Blog – ETF Capital Management

Recession Risk: When The Central Bank Stops Being Boring

May 26, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Investment Types

The Bank of Canada’s monetary policy should be boring. Like a hockey or soccer referee, people shouldn’t notice it. If they do, it usually means a contentious decision has been made. Interest-rate policy and inflation figures shouldn’t be the main topic of discussion around an average family dinner table.

Not all Income is Equal – Three Categories to Consider in 2023

Investment Types

May 17, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Investment Types

Now is a great time to look at your income investments. Recent interest rate hikes in North America have significantly reduced the prices, making 2023 an interesting entry point. But this is not about market timing or making a quick profit, it’s about taking advantage of structural changes in interest rate policy designed to deal with inflation and to unwind emergency lending rates post pandemic. There are many investments that could fall under the income category, so for simplicity we will define them as investments made with the primary purpose of generating cash flow. Looking at the prevailing conditions in 2023 there are three categories everyone should re-evaluate – bonds, REITs and infrastructure.

Personal Finance

May 5, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

Whether it’s the sight of Logan Roy foaming at the mouth at his conniving, inheritance-sucking kids in Succession or the recent Federal budget, which outlined new rules around intergenerational business transfers, the passing down of family wealth is a core part of a good financial plan.

As Women Live Longer, They Should Also Plan For A Second Retirement

Personal Finance

April 5, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

"Second Retirement" refers to the period after the death of the first spouse when the survivor must tend to household, financial and health matters alone. This article correctly points out that fewer still focus on the repercussions to the spouse who is left behind.

Personal Finance

March 28, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

Saving for your first home? The First Home Savings Account is a brand new way for people to save to buy their first home. Here is an Video Overview of the newly available registered account that can help many Canadians save towards their first home.

Personal Finance

February 28, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

In this brief 3-minute video, our Head of Financial Life Strategies, Monique Madan CFP, gives you a look ahead to some important tax considerations for 2023.

Personal Finance

February 22, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

Even Albert Einstein, a man with a brain capable of solving the most complex physics equations, stumbled when it came to taxes. “The hardest thing in the world to understand,” he said, “is the income tax.”

Personal Finance

January 31, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

Building wealth must be about more than just seeing a larger number on your investment statement each year. Wealth translates into life satisfaction when it has a purpose.

2023: Building on a better base for investors

Personal Finance

January 25, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

Investing money at its most basic is just delayed consumption. Putting $250 away versus buying another pair of shoes simply means you can buy those shoes at some point in the future. It makes sense then that the baseline goal of investing is to protect the purchasing power of your money.

General Economy

January 18, 2023 by ETF Capital Management in General Economy

Keeping your nerve when you see minus signs on your portfolio statement is not easy. Throw in a global pandemic, the rising cost of living, interest rate hikes, and a news cycle of war and political division, and it’s little wonder many investors want to exit the market and hunker down until the good times return.

Private Credit Versus Investment Grade Bonds

Alternative Assets

December 20, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Alternative Assets

Most investment portfolios have three basic components. Cash that has option value for future buys, equity for growth that hopefully exceeds inflation, and income that generates cash flow. Normally, our income investments are stable - we get some capital appreciation with predictable cash distributions. That was the case, until 2022!

Pandemic Legacy: How Have Investors Been Affected

General Economy

November 23, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in General Economy

How the COVID-19 pandemic alters the path of history remains to be seen. Like a retiree looking back over their life, it’s only in hindsight that they can fully process the impact of euphoric highs and devastating lows. The great events of history are similar; they shape people and societies.

Investment Types

November 3, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Investment Types

The 60-40 portfolio strategy is a touchstone for the industry, and shorthand for the tried and trusted method of protecting capital from wild market swings. There are endless variations on this theme, largely dependant on client risk tolerance and time horizon, but the navigational starting point of a “balanced” 60% stocks and 40% bonds mix has endured.Yet, when it comes to the financial markets, investors absorb daily blow-by-blow accounts of price drops, stock bubbles, and geopolitical-induced volatility. This can influence decisions and emotions, and lead to panic selling – and often panic buying – that harms your portfolio.

Real Estate

October 21, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Real Estate

Our House, the gentle Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young classic - written, incidentally, by Graham Nash - strikes an emotional beat familiar to many homeowners or wannabe homeowners. The song describes an everyday scene yet it’s beloved by millions because, as the cliché goes, home is where the heart is. It’s also why decisions around selling or buying real estate, usually the biggest asset a person will own, go far beyond a financial transaction. Yet, when it comes to the financial markets, investors absorb daily blow-by-blow accounts of price drops, stock bubbles, and geopolitical-induced volatility. This can influence decisions and emotions, and lead to panic selling – and often panic buying – that harms your portfolio.

Personal Finance

August 23, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Personal Finance

Slaving over a hot computer, putting in extra hours over the weekend… many pre-retirees are driven by a fear of the future. What if I don’t have enough money saved? What if I outlive my investments? Maybe I’ll just tap away for another two years to ensure my family are secure.

Beyond Coldplay: how emerging markets enhance your investment palette

Investment Types

August 17, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Investment Types

There’s a reason the likes of Coldplay and U2 sell millions of albums - people know what they’re getting. Whether it’s The Edge’s chiming guitar or Chris Martin’s lovelorn warbling, familiarity is comforting. Less widely known, and arguably more interesting bands, like Sparks for example, who switch up genres, often endure more sporadic profits.

General Economy

August 8, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in General Economy

Gordon Gekko hasn’t done the investment industry’s reputation any favours. Michael Douglas’ unscrupulous movie character quickly became shorthand for all that is wrong with Wall Street and financial markets with his infamous ‘greed is good’ speech. But you don’t have to look too far away from the big screen to see real-life examples of people whose actions have perpetuated the link between the wealth industry, untrustworthy characters and get-rich-quick trades.

Investment Types

August 3, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Investment Types

General Economy

July 22, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in General Economy

Imagine you’re on a long-haul flight and the pilot informs you of every hint of turbulence. It would drive every passenger crazy. Thankfully, instead, most of us watch a movie, grab some uncomfortable sleep, and wait until the plane’s wheels hit tarmac. Ignorance is bliss. Yet, when it comes to the financial markets, investors absorb daily blow-by-blow accounts of price drops, stock bubbles, and geopolitical-induced volatility. This can influence decisions and emotions, and lead to panic selling – and often panic buying – that harms your portfolio.

Wealth transfer: Preparing the next generation

Real Estate

July 18, 2022 by ETF Capital Management in Real Estate

Intergenerational wealth, on our TV screens at least, conjures images of Succession’s Logan Roy dismissing one of his weasel kids with a sneer and expletive. Roy, the fearsome patriarch, who built his business from nothing, watches in disgust as the heirs to his throne – who do no work of any note - connive and backstab in an effort to win the keys to more money and power.

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