Spring Uncorked

As a fundraiser, Spring Uncorked is a win-win — a fun evening that celebrates spring and the best of local food and wine, while benefiting Hamilton’s neediest kids. It’s the ultimate feel good event. Click here: Spring Uncorked to be brought to their website and to purchase your tickets. ON SALE NOW!

Click here to view ad

February 28th, 2012

As one market pundit remarked, “Facebook is about to become the “largest casino chip on Wall Street.” Reports are already indicating Facebook’s IPO may already be valued at three times or more that of the prior record holder in the tech industry, Google. In August 2004, Google was perceived as being richly over-valued, coming to the Street with a value just north of $27B for their internet search portal. Since that time…

Click here to download the PDF.

Featured Video Related Article December 12th, 2011

In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?”

November 9th, 2011

It is with great pleasure that we bring to you Geoff Mac Donald, the CIO & Co Edgepoint founding partner, along with Alan Lynam and Richard Djakovic of Edgepoint. Join us On Wednesday November 23, 2011, seating is limited, so please register early.

Click here to download the PDF.

October 27th, 2011

On Thursday past, a small but determined group set out to scale the CN Tower.  I am pleased to report that the entire crew made it to the top.  The team raised just over $2,000 between on-line and cash donations for the United Way, with Sharon Stewart showing us all how to fund raise.  Thank you to all who donated and supported our small but resolute team – through the dog days of summer you kept us focused on those stairs.

We were led to the top by George Van Arragon a last minute substitute for an injured team member.  With virtually no training, George sprinted up, held back only by those slower moving participants who weren’t fast enough to get out of the way of the machine that was George.  A little over 15 minutes – we remain in awe.  Ronal Diep was hard on his tail making a race of it.

A shout-out to Ashley Warren and Linda Odnokon who shaved an hour off our collective time – without you we might not have made it out of the holding pen.

Big thanks go out to the ground crew. It was great to have a comfortable seat to fall into when all was said and done.

Lynn Travis
VP Operations

October 14th, 2011

You’ll raise your eyebrows and say “Really!” when you learn these food facts. But they’ll also help you eat healthier.
Do you know your way around a kitchen, supermarket, or mini-fridge? When you’re well acquainted with food, you can whip up a healthy meal out of a few ingredients.

Click here to read more.

October 6th, 2011

Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited
Proudly we announce that an amazing group of people have joined together from BBSL to support the fundraising initiatives for United Way. On October 20th, some employees from across our 10 Offices will participate in the Enbridge CN Tower Climb.

Back on June 5th, we joined forces to aid in the support of Ride for Heart. A Team Effort is at the heart of our firm and we are proud to support our community, every chance we get.

http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.as​px?teamID=254589&langPref=en-C​A&Referrer=direct%2Fnone

September 13th, 2011

What the Junior Golf Tour of Hamilton/Halton has meant to me.
Answering the question, What the Junior Golf Tour of Hamilton/Halton has meant to me, made me even more aware of how much it has contributed to my life and what a privilege it is to participate in. The Tour has provided a valuable experience in helping me develop my golf skills, allow me to make new friends, and learn life lessons.
On June 7, 2008, as a nervous 14 year old with limited golf skills and no previous
competitive experience…

Click here to read the full essay.

Archive
August 2011
June 2011
April 2011

Thank you for stopping in to see “What’s New”.

For a full listing of BBSL’s community involvement, please visit our Community Page. http://burgeonvestbick.com/?page_id=86

At Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited our Advisors are hard at work behind the scenes furthering their education and industry knowledge to ensure they offer you the best service you deserve.
They are also regularly involved in our communities as volunteers, board members, and committee members. We help organize community events and participate as coaches. We’re very proud of their efforts and commitment and felt that you would be too.

Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-03-29/canada-eliminates-penny-that-costs-penny-and-a-half-to-make.html

RESP

RESPs at Glance, It’s almost March Break, and as the students take a break from their education, now might be the time for us to review the importance of saving for their future education. Please see below PDF…

RESP Brochure

Many heartfelt congratulations go out Jim McIntosh,

Jim McIntosh has been given the prestigious recognition of Citizen of the Year 2010. After hearing of such an accomplishment, the emails went viral throughout our 9 offices sending out their support and recognition to Jim. It is such a big part of our firm to lend hand to one another as well as in our own community.

We couldn’t be prouder of you Jim!

