Investorial

If you haven’t heard, let me catch you up by saying that Bell Canada (BCE) recently announced that it is in leveraged buy-out talks with a consortium of Pension Plans (including Ontario Teachers Pension Plan) and private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (KKR). The stock price has been pushed up amidst the frenzy created by BCE’s senior management.

I couldn’t express my feelings on this any better than Mark Evans. Mark has been writing about the telecom industry for years. He lays out very nicely talkiing points that mirror my sentiments of this proposal.

But one thing is certain, in the age-old market system of buyers and sellers, both groups are always hoping to outmaneuver each other. To put it plainly, a buyer buys in hopes of profiting, so why would a seller sell if (more…)

Nation, if you’re like me, everyone’s crazed about tax season. I haven’t file my taxes yet, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t done my taxes. There’s a difference! More on that next time..

But why is it a “season”? Why worry about it only this time of the year? Shouldn’t we treat it with an around-the-year preparation attitude? I guess one person simply can’t change the mass hysteria around this topic. But one man is doing his best to help you out — Stephen Colbert. He has the funniest solution to all your tax deduction needs. If you find yourself contemplating the implementation Stephen’s 401K idea, check yourself into the looney bin. Tax avoidance should never be the deciding factor on whether to have kids, and it is probably the least effective solution. The video is right after the jump. (more…)

I am nothing if not consistent, and staunchingly stubborn in my views and opinions. Remember when I first opened the debate on money vs. happiness? Maybe you’ve caught my recent thoughts about lack of money creating unhappiness when I decided to add “The Pursuit Of Happyness” to my list of movies to watch.

And while most people just got over the excitement of the Academy Awards, I’m staying excited to recommend another movie for you! The movie isn’t even out yet, but the theme and inspiration for the movie will certainly add another dimension to the debate of money vs. happiness. I do not believe that money begets happiness, and feel it’s always important to prioritize what’s truly important, even as we choose to accumulate wealth. On March 9th, you may feel the same as me after watching “The Ultimate Gift“. What’s so good about (more…)

You know what really grinds my gears? Personal finance marketing ploys that work! It’s in the media everywhere! I swear that every time I hear “Learn What The Rich Know, That The Poor Don’t!“, an angel somewhere must be losing its wings. Who would fall for that crap? Yet everyday, common folks are baited into believing that its their lack of knowledge causing all their financial woes. Guess what, there are tons of people out there willing to sell you the cure… for suckers!

But it’s not just profit-hungry creeps who exploit this. Even venerable bloggers such as Free Money Finance (update: or Ramit Sethi) can stoop to an eye-grabbing headline once in a while. For argument’s sake, we’ll follow with the shallowest definition of being rich and poor - money! I assert that knowledge is not the obstacle that you have to overcome, but 3 simple human qualities you should be striving for. (more…)

We’ve just completed upgrading this blog to the latest Wordpress 2.1.

Hopefully everything was upgraded safely. If you happen across any broken links or site features that don’t seem to be working correct, please let me know.

I’ll be back shortly this weekend with a few new articles; and as always with the same “fire” that you’ve seen before at Investorial!

The following piece is a reprint of my article at AOL Blogging Stocks.

50% off isn’t always a good thing! Fellow Blogging Stocks contributor Sheldon Liber and I have been scratching our heads about high payout yields from energy trusts battered by the decision from the Canadian government to tax trusts. On the surface, examining the energy trusts’ financials make it seem possible for them to sustain payouts at current rates, but for how long?

Well, income investors didn’t have to wait long. Energy trusts shareholders will be in for a rude awakening to start the week. Last week, many notable energy trusts delivered bombshells by cutting their payouts - in a big way too! (more…)

First, a correction is in order. In my previous post theorizing a Conservative government conspiracy about the income trust taxation proposal, I erroneously stated that the Conservative party held a slight majority government. In truth, they are trying to make a minority government work. So far this year, I’m looking like a genius with a few recent developments aiming to kill this bill. Let’s get caught up!

Two opposition parties, the Liberals and Bloc Québécois are trying to force special parliamentary hearings to probe the controversial tax — even though Parliament is not sitting — to vote on whether to call witnesses as part of a reconsideration of the tax. (more…)