Search found 79 matches

by CathyF
29 May 2012 16:03
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Meta Platforms (Symbol FB) formerly known as Facebook
Replies: 83
Views: 23206

Re: Meta Platforms (Symbol FB) formerly known as Facebook

I wouldn't even think of buying this unless it was under $10, and still had the growth promises that management claims. Even then, it's a gamble. In 10 years, Facebook will be dead. You'd have to hope to dump it well before that.
by CathyF
23 May 2012 16:28
Forum: Financial News, Policy and Economics
Topic: Greece
Replies: 397
Views: 43174

Re: Greece

izzy wrote: You are aware of the steadily decreasing supply of drugs in Canada,supposedly due to generic manufacturers not meeting US standars?.If this is happening in other countries too we may have quite a problem on our hands!
Less drugs and a healthier lifestyle may do western civilization some good.
by CathyF
20 May 2012 15:25
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Telus (Symbol-T)
Replies: 452
Views: 78424

Re: Telus (Symbol-T, Symbol-T.A)

Pickles wrote:A lot can happen in 5 days. Five days ago, I got my robocall from Telus CEO asking me to vote (I did).

The important thing is that shareholders have the right to vote.
I got that call too. I had no intention to vote, but that call made me angry enough to vote... AGAINST management. I own T, and I see no reason to give T.A my voting rights when there's nothing in it for me. Something smells fishy about that proposal.
by CathyF
03 May 2012 16:13
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!
Replies: 271
Views: 14949

Re: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!

The above-linked report states that households with public sector employees have more in retirement assets than other households, but that's <snip> Thank you Bruce, for a thoughtful rebuttal. Bylo's rude snipping and sarcasm was hardly helpful. I think it's probably just my personal anecdotal evidence that skews my perspective. I know a lot of public servants, and while some are quite good money managers, it seems that many... most even... are not. Their private counterparts seem to be better with money. Wrong circle of friends, maybe! Again, it may be because most of a public servant's net worth is tied up in a very generous pension. They may just appear to me to be financially strapped, whereas I often don't account for their pension. Th...
by CathyF
03 May 2012 08:16
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!
Replies: 271
Views: 14949

Re: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!

Bylo Selhi wrote: Or is it possible that we both labour under some form ofconfirmation bias?
Could be. I honestly don't know. It just seems that a lot of professionals that get into financial trouble work for the government. There could be many reasons for that. I personally have my own anecdotal evidence, but I don't claim it to be scientific.

If true, it may simply be that guaranteed pensions mean they don't have to be concerned about money, so perhaps they are more careless than those that have to save for their future.

I know if I had a guaranteed indexed pension for life, I'd only save enough money for an emergency fund, then blow the rest. That still wouldn't put me in financial trouble, but it would put me closer than now.
by CathyF
02 May 2012 10:34
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!
Replies: 271
Views: 14949

Re: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!

I've been asked by friends how to find a good advisor and here are four questions that I suggest. Good thing they didn't ask how to find a good mathematician. :wink: :rofl: As an aside, why is it that when I read about these kinds of financial disaster stories, the couple involved usually works for the government? Is it that government workers are well paid and have lots of money to invest (and thus dominate the number of investors), or is it that government workers generally have poor financial skills (perhaps because governments themselves are poorly managed)? We can try to blame the horrendous financial advisors in these situations, but ultimately it is the couple who is at fault. A few hours effort on their part could have saved them 6...
by CathyF
13 Apr 2012 08:49
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

Yes, I don't think cheap e-books hurts writers. It hurts the publishers, because Amazon wants to deal directly with the writers. It's the publishers that are unhappy, because they're not making big bucks from cheap e-books. I really don't have much sympathy for middle-men that like to screw both the consumer AND the writers.
by CathyF
12 Apr 2012 20:52
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

zinfit wrote:The other companies don't employ cheap off shore labour? The other companies don't try to optimize profits?
Sure, they do. But Apple liked to pretend it was ethical. That was, of course, always garbage. But now people are starting to see through it, because Apple is big enough now to get the spotlight on them. They're having a hard time transitioning from a rebel underdog, to just another big corporation out to screw as many people as they can for a buck.