Click here to see Jim’s article on StoneyCreekNews.com from May 9th, 2011.

Below is a link to the PDF for the Citizen of the year Awards

“Jim was recently honoured by being named as Stoney Creek Citizen of the Year, which I think is a remarkable achievement, and I trust everyone will agree, we in turn are honoured to be associated with such an outstanding individual.” – Clarence Bick, MBA, CFP

Click here to see Jim’s article on www.StoneyCreekNews.com for May 18, 2011.

Best-selling author of “The Professional Financial Advisor” keynote speaker, Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and media award winner John DeGoey has built his practice through professionalism and integrity. Recently the Globe and Mail published an article on “Don’t let taxes and fees eat away at your funds” – quoting John DeGoey throughout.

We are happy to email you the pdf version of this article or enjoy reading it now online at Globe and Mail. We are fortunate to have advisors such as John working for you on our team.

Visit John’s website at: www.burgeonvestbick.com/johndegoey

At Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited our Advisors are hard at work behind the scenes furthering their education and industry knowledge to ensure they offer you the best service you deserve.
They are also regularly involved in our communities as volunteers, board members, and committee members. We help organize community events and participate as coaches. We’re very proud of their efforts and commitment and felt that you would be too.

Dr. John Knechtel of the Ancaster Branch of BBSL can be seen with Arend Kersten, and Dave Cage and is quoted by saying “Our competition is not within the city. Our competition is beyond our borders.”

Click below to read the article
Three Chambers, One Momentous Result

June 17th, 2011

19 riders from the BBSL family got together on June 5th at six in the morning to challenge the 25, 50 and 75k rides up and down the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway.  Many of us scheduled to do the 25k did the 50k instead. 5 of us did the 75k.

Getting up at 5 in the morning (or even earlier for one team mate who drove in from Paris) on a Sunday morning was a little frightening (Have you seen what you look like at 5? Really?).  A couple of our riders took time away from family and had to rush home for little people commitments. One rider, who rumour has it has already converted his RRSPs to RIFs, was back from the 75k ride before the bulk of us (a couple a third his age) had got to the top of the first lap. Finally, there were more than a few tender glutes and stiff knees the next day.  Sitting in a chair in front of a computer Monday morning was considered a physical challenge for some.

We were exceptional in that of 1200 groups and teams, we ranked 39th overall in our fundraising efforts. Not bad for our first year!  Many much larger organizations with many more riders did not do as well. We set an ambitious target of $10,000 that we didn’t just hit, but blew away.

Professionals, management, support staff, industry associates and our loyal clients at Burgeonvest-Bick Securities Limited all deserve special recognition for participating or supporting our efforts. It is not that we found a worthy cause to throw our support behind that made the difference – it is that the spirit of our boutique company, the determination and drive we possess and the way we consistently, together, in a very competitive environment overcome and excel.

Thank you all.

David Chellew / Linda Odnokon

Team Leaders

Toronto Branch BBSL

June 14th, 2011

On June 7th, The 28th Annual Old Mill race took place with more than 1,000 runners and walkers participating in a 1KM children’s fun run, 5Km or 10Km distance.

The race attracted many residents who cheered on the runners and put out their sprinklers to cool them off. 

There have been Burgeonvest Bick employees and family members participating for many years and this year was no exception with George Van Arragon, Corrine Opthof-Bick and a very special mention of Cindy Little who finished 2nd! Way to Go Cindy!!

Follow this link to view our 2011 Ontario Place corporate discount!

Jim McIntosh, Stoney Creek Advisor for BurgeonvestBick Securities Limited is shown in the picture below alongside Chamber Executive Director Dave Cage during Saturday’s Canada Flag Day Parade in Stoney Creek. The day was blessed by great weather and over 50 entries and 15 bands.

At Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited our Advisors are hard at work behind the scenes furthering their education and industry knowledge to ensure they offer you the best service you deserve.
They are also regularly involved in our communities as volunteers, board members, and committee members. We help organize community events and participate as coaches. We’re very proud of their efforts and commitment and felt that you would be too.

QUAKE FLIGHT Office workers gather on the sidewalk in downtown Washington, Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2011, moments after a 5.9 magnitude tremor shook the American capitol. The earthquake centered northwest of Richmond, Va., shook much of Washington, D.C., and was felt as far away as Sudbury in Northern Ontario.

