These days, water-cooler discussions at work may sound something like “I’m thinking of buying/selling my home. Is the real-estate bubble going to pop? Is there even a bubble?” Hmmm.. let’s just say that some regions are experiencing a state of instability in their real-estate market for the recent time period. How’s that for being politically correct?
No matter whether you think there is a real-estate bubble or not, you will find someone forcing you their opinion about the topic in the media — on the evening news, in your newspaper, on …

Here’s an update to the whole Canadian TD Waterhouse, Amertirade merger. Myself and many commenters have previously voiced our displeasure at the high comission rates that Canadian traders / investors have to endure. Ameritrade Canada was a haven with its $10.99 rate until the hammer dropped to consummate TD and Ameritrade’s relationship. They were further insulted by the lack of tools on TD Waterhouse’s Canadian trading platforms.
To appease the Ameritrade converts, TD Waterhouse Canada instituted a “Welcome To TD Waterhouse” $9.99 comission rate. The offer since June was set to …

Mutual funds are still the no-brainer solution for the average joe who couldn’t care less about reading financial statements, or spend the time day-trading. Much “marketing” debate has been made about management fees. They’re not wrong to be critical but everything is really dependent on the “net” returns you’re able to achieve. My only concern is that consumers do the minimum work of researching the track-record of the fund and the fund manager. A long, consistent and positive tracking record is a must for active-managed funds.
But when John Bogle, founder …

When it comes to investing columns, thank goodness for the cynics! I’m not just saying that because I’m also a cynic, but along with positive news often comes a lot of hype and fluff. Cynics have the unenviable task of having to prove their negative assertions by rigorous research and logical explanations more so than their salesmen-like counterparts!
I’ve been looking for an opportunity to introduce Chuck Jaffe’s writing to my readers, and his recent article about fund manager cover-up phrases really enlightened me to the politically correct double-talk that fund …

After a satisfying dinner, some delicious desert would be nice. And if you’re Warren Buffett, you might be hoping for some Dairy Queen delights! As our series on Buffett’s tenets draws close to a conclusion, what can we do to leave you with a sweet remembrance? I hope you’re not too full after we’ve covered Buffett’s thoughts on the market, on selecting businesses, and on being an investor. We thought some thought-provoking contrary thoughts would be a thoughtful end! (sigh… I really need some writing lessons! Will somebody buy me …

Warren Buffett loves playing bridge. I dabble in a little poker from time to time. And as much as I’d like to delude myself into thinking I have more similarities with the “oracle”, it ends with a penchant for playing cards. But that doesn’t stop me from learning more about how Buffett thinks investors should approach the game. After reading this installment in our ongoing Investorial series on Buffett’s tenets, if you don’t feel you fit all of Warren’s requirements for being an investor, don’t worry! There’s always a table …

Warren Buffett has some tips for you! And if you’ve been following our series on Buffett’s tenets, you’ve become a bit more familiar with what Buffett thinks about the market and what “qualities” he looks for in a business. Today, we go into more detail about the quantitative measures he examines in order to further his assertions of a company’s investability.

Now that Warren Buffett has shown us how oppportunities arise when the market is at its emotional extremes, it’s time to pick his brain on how he selects businesses. If you were just joining us, Investorial is running a series of Buffett’s tenets — his ideas on investing. We’ve already covered some of Buffett’s tenets on the market. If you want to catch up, by all means! We’ll wait for you.
The overriding tenet for all the discussion in this chapter will be that investors should “never invest in a business …