CEO Compensation – Nortel
I was perusing the list of highest paid CEOs in Canada on this site, and the likely suspects were all there – Precision Drilling, Talisman Energy, CNR. What I found odd was the fact that Mike Zafirovski or Nortel was number 3 for 2005 with a whopping $37,429,297 for the year. Correct me if I [...]
50 Years of Dividend Increases – PG
One of the stocks in my portfolio has been getting a lot of press these days because it is considered to be a “safe or defensive†stock. The rationale is that it sells products that people will need to buy whether the economy is booming or going down the toilet. During recent market activity like [...]
Employer Contributions to Savings
The company I am with is going through our annual benefit reselection process and part of that is deciding how we want to allocate flex credits. For the upcoming year, I am going to increase the amount of savings I do. Last year, with all the employer and my own personal contributions to the pension [...]
The Only Time to Hope the Market is Rising Is When You Are Selling
I heard a cool phrase the other day – I do not remember who and I have no idea who coined it but it went something like this: The only time to pray for a rising market is when you are selling a company – when you are a buyer, the more stocks fall the [...]
Increasing Payout Ratio on Banks
There has been some media hype in the last little while in Canada about our banks – which have historically been excellent dividend payers – increasing their payout ratios to offer shareholders with an increased return from dividend payments. The driving factor is that the banks are now saying that there are limited growth opportunities [...]
Calculating Future Value Using Excel
I have received a number of questions over the past year or so on the best way to determine what an investment portfolio may be worth in the future. My response always starts with the same thought: it completely depends on your assumptions. The assumptions you make with regards to your annual contributions and your [...]
Everyone is Hyped About Investing Again
I was sitting on the train coming into work this morning and there were these two mid-forty year guys having a chat about money. Usually I try to tune people out on the train, but this one I couldn’t. They were talking about investing. Now, I understand this may not be all that fascinating. However, [...]
Porsche Fund / Frivolous Purchase Fund
Many us embedded within the rat race today are super focused on saving for retirement. We regularity and consistently deposit money into various retirement accounts to ensure that we have enough money to live on when we turn 65 (or whatever age we decide to pack it in and retire). This is all fine and [...]