J. Scott Applewhite/The Associated Press

James DiCenzo is used to tremors, shifting markets, rises and falls. But on Tuesday, the stockbroker noticed a very different kind of swaying in his downtown Hamilton office.

“I was sitting here and thought I felt something shake,” he said. “At first just a little vibration but then it started to gain momentum. My blinds actually started shaking on the windows.”

Click here to read the full article.

August 8th, 2011

Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited is proud to have had the chance to participate in such a wonderful event.
Many Thanks go out to The Music at Fieldcote for hosting, to John Knechtel of BBSL Ancaster for co-sponsoring and to the wonderfully talented Heather Bambrick.

August 3rd, 2011

Heather Bambrick, winner of the 2004 National Jazz Award for Vocalist of the Year, was destined to entertain. This native of St. John’s, Newfoundland is a past graduate and current faculty member at the University of Toronto Faculty of Music. As a professional musician, Heather has shared the stage and recorded with some of Canada’s greatest Jazz talents, including Phil Nimmons, Kenny Wheeler, Guido Basso, Peter Appleyard, Rob McConnell, Carol Welsman, and the Beehive Singers. She’s also a voice actor, heard in many commercials and television programs.  Link to Music at Fieldcote

At Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited our Advisors are hard at work behind the scenes furthering their education and industry knowledge to ensure they offer you the best service you deserve.
They are also regularly involved in our communities as volunteers, board members, and committee members. We help organize community events and participate as coaches. We’re very proud of their efforts and commitment and felt that you would be too.

As a fundraiser, Spring Uncorked is a win-win — a fun evening that celebrates spring and the best of local food and wine, while benefiting Hamilton’s neediest kids. It’s the ultimate feel good event. Click here: Spring Uncorked to be brought to their website and to purchase your tickets. ON SALE NOW!

Click here to view ad

February 28th, 2012

As one market pundit remarked, “Facebook is about to become the “largest casino chip on Wall Street.” Reports are already indicating Facebook’s IPO may already be valued at three times or more that of the prior record holder in the tech industry, Google. In August 2004, Google was perceived as being richly over-valued, coming to the Street with a value just north of $27B for their internet search portal. Since that time…

Click here to download the PDF.

Featured Video Related Article December 12th, 2011

In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?”

November 9th, 2011

It is with great pleasure that we bring to you Geoff Mac Donald, the CIO & Co Edgepoint founding partner, along with Alan Lynam and Richard Djakovic of Edgepoint. Join us On Wednesday November 23, 2011, seating is limited, so please register early.

Click here to download the PDF.

October 27th, 2011

On Thursday past, a small but determined group set out to scale the CN Tower.  I am pleased to report that the entire crew made it to the top.  The team raised just over $2,000 between on-line and cash donations for the United Way, with Sharon Stewart showing us all how to fund raise.  Thank you to all who donated and supported our small but resolute team – through the dog days of summer you kept us focused on those stairs.

We were led to the top by George Van Arragon a last minute substitute for an injured team member.  With virtually no training, George sprinted up, held back only by those slower moving participants who weren’t fast enough to get out of the way of the machine that was George.  A little over 15 minutes – we remain in awe.  Ronal Diep was hard on his tail making a race of it.

A shout-out to Ashley Warren and Linda Odnokon who shaved an hour off our collective time – without you we might not have made it out of the holding pen.

Big thanks go out to the ground crew. It was great to have a comfortable seat to fall into when all was said and done.

Lynn Travis
VP Operations

October 14th, 2011

You’ll raise your eyebrows and say “Really!” when you learn these food facts. But they’ll also help you eat healthier.
Do you know your way around a kitchen, supermarket, or mini-fridge? When you’re well acquainted with food, you can whip up a healthy meal out of a few ingredients.

Click here to read more.

October 6th, 2011

Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited
Proudly we announce that an amazing group of people have joined together from BBSL to support the fundraising initiatives for United Way. On October 20th, some employees from across our 10 Offices will participate in the Enbridge CN Tower Climb.

Back on June 5th, we joined forces to aid in the support of Ride for Heart. A Team Effort is at the heart of our firm and we are proud to support our community, every chance we get.

http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.as​px?teamID=254589&langPref=en-C​A&Referrer=direct%2Fnone

September 13th, 2011

What the Junior Golf Tour of Hamilton/Halton has meant to me.
Answering the question, What the Junior Golf Tour of Hamilton/Halton has meant to me, made me even more aware of how much it has contributed to my life and what a privilege it is to participate in. The Tour has provided a valuable experience in helping me develop my golf skills, allow me to make new friends, and learn life lessons.
On June 7, 2008, as a nervous 14 year old with limited golf skills and no previous
competitive experience…

Click here to read the full essay.

