Financial Planning - Investing

Mutual Funds

Mutual funds are pools of money invested by professional managers on behalf of investors. They offer a cost effective, liquid, and convenient way to be an owner of diverse investments.
The advantages of owning Mutual Funds are:

• Professional management
• Flexibility
• Diversification
• Choice
• Affordability
• Liquidity

The disadvantage of owning Mutual Funds is:

MER’s – There are fees called Management Expense Ratio’s that are attached to every Mutual Fund.  They range from 1% to 3% of your total investment, annually.

RRSP's and other registered plans

What is a RRSP?

A RRSP isn't a specific investment. It is really just a special investment holder or account, or, if you like, piggy bank. You can hold a great variety of different investments inside the account. You can even hold many different types of investments inside the RRSP.

What makes a RRSP special is that in return for agreeing to leave the money inside the plan, you get two tax benefits - first, you can move some of your income into a RRSP without it being taxed. Second, once inside a RRSP the money grows tax-free.

• Registered Retirement Income Funds (RRIFs)
• Locked-In Funds (LIFs)
• Locked-In Retirement Accounts (LIRAs)
• Locked-In Retirement Savings Plans (LRSPs)
• Registered Education Savings Plan (RESPs)

Whether you are looking for retirement income, or educational savings plans, North Peace Financial Planning is the place to be!

For more information on RRSP’s or the other registered plans offered by North Peace Savings and Financial Plannng, Please contact our office to speak with our knowledgeable staff members today at (250) 787-0365.

Qtrade Investor

Online Investing with Qtrade Investor Online Brokerage

We are pleased to partner with Qtrade Investor - Canada’s leading independent online brokerage. Whether you currently use an online broker or are interested in doing so, Qtrade Investor is our online brokerage of choice.  Qtrade Investor offers you, among other things:

• Market-leading service and support – Qtrade Investor was rated the #1 online broker in Canada by The Globe and Mail for 2006-2007, and has maintained The Globe’s #1 ranking for outstanding Customer Service since 2002.
• A full range of investments including stocks, options, mutual funds and fixed income securities.
• Comprehensive investment tools and research, news, real-time quotes, portfolio watchlists, email alerts and more.
• Online stock trades for as low as $7.00.
• Easy electronic funds transfer to and from your chequing account.

For more information or to open an account, click on the qtrade logo above. Click here to login into your Qtrade Investor account now.

Online brokerage services are provided through Qtrade Investor, a division of Qtrade Securities Inc., member IIROC and CIPF

Investing

Investing your money can be overwhelming if you don’t know what is available or how it works. There are several ways you can invest your money but to explain them all is beyond the scope of this page. We have included a couple of options.

STOCKS

There are essentially two types so stocks, common and preferred.

• Common stock is one of the most popular investments in Canada and is owned in a wide variety of ways.
• Preferred stock is a class of corporate stock that is traded on exchanges and in over-the-counter markets, like common stock. However, unlike common stock, preferred stocks do not usually carry voting rights. Preferred stock does pay a specified dividend, which usually is higher than the common stock dividend and often more dependable for investors seeking current income.

Bonds

A bond is evidence of a loan, which represents a debt owed by a corporation or government to the person who purchased the bond.

There are a wide variety of types of bonds that may be issued by corporations and federal, provincial or municipal governments.