Asset Allocation | Balance Junkie

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Millionaire Teacher Book Review
To stay out of harm's way financially, we need to build assets, not debts. One of the surest ways to build wealth over a lifetime is to spend far less than you make and intelligently invest the difference. But too many people hurt their financial health by failing to differentiate between their "wants" and their "needs."
~ Andrew Hallam, Millionaire Teacher

If you're a novice investor wondering how to get started on the road to a worry-free retirement savings fund, I've got the perfect book for you. If you're a seasoned personal finance aficionado, I think you'll find this ...
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TFSA vs. RRSP Duel: Who Wins?
The inability to make a decision has often been passed off as patience.
~ Author Unknown

At this time of year, many Canadians are trying to figure out where to put their savings in order to reap the greatest tax and long term investment advantage. With the introduction of TFSAs, that decision has been complicated a bit. There has been great debate over which are the best investment vehicles to choose for your TFSA and whether RRSPs are a better retirement savings option.

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RRSPs: Taking Money Out
Life is not long, and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it shall be spent.~ Samuel Johnson

Our series on RRSP Basics continues today with some information on how and when to take money out of your RRSP.
Withdrawing Money Before You Retire
The idea behind RRSPs is that you won't be taking any money out until you retire. But as we all know, life happens. Here's how it works if you encounter an emergency where you absolutely need to take some of your money out:
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TFSA: Investment Gains, Withdrawals and Contribution Room
Money often costs too much.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
Last year I wrote about TFSA Withdrawals, giving some examples of how they work. In the last couple of weeks, however, I've received a lot of questions from readers on how capital growth affects your TFSA contribution room.
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TFSA Contribution Limit for 2012
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
~Leonardo DaVinci

Most people have calculated that if the CPI (Consumer Price Index) runs around 2%, that would mean we should exceed the threshold as of 2012. While that looks likely to happen, the CRA hasn't officially announced the 2012 TFSA limit yet. I spoke to someone at CRA last week and they said that the official announcement hasn't come yet, but that it will (obviously) be out by the end of 2011. He advised us to keep watching the CRA website for TFSA updates.
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RRSP vs. Paying Down Debt
Today, there are three kinds of people: the haves, the have-nots, and the have-not-paid- for-what-they-haves.
~ Earl Wilson
RRSPs work best for the haves. The have-nots might be better off starting with TFSAs, and the have-not-paid-for-what-they-haves should pay down debt first. That would pretty much sum up my general view of using RRSPs.
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Financial Outlook for 2012
We are rapidly coming to the point where we can no longer stuff the dirty clothes and toys under the bed. There is no more room. We are going to be forced to actually deal with the mess.
~ John Mauldin, 2012: A Year of Choices

Just a few weeks into 2012, markets have been mostly positive - until Friday's rumours of European downgrades and JP Morgan's disappointing earnings results derailed the enthusiasm. The warm holiday glow of optimism seems to be fading and 2012 is already starting to feel a lot like 2011, with all of ...
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Yes, You Can Live Without Bonds
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.
~J.K. Galbraith

A recent article in the Globe and Mail delivered the following advice to investors: Don’t Let a Fear of Bonds Infect Your Healthy Portfolio. The implications are clear:

Recent concerns about ultra-low interest rates eventually turning higher are overblown.
If you succumb to the paranoid people who think interest rates can actually rise above 0% - 3%, your portfolio will be unhealthy, damaged, infected. (The image with the article showed people in protective masks.)
And my personal favourite: Long term investors ...
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6 Remedies For a Debt Hangover
Cheers to a New Year and another chance for us to get it right.
~ Oprah Winfrey
OK, so you overindulged. You read all of those articles warning about moderation or complete avoidance. You intended to follow that prudent advice. But you didn't. I could easily be talking about alcohol consumption or debt consumption. Either way, over-consumption will put you in a precarious position.

If you're not in that position on either front, congratulations. If you are, you're not alone. Debt has been in the news a lot lately and if you read my post on 2010 ...
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The Gene Mauch Rule for Investing Success
The following is a guest post by Rob Bennett. I'm pleased to announce that Rob will be sharing his thoughts with us here in a monthly column. Thanks Rob! :)

Gene Mauch was the manager of the Phillies baseball team when I was a boy growing up in Philadelphia. He once said something in an interview that has stuck with me ever since.

Mauch said that, when his team was on a winning streak, his job was to pop holes in the inflated egos of his players. When players are winning, they start thinking that they are so ...
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How to Manage Your Money in Uncertain Times

By 2 Cents on May 18th, 2010 | Category: Investing | 5 comments

There’s more than one answer to these questions Pointing me in a crooked line. And the less I seek my source for some definitive The closer I am to fine.

~ Indigo Girls, “Closer to Fine”

Those of you who have been reading Balance Junkie for a while you know that my economic forecast is as follows: Cloudy with a Chance of Hurricanes. As such, I’m going to start with the assumption that we will be living with elevated volatility in the stock, bond and currency markets for the foreseeable future. That means we could see breathtaking downdrafts like the one on May 6th and we will also likely witness violent rebounds that will shake out short sellers (those betting the market will fall).

Many market watchers have sounded the all clear siren in light of the huge stock market rebound and genuinely improving economic data. They say [...]

Read on and enjoy … How to Manage Your Money in Uncertain Times

Should You Invest in Stocks?

By 2 Cents on March 18th, 2010 | Category: Investing | 16 comments

Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.

~ Frederick B. Wilcox

Update: This post is included in the Carnival of Personal Finance #249 posted at Amateur Asset Allocator. Thanks!

Regular readers know they’re not going to get a yes or no answer to the title question. If you’re new here, I will give you this one-word answer: maybe. The truth is, I don’t think anyone is qualified to answer that question but you. But I’m guessing you’re reading this to actually get a little information, so I’ll try to outline my take on the pros and cons here.

Much of what I write here and in comments on other sites often sounds a very cautious tone on equities (stocks). I’m afraid I may come off as someone who generally doesn’t like stocks or markets. [...]

Read on and enjoy … Should You Invest in Stocks?

20 Cents from January 2010

By 2 Cents on February 1st, 2010 | Category: 20 Cents | Leave a comment

This is a list of 10 articles from January of 2010 that I thought you might find interesting. Go ahead and browse some of these websites if they are new to you and you’re certain to find a lot more great information. Enjoy!

Pop Economics had a great post asking What Investment Return Should You Plan For? I very much agree with the analysis here, as I think the conventional wisdom of 7% – 10% returns is way too optimistic, especially given the challenges we face in the near term with global debt levels where they are. Manage your risk, control what you can, and be careful what numbers you enter in those retirement calculators! Byron Wien is a seasoned expert who is often tagged with the “legendary” moniker, so a lot of people listen to what he has to say. The fact that he’s [...]

Read on and enjoy … 20 Cents from January 2010

Millionaire Teacher Book Review

TFSA vs. RRSP Duel: Who Wins?

RRSPs: Taking Money Out

TFSA: Investment Gains, Withdrawals and Contribution Room

TFSA Contribution Limit for 2012

RRSP vs. Paying Down Debt

Financial Outlook for 2012

Yes, You Can Live Without Bonds

6 Remedies For a Debt Hangover

The Gene Mauch Rule for Investing Success

How to Manage Your Money in Uncertain Times

Should You Invest in Stocks?

20 Cents from January 2010

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