Archive
August 2011
June 2011
April 2011

Thank you for stopping in to see “What’s New”.

For a full listing of BBSL’s community involvement, please visit our Community Page. http://burgeonvestbick.com/?page_id=86

At Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited our Advisors are hard at work behind the scenes furthering their education and industry knowledge to ensure they offer you the best service you deserve.
They are also regularly involved in our communities as volunteers, board members, and committee members. We help organize community events and participate as coaches. We’re very proud of their efforts and commitment and felt that you would be too.

Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited

In Washington DC , at a Metro Station, on a cold January morning in 2007, a man with a violin played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time, approximately 2000 people went through the station, most of them on their way to work.

After about four minutes, a middle-aged man noticed that there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds, and then he hurried on to meet his schedule.

About four minutes later, the violinist received his first dollar. A woman threw money in the hat and, without stopping, continued to walk.

At six minutes, a young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.

At ten minutes, a three-year old boy stopped, but his mother tugged him along hurriedly. The kid stopped to look at the violinist again, but the mother pushed hard and the child continued to walk, turning his head the whole time. This action was repeated by several other children, but every parent – without exception – forced their children to move on quickly.

At forty-five minutes: The musician played continuously. Only six people stopped and listened for a short while. About twenty gave money but continued to walk at their normal pace. The man collected a total of $32.

After one hour:
He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed and no one applauded. There was no recognition at all.

No one knew this, but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the greatest musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before, Joshua Bell sold-out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100 each to sit and listen to him play the same music.

This is a true story. Joshua Bell, playing incognito in the D.C. Metro Station, was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people’s priorities.

This experiment raised several questions:

In a common-place environment, at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty?

If so, do we stop to appreciate it?

Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?

One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be this:
If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world, playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ever made…
How many other things are we missing as we rush through life?”

November 9th, 2011

It is with great pleasure that we bring to you Geoff Mac Donald, the CIO & Co Edgepoint founding partner, along with Alan Lynam and Richard Djakovic of Edgepoint. Join us On Wednesday November 23, 2011, seating is limited, so please register early.

Click here to download the PDF.

October 27th, 2011

On Thursday past, a small but determined group set out to scale the CN Tower. I am pleased to report that the entire crew made it to the top. The team raised just over $2,000 between on-line and cash donations for the United Way, with Sharon Stewart showing us all how to fund raise. Thank you to all who donated and supported our small but resolute team – through the dog days of summer you kept us focused on those stairs.

We were led to the top by George Van Arragon a last minute substitute for an injured team member. With virtually no training, George sprinted up, held back only by those slower moving participants who weren’t fast enough to get out of the way of the machine that was George. A little over 15 minutes – we remain in awe. Ronal Diep was hard on his tail making a race of it.

A shout-out to Ashley Warren and Linda Odnokon who shaved an hour off our collective time – without you we might not have made it out of the holding pen.

Big thanks go out to the ground crew. It was great to have a comfortable seat to fall into when all was said and done.

Lynn Travis
VP Operations

October 14th, 2011

You’ll raise your eyebrows and say “Really!” when you learn these food facts. But they’ll also help you eat healthier.
Do you know your way around a kitchen, supermarket, or mini-fridge? When you’re well acquainted with food, you can whip up a healthy meal out of a few ingredients.

Click here to read more.

October 6th, 2011

Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited
Proudly we announce that an amazing group of people have joined together from BBSL to support the fundraising initiatives for United Way. On October 20th, some employees from across our 10 Offices will participate in the Enbridge CN Tower Climb.

Back on June 5th, we joined forces to aid in the support of Ride for Heart. A Team Effort is at the heart of our firm and we are proud to support our community, every chance we get.

http://my.e2rm.com/TeamPage.as​px?teamID=254589&langPref=en-C​A&Referrer=direct%2Fnone

September 13th, 2011

What the Junior Golf Tour of Hamilton/Halton has meant to me.
Answering the question, What the Junior Golf Tour of Hamilton/Halton has meant to me, made me even more aware of how much it has contributed to my life and what a privilege it is to participate in. The Tour has provided a valuable experience in helping me develop my golf skills, allow me to make new friends, and learn life lessons.
On June 7, 2008, as a nervous 14 year old with limited golf skills and no previous
competitive experience…

Click here to read the full essay.