IMO, I don't see anything wrong with the way they're acting, but I never bought into their ethical B.S.
by CathyF
12 Apr 2012 17:40
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

zinfit wrote:They do have a moat it is their brand. Just like there are people who won't drink any soft drink except CC or wear anything but Nike footwear or drink anything but Starbucks coffee. Its goodwill and blue sky which is worth a lot in the world of commerce.
But is that goodwill going to stand up now that Apple is the big evil corporation?

http://techland.time.com/2012/04/11/sue ... ublishers/

Apple's always been okay with ripping off its customers with the price of its own products, but now they're ripping off customers for other products! If customers start to get the feeling they're being played for suckers, they may go elsewhere. (Unlikely for the fanboy base, I know.)
by CathyF
04 Apr 2012 11:56
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: BlackBerry (Symbol-BB) formerly Research in Motion (RIM)
Replies: 745
Views: 87792

Re: Research in Motion (Symbol-RIM)

If it drops below $10, it might make a good speculative buy if you think Microsoft or someone else will buy it. I don't think there's much value in the business (beyond perhaps another 2-3 years of earnings), but the patents and real-estate might be worth something.
by CathyF
04 Apr 2012 11:49
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

do you think your supplier at half the cost is treating workers better the Mr Cook's crew? Probably not, but so what? Is this some sort of race to the bottom, i.e. to squeeze workers as hard as possible in order to maximize profits? In any case, Apple has even less reason to squeeze their workers since they don't have to compete on price. So they've got way more room to treat their workers better than their competitors and still make huge profits. And apparently they have agreed to do it at Foxconn. It remains to be seen whether their competitors follow suit. Will the result be a margin squeeze or a price increase? They only decided to improve conditions at Foxcon because the media shined a light on Apple's hypocrisy. If the media didn't f...
by CathyF
03 Apr 2012 17:21
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

Agreed and thanks to Wallace for taking the time to share. My opinion has long been the qualatative componnet is the more important part of the game. This story brings to light an obvious question: to what odds is it is a sustainable phenonmenon? If it's not, how long can it last? An interesting thing will be to see what happens as Samsung, MSFT and others rush to join the foray into 'customer experience outlets'. Will this crap on the whole idea itself, reduce the novelty factor or further cement Apple's moat as teh only one who can do it right. I don't see attractive young women lining up to work at the dork store run by MSFT or Samsung and that demographic sure as heck didn't work at Apple's dork store 5 yrs ago. Will they still be ther...
by CathyF
31 Mar 2012 18:18
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: BlackBerry (Symbol-BB) formerly Research in Motion (RIM)
Replies: 745
Views: 87792

Re: Research in Motion (Symbol-RIM)

I also have held THI since their IPO. Tim's has surprised me. I expected it to do okay after the IPO, but basically just stay the same value and pay out a dividend. I didn't think it had much room left to grow, but they seem to be doing well. I never really understood why they are held up as a Canadian icon, though. They were owned by Wendy's, then when they went public most of their shares were held by Americans. (I'm not sure if that's still true... American investors may have dumped their shares.) It's kind of like Walmart claiming to be a Canadian icon simply because they sell a lot of stuff here. I gave up on Tim's when they refused to call their "holiday" mugs, "Christmas mugs". And, when they removed the Canadian...
by CathyF
30 Mar 2012 18:26
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: BlackBerry (Symbol-BB) formerly Research in Motion (RIM)
Replies: 745
Views: 87792

Re: Research in Motion (Symbol-RIM)

kcowan wrote:This is the bounce I expected in the hedge fund contest. Now he has to deliver next quarter!
Are you crazy?!?
Does this look like a good stock chart to you?

http://www.google.com/finance?chdnp=1&c ... RIM&ntsp=0

:shock:

The only way this company has any value at all, is if they put it up for sale right now, and don't blow any more cash on products they can't deliver and nobody wants.

As much as I hate Apple, and think it's overvalued, I'd rather take a bet on Apple than RIM. Heck, I'd rather take a bet on Lotto 649 than RIM!
by CathyF
30 Mar 2012 15:14
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: BlackBerry (Symbol-BB) formerly Research in Motion (RIM)
Replies: 745
Views: 87792

Re: Research in Motion (Symbol-RIM)

Going, going, GONE!

If you haven't bailed out on this company already, take a lesson from Nortel.
by CathyF
29 Mar 2012 07:52
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Trading fees at TDWH
Replies: 9
Views: 2332

Re: Trading fees at TDWH

caricole wrote: Mutual funds...read carefully...40$ + extra,plus whatever the fund charges for early withdrawal (before 7 years holding the fund in many cases)
That is only for certain funds. Most funds are free to buy and sell, as long as you hold them 30 days.

http://www.tdwaterhouse.ca/products-ser ... sactionfee
by CathyF
26 Mar 2012 17:08
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

