WAITING Warren Buffett’s partner, Charlie Munger, says it best: “The big money is not in the buying and selling, but in the waiting.” If someone tells you investing is exciting, doubt their strategy. Done well, investing is about as exciting as watching grass grow. We own well managed Mutual Funds and Managed Portfolios; the secret…
RETIREMENT Recently we attended a retirement party for one of our clients. It was a wonderful and impressive celebration of family and business success. What will this retiring couple do now? A fascinating question, with far-reaching consequences. For some perspective, consider these statistics from an insightful book we’ll delve into at our winter BluestoneSeminar, February…
WE’RE THINKING ABOUT SOMETHING and want your opinion At “BluestoneSeminars” we spend most of our time addressing the two foundational levels of “The Bluestone Hierarchy of Wealth and Well-being”, MANAGING THE MONEY, and ACHIEVING GOALS. The top two tiers of the hierarchy, FULFILLMENT, and SECURITY AND BELONGING, get short order. In other words, we spend…
WISELY MANAGE THESE THREE AND PROSPER portfolio behaviour wealth At a recent conference we heard financial researcher and author, PREET BANERJEE, speak about how to become financially empowered. It was a profound presentation, especially his argument that it’s all about managing three things: portfolio, behaviour and wealth. Also recently, we have been reading JONATHAN RAUCH’s…
TAX-FREE SAVINGS ACCOUNTS the basics The TFSA is entering its 10th year. Allowable contribution amounts have grown to be substantial, so now this tax-free savings and investments account is a powerful financial planning tool. ELIGIBILITY: If you are a Canadian resident, age 18 or older, you are entitled to contribute to a TFSA. CONTRIBUTION LIMITS:…
Three things we’ll work on in 2018: Remove and Reduce Fees: We are steadily striving to become a no fee practice: no up-front sales fees, no back-end sales fees and no trustee fees. And we keep taking steps to make sure our clients are invested in the lowest management expense (MER) series Mutual Funds. Research…
Abraham Maslow, 1908-1970, is one of the 20th century’s most important psychologists. His Hierarchy of Needs lists the requirements for living a fulfilling life. By focusing on peoples’ positive qualities, and their strengths for living well, he is today considered the founder of Positive Psychology: the science of human flourishing. The bottom two levels of…
“A consistent balancing act: protecting capital while pursuing growth.” renowned hedge fund manager Seth Klarman How do we get paid? Most of the Mutual Funds we invest our clients’ money in charge about 2.5% per year. Most people agree, and we concur, that 2.5% is too high. Pressures are building that could bring this fee…
This time of year makes one stop and think… another year has slipped by, so much to be thankful for, so much to look forward to. As we look back over 2016 three things especially fill us with gratitude: Our wonderful clients are always a joy to know and to work with. Whether it’s…
The Bluestone Process for securing wealth and implementing sound financial planning. 1. Personal Financial Planning our process is customized to reflect each client’s personal financial objectives our process is implemented at clients’ discretion and with clients’ input clients’ evolving needs and goals direct ongoing financial analysis 2. Holistic Approach a comprehensive process, covering a broad…
