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How to spot weasel words that can sink your portfolio
Let’s face it — the last thing most investors want to do is read a bulky 200-page annual report. Sure, you might flip through a few pages, but most shareholders have never read a report from front to back. However, a new study shows that certain phrases in corporate filings can provide important warnings about trouble ahead. Looking for these phrases — something that is much easier to do...
Winners & Losers 2009: Comebacks & flameouts
Nominated for a 2010 National Magazine Award in the Best Editorial Package category
We were too quick to write off some of these embattled icons, but others crashed hard.
The comebacks
1. Michael McCain
Last year’s listeria outbreak could have ended Maple Leaf Foods CEO Michael McCain’s decade-long career at the company. But instead of hiding behind his lawyers, McCain faced the press and expressed...
Under construction
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Mortgages: Befriend your bank
It’s been a busy year for Dan Mass, a Calgary-based broker with Canada First Mortgage. Besides his usual workload, he’s had to deal with a number of clients who have either had their homes foreclosed or have concerns that they won’t be able to pay their mortgage bills. “We’ve seen defaults rise this year for sure,” he says.
While Canada isn’t facing U.S.-style delinquency rates—the...
Keeping your portfolio from tumbling as the loonie climbs
When the Canadian dollar reached parity with the greenback in September 2007, U.S. border crossings were jammed. Deal-seeking Canadians braved four-hour waits just to get 20 bucks off a pair of Banana Republic khakis — and who could blame them? The last time the currencies were equal was in 1976. But, while giddy consumers ransacked U.S. malls, many Canadian investors watched in horror as their portfolio...
Bryan Borzykowski is a Toronto-based web and print writer, editor and blogger working mainly for business and entertainment publications. He regularly contributes to Canadian Business magazine, writes Metro Canada's weekly Audio Files music column and shares personal finance tips on Rogers TV's Daytime Toronto. He's also written for Maclean's, MoneySense, PROFIT, Chatelaine, Hello Canada, MSN Tech, Yahoo Finance and the National Post. He was recently nominated for five National Magazine Awards, winning one in an online category.
