Industry

Message to fundcos: Aim a little lower

The mutual fund industry needs to re-examine its role in the financial sector and champion stewardship over salesmanship if it is to regain the trust of the Main Street investors it is meant to serve, according to a prominent industry analyst. Speaking at the 2009 Morningstar Conference in Toronto on June 10, Don Philips, managing […]

By Steven Lamb |June 10, 2009

4 min read

Briefly:

The combination of an aging population, falling pension fund values, drop in employer contributions and economic downturn can simultaneously create the perfect storm and derail poorly planned pensions. According to a global survey from HSBC Insurance, there is a significant preparation gap and education gap in pension planning The survey showed that people’s short-term survival […]

By Staff |June 10, 2009

4 min read

Briefly:

In the last four years Canadians’ disposable income grew twice as fast as that of Americans, according to report from CIBC. Since 2005, per capita real disposable income has risen by $2,600 in Canada, compared to $1,300 U.S. for Americans — a reversal of the trend seen in the 1990s when Americans’ income grew at […]

By Staff |June 9, 2009

3 min read

Errant ETFs

Over different market cycles, inverse ETFs have proven popular with some investors. But what they expected to get and what they got has become a source of consternation — and complaint. Exchange-traded funds — essentially index funds targeted at broad market benchmarks or narrower sectoral plays such as gold or oil — are by now […]

By Scot Blythe |June 9, 2009

5 min read