I'm not a fanboy, and never had an Apple product except a clone Apple IIe back in the 1980s. But I'd have to be blind not to notice the appetite for this company's products. I love it when I visit a store of any company whose shares I own, and I get to see: - Customers crowds are both young and old - Staff are smart, can address objections, can sell, provide value, then upsell. - Customers are leaving with their packages and smiling All the above were in evidence at my neighborhood Apple store. Doesn't that smell of a bubble? When everyone is saying everything's perfect, that's usually a peak. That is, perfection is already priced into the stock. (But I've been wrong about that since Apple was $300, so I'm probably still wrong.) P.S. What ...
by CathyF
23 Mar 2012 13:04
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Full Service Broker/Advisor Fees
Replies: 7
Views: 1901

Re: Full Service Broker/Advisor Fees

If you have a small account and you're only being charged $200, then they're not making any money off you and you may as well stay with them. I presume they hope you'll grow your account so they can rake in the fees. If you have several hundred thousand dollars in your account, and they're charging you 1-2% (or have you invested in mutual funds charging that), then they're making a pile of cash off of you. If you have even the smallest ability to do your own investing at a discount broker, then take your money and run as fast as you can. It will be the biggest bang-for-the-buck you ever make. It will save you thousands (or even tens of thousands) of dollars per year, for only a few hours effort. It can be as simple as Googling "couch p...
by CathyF
23 Mar 2012 10:38
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!
Replies: 271
Views: 14949

Re: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!

Insomniac wrote:Geez. Pape's just the reporter.
I'm okay with shooting the messanger! :lol:
by CathyF
23 Mar 2012 07:40
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!
Replies: 271
Views: 14949

Re: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!

kcowan wrote:Investors don't understand fees
No suprises here. At least not to me.
That article is from Gordon Pape. IIRC, wasn't he a shill for a reverse-mortgage company a while back? Something like that, I think.

It seems a bit hypocritical of him to talk about avoiding RESP and insurance products, while pushing reverse-mortgage schemes (which are almost always bad deals).

He's just another example of people in the financial industry. Anything for a buck.

I never had much respect for him, anyway. He was always stating the obvious about the market in his articles, and always 6 months too late. IMO, if you took his advice, you would be buying high and selling low.
by CathyF
20 Mar 2012 14:11
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

Beyond their operating system what does Microsoft have that has an enduring and profitable future? Their Office suite is probably a pretty big money-maker too. But I agree that Microsoft is a gamble, as with most high-tech companies. The problem with Microsoft, is that there are completely free alternatives to most of their software, and they are almost as good. If I was going to invest in high-tech, I'd go with something that has a large barrier to entry, and is not prone to fads, like Intel. Competitors could do it if they wanted to or if they wanted to believe Apple's (false) claims that it's an essential requirement for building small, light products. For example, Lenovo ThinkPads outsell Apple's notebooks. They've owned the market for...
by CathyF
20 Mar 2012 09:39
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

Bylo Selhi wrote: Why is it that every other smartphone, tablet and notebook PC maker uses batteries that are easy for customers to replace on their own while iStuff is designed to force fanboys to pay a third party 2x or 3x as much for the same thing?
Because Apple treats its customers as idiots. And they may be partly right, since they intentionally design and market to people that are not technical. Maybe changing a battery is just too complicated for some of the these people? If you're going to pay double for an iPad, you probably don't mind paying double for a battery.
by CathyF
20 Mar 2012 08:03
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!
Replies: 271
Views: 14949

Re: High Net Worth? Get Thee To An Advisor!

ghariton wrote:The financial advisor and his client

(video clip)

George
Pretty condescending.
by CathyF
20 Mar 2012 07:55
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

I don't "get" the tablet market. They seem like toys. Too big to carry around in your pocket, and too small to use for real computing. Give me a laptop over a tablet. For carry-everywhere portability, I'll use a smartphone.

Kudos to Apple for creating a tablet market where none is needed. I wonder how long the market will last?
by CathyF
19 Mar 2012 20:25
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)
Replies: 689
Views: 56649

Re: Apple Corp (Symbol-AAPL)

It's tech. What always happens in tech is one of two things: (1) Some other tech company comes along and makes a better widget, making your stuff obsolete. (Apple did this to RIM.) or (2) Your stuff is so popular, that everyone and their dog makes a similar product, making margins razor-thin. (Nokia found out that cell phones are commodities.) I'm betting that Apple will fall into category #2. They do have a good brand, and they will stay profitable. But revenue != profit, when margins collapse. We'll have to wait and see how the iTV is received. I'm guessing the fan-boys will be lining up to buy it, but how many TVs can you sell to the public that already has several? iTV also doesn't have that "I'm going to impress all my friends&quo...