Archive
August 2011
June 2011
April 2011

Thank you for stopping in to see “What’s New”.

For a full listing of BBSL’s community involvement, please visit our Community Page. http://burgeonvestbick.com/?page_id=86

At Burgeonvest Bick Securities Limited our Advisors are hard at work behind the scenes furthering their education and industry knowledge to ensure they offer you the best service you deserve.
They are also regularly involved in our communities as volunteers, board members, and committee members. We help organize community events and participate as coaches. We’re very proud of their efforts and commitment and felt that you would be too.

“When the facts change, I change my opinion. What do you do, sir?” John Maynard Keynes.

“The markets can remain irrational longer that you can remain solvent.” John Maynard Keynes.

“Some people seem to think there’s no trouble just because it hasn’t happened yet. If you jump out the window at the 42nd floor and you’re still doing fine as you pass the 27th floor, that doesn’t mean you don’t have a serious problem. I would want to address the problem right now. They’d better face it.” Charlie Munger.

The dictionary defines being contrary as someone who is inclined to oppose and contradict. Having contrary ideas may be insightful; the stuff of doctorates and dissertations. But being contrary to the direction of the stock market with your own real money on the line has serious implications!

In John Steele Gordon’s book, The Great Game (p.233), he writes about “Black” Thursday, October 4, 1929. When as acting-President of the NYSE, John Whitney [who later ended up in jail] “went from post to post…placing orders for the bluest of blue chips…until he had committed more than $20 million.” Actually, it was J.P. Morgan’s money. That level on the Dow Jones Industrial Average was not seen again until 1954, twenty five years later. This surely could be considered an interesting example of contrarian investing.

I intend to focus on the practical aspects of being contrarian as it applies to the decision to buy, hold or sell. Being contrarian is neither “right” nor “wrong” because it depends on the behaviour and beliefs of the individual and not the collective group. One may see a declining market as an opportunity to buy as lower prices represent – to that person – better “value”. Another may see the same situation as a signal to exit their longs and go short. Which one has the “right” approach? And who is the contrarian? I believe the answer is that they both are right and they both are contrarian. The investor who stays long based on their rules sees this decline as only temporary. They expect a resumption of the uptrend. But the investor who exits and goes short based on their rules believes the decline is the start of a material downtrend. I think this scenario highlights the two greatest mistakes of both advisors and investors alike. It relates to determining both risk and time frame before entering the market.

There is a saying in our industry; “do you want to be right, or do you want to be rich?” If the person continues to be long a position in the face of a declining market, they may well find better (lower) prices where they can add to their position. Or at least have the resolve to stay long. Value investors like Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger fall into this category. I would suggest that these investors are – at that point in time – contrarian because their thesis for continuing to hold is not in line with the prevailing market trend. The almost 50% decline in most world markets in 2008 – which took months, not years, was, in retrospect, well beyond the tolerance of most investors. The current level of the TSX Composite Index is at levels similar to early 2006, over four years ago. Do you continue to hold because your time frame is longer? Or is there a level of loss below which, your time frame objective is pre-empted?

If you know your risk tolerance and time frame before any of your money is placed in the market then the concept of being contrarian is just that; a concept. It has no relevance to the pragmatics of investing because whatever your system is – contrarian, trend following, scalping or hedging – you’re simply following your own pre-established rules for time and risk. If you don’t have rules for entry as well as for exit for all market conditions, then you are both guessing and forecasting that at some point in the future you will achieve a positive return. And that’s neither smart nor contrarian. That’s gambling without a plan.

The return of the Standard & Poor’s 500 index, the most widely followed index in the world, currently has a return for Canadian investors (expressed in Canadian dollars) since the beginning of 1999 of negative 3.9% per year. This period is referred to as the “lost decade”. That is a long time to stay on the buy side and be “wrong”. Or, should I say, contrarian?

David M. Hall, CMA, FCSI, Ch.P, Strategic Wealth
Portfolio Manager
Burgeonvest-Bick Securities Limited
170 University Ave., Suite 701
Toronto, ON
M5H 3B3

(416) 216 – 0895 ext 233
(905) 773 – 4980
Toll Free (866) 884 – 0895
Fax (416) 598 – 0470