Blog
You can’t control COVID but you can control yourself
At the time of writing, most investors’ stock portfolios have recovered significantly from the precipitous drop in late February through March, 2020 and with the worst of it over – hopefully – Benjamin outlines 3 lessons can we learn from the COVID-19 crisis that can guide us through the next one.
Why is the US market the best place to invest in 2020?
With its wealth of businesses that are asset light or price makers in their market, the U.S. has been and will continue to be an area of focus for Baskin Wealth Management in building portfolios for our clients. Barry explains in this video how these characteristics make for an attractive investing opportunity.
Why the big technology companies are must-own stocks for most clients.
Barry describes the technology giants Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Netflix as “digital toll booths on global growth”. He goes on to explain how these companies have benefited from an amazing technological shift and why they have an unbelievably long runway for growth.
An Ernest Opinion
Will COVID upend the buoyant Toronto housing market?
Most everyone thinks that housing prices in Toronto are a bubble, waiting to burst. That makes the housing market’s resilience during COVID even more surprising: the MLS Home Price Index was up 7.7% in June with sales volumes back at prior year levels.
Stores and malls are here to stay – at least in Canada
While e-commerce holds a number of advantages over traditional retail, Ernest argues that the Canadian market presents some key challenges to online retail and as a result, stores and malls are here to stay.
How Not to Run a Fast Food Chain: Restaurant Brands and the mismanagement of Tim Hortons
Tim Hortons was Canada’s favourite coffee until it was acquired by Restaurant Brands. In this blog, we explore what went wrong and how Tim Horton can regain its crown.
Media Appearances
Barry Schwartz on BNN – Stock Comments
Barry discusses a number of stocks.
Barry Schwartz on BNN – Market Outlook
Barry provides his outlook for the markets.
Barry Schwartz on BNN – Top Picks & Past Picks
Barry discusses his top & past picks.
Outlook
Monthly Newsletter – July 2020
Understandably, people are concerned that the market is going to go down. The impact of the pandemic has created a high level of uncertainty and we do not know what will happen with this horrible and persistent disease in the remainder of 2020 and beyond. However, what we do know is that trying to time the market is not the answer. In this monthly update, David outlines the steps we are taking to protect your portfolios.
Monthly Newsletter – June 2020
David starts his monthly update with the aphorism “hours of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror” as an apt description of the markets so far this year. He includes some interesting charts to illustrate the extremes vis a vis prior periods and reiterates that our approach, as it has been in the past, was to not sell into a falling market. David also introduces 4 recent videos recorded by he and Barry which you can find below. Given that we have not been able to meet with you face to face, we thought that some short videos explaining our views on current circumstances may be of interest.
Monthly Newsletter – May 2020
In this month's update, Barry indicates that, while the economic headlines are troubling and may very well continue to be so for many months, the stock market is forward-looking and is focusing its attention on the improvements in economic conditions that have occurred since April. Whether you look at gasoline consumption, railcar loadings or even the numbers of air travelers, you will notice the North American economy beginning its slow recovery.
Wealth Management
How valuable is the dividend tax credit really?
Tax minimization is one of the most important pillars of wealth management. The more you pay in taxes, the less money you have to spend and save. As a result much ink is spilled and many dollars spent in the effort to pay less tax. But when trying to optimize one part of the equation, it can be easy to miss the forest for the trees.
This is where your plan shines
Major market corrections are scary. If you are close to retirement – or already retired – seismic shifts in the market can feel like the world is ending and your ability to meet your financial objectives is evaporating. If you have a financial plan, now is the time to review it, consider the impacts it has had on your portfolio, and assess in a non-emotional way whether your goals have been affected.
RRIFing on an idea: Relief for RRIF withdrawals
Ben outlines the benefits of a new measure introduced by the Federal government in light of the COVID-19 pandemic to ease the economic burden on retirees by reducing minimum annual RRIF withdrawals.