Blog
Extreme Buy and Hold
There are lots of investment styles, and it is certainly the case that no one way of doing it will be best for everyone all the time. Some people are really traders, not investors, and seldom hold a position for [...]
2022 New Year’s Investing Resolutions
At the beginning of every year, many of us (myself included) resolve to eat healthy, exercise more, watch less Netflix, read more books, be more productive, etc. I always start off the year with good intentions, but within a couple of days, I'm back to my old habits. Don’t make the same mistakes with your investments. Here are some investing resolutions that we believe, if applied properly, will pay dividends for your portfolio for years to come:
Webinar with Barry Schwartz – Do you want a good quarter or a good quarter century?
On Thursday November 11th, our Chief Investment Officer, Barry Schwartz gave a webinar about how we invest for our clients. In this insightful presentation, Barry reviewed the investment approach we use to find the best businesses to own for the long-run.
An Ernest Opinion
Costco’s e-commerce opportunity
In talking to other investors about Costco, the main question is whether Costco can still thrive in a world where Amazon and others can deliver an infinite selection of products to your house in one or two days. As this blog will discuss, e-commerce is more an opportunity than a threat for Costco and the management has cleverly designed its e-commerce strategy in a way that grows Costco’s market share without cannibalizing its core business.
Thoughts on buying Chinese stocks and our circle of competence
One of the hot topics of the day among investors is the regulatory crackdown by the Chinese government and President Xi on various industries, most notably the for-profit tutoring and technology sectors. These issues have driven the benchmark MSCI China Index, which tracks a portfolio of internationally listed Chinese equities, down 13% year to date and over 27% from the high in mid-February with shares of major technology companies such as Alibaba, Tencent, and Didi down even more.
Thoughts on Netflix’s strategy on video games
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings famously said that Netflix competes against Fortnite more than HBO and demonstrated that on Wednesday by hiring Mike Verdu as the Vice President of Game Development. Mr. Verdu previously led Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality efforts at Facebook, and also led mobile gaming efforts at industry leaders Electronic Arts, Kabam, and Zynga.
Media Appearances
Barry Schwartz on BNN – Stock Comments
Barry discusses a number of stocks.
Barry Schwartz on BNN – Market Outlook
Barry discusses his outlook for the markets.
Barry Schwartz on BNN – Top Picks & Past Picks
Barry discusses his top & past picks.
Outlook
Monthly Newsletter – December 2021
If you were not surprised by the markets in 2021, you were not paying attention. At the start of 2021 nobody expected a second consecutive year of great stock market gains. Nobody expected record low unemployment, or rising (and still rising) housing prices, or that inflation would increase at rates not seen in thirty or more years. We at Baskin Wealth Management were as surprised as everyone else; pleasantly so, in this case, but we know that not all surprises are nice ones. As I settle into my new role as Chairman of Baskin Wealth Management, I would like to share four lessons I have learned from my thirty years as a professional investor. I think they can help to make you a happier, more confident, and more successful investor.
Outlook 2022
On Thursday, December 2, David conducted our first virtual Outlook event where he discussed the current inflationary environment touching on the causes, whether we should we be concerned or not and what we are doing about it. If you were not able to attend, or did and would like a recap, we have attached a recording of the event as well as a copy of David’s slides with notes.
Monthly Newsletter – November 2021
On Thursday, December 2, David conducted our first virtual Outlook event where he discussed the current inflationary environment touching on the causes, whether you should be concerned or not and what we are doing about it. Outlook 2022 Events [...]
Wealth Management
Knowledge is power
s the great Francis Bacon proposed, “knowledge is power”. If so, then so too must be saving and sponsoring another person in their pursuit of that knowledge. The Registered Education Savings Plan is a highly effective vehicle for Canadians to save for the education of a loved one, chiefly children and grandchildren.
TFSAs – The magic of tax free compounding
How large can a TFSA get? It depends, of course, on the rate of return and the number of years that compounding has to work its magic.
Donating Securities to Charity – The Angel is in the Details
This is a follow-up to my earlier post on donating securities to charities. In short, making a charitable donation using securities – such as shares of public companies – that have appreciated in value is a highly tax-efficient strategy. This article will go into greater detail about the tax implications of the strategy.