Author Archive
How long should you leave your house on the market?
Ever wonder why that house on the corner of your street has been on the market for two years? So does everyone else.
Keeping a “For Sale” sign parked on your lawn for more than three months is a mistake, says Gary Bachman, a real estate agent in Winnipeg. “People start saying, ‘What’s wrong with the house?’”
In Toronto, where homes, on average, don’t sit beyond 27 days, people start...
Homes: Renovate or relocate
There comes a time in every homeowner’s life when he needs to upgrade. Starter homes aren’t meant for long-term living, and when the kids arrive, things quickly start to feel cramped.
At one time, that meant it was time to move, but that’s not the only option. More and more homeowners are opting to build additions instead. Some are even razing their homes and rebuilding from scratch. All...
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...
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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...
Joel Plaskett tops list of Canada’s finest of 2009
With just a couple weeks left in the year, every music fan is likely busy compiling a list of the decade’s best records. But we can’t forget how good 2009 has been. There was Sonic Youth’s infectious The Eternal, La Roux’s electro pop debut, Grizzly Bear’s harmony laden folk on Veckatimst and the list goes on. But five Canadian records really stood out. Not only are these better than many...
Bryan Borzykowski is a Toronto-based writer and editor working mainly for business publications. He writes for the New York Times, Canadian Business magazine, Globe and Mail, Bloomberg Businessweek Custom Publishing, Toronto Star, MoneySense and more. Bryan's the editor of Review magazine and is a senior editor with Connected for Business magazine. He's also a contributing writer with Hello! Canada and was once a weekly music columnist for Metro News. He's been nominated for several National Magazine Awards and he's co-authored