opinion of the fund? Answer: I have to admit that I have been a little disappointed in this fund in the past few years. First off, the name of the fund is a bit of a misnomer in that it does not pay investors a regular distribution. Instead, it is basically a core Canadian equity fund that invests...
Read MoreConfusion about advertised performance numbers
Question: I have been a holder of the AGF Canadian Large Cap Dividend Fund since Aug 2007. My purchase price was $11.56. It closed on May 31 at $8.70. This represents a loss of about 25% to me. Can you please explain how this fund manages to advertise that it’s losses over 5 years is only -1.7%? How can my 25% loss be explained as a -1.7% average annual compound return? Answer: ...
Read MoreMutual Funds and ETFs Update – July 2012
With the first half of the year in the books, we take a look at what can best be described as a “tale of two quarters” with Q1 being calm, cool, and relaxed, and Q2 being the opposite. We also take a detailed look at the concept of Socially Responsible Investing, highlighting some of the best SRI options. We had a chance to speak with Ian Cooke, one of the managers of the IA Clarington Canadian Small Cap who talks to us not only about his firm’s management philosophy, but small and mid cap stocks in general.
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