HighView Blog

The mutual fund industry seems to be under the microscope on a regular basis.  That’s partly a function of its size.  But, to be fair, it’s also because the industry has earned criticism for its commission structures, high fees and...

A ‘minimalist’ lifestyle usually refers to living only with the basics.  The less ‘stuff’ you have, the less you have to worry about day-to-day and the happier you will be, say proponents.  Perhaps you can’t part...

Charles Ellis recently wrote an article in the August 2011 Issue of the Financial Analysts Journal titled, “The Winner’s Game“. In this article, Ellis does a great job of outlining the key issues that face the global investment...

Last night, I had an opportunity, along with some of my business partners, to watch an advanced Canadian screening of the documentary, ‘Chasing Madoff’. I’ll disclose upfront that I know personally one of the...

Neither I nor our firm makes high level calls on the economy.  We refrain from peering into our crystal ball in part because the best time to invest is often when the economic news and data are seemingly at their worst.  But that doesn’t...

By Mark Barnicutt, MBA, FCSI, CFA OVERVIEW The recent market volatilities have served as a strong reminder that investing in a globally, intertwined economy of sovereign debt issues is distinctly different than the twenty-five year period prior to...

The Globe & Mail’s Rob Carrick recently wrote about the lessons learned from those investments that lost the most in calendar 2008.  One of his most important points is in the very first sentence where he wrote,  “Never buy an...

In this morning’s Globe & Mail, Shirley Won has an article on portfolio manager Noah Blackstein.  While yours truly is quoted in this piece, I mention it here because the article touches on a topic that I’ve been mulling for some...

A new regulatory initiative – i.e. Mutual Fund Point of Sale – was launched this year in an attempt to better inform investors about the investment funds in which they invest.  The key feature of this Point of Sale initiative was to...

So much effort in the wealth management industry is placed on helping families plan for sufficient investment assets during their retirement years – which is important but it’s not the whole story — as often times, the...