Harder Walker Team

As Canadian and US stock market indexes hit new highs this year, many investors began expressing anxiety about a possible ’correction’. Financial media personalities have also been speculating about the timing of correction from these recent market highs – following a strong run over the past year.

Let’s put this into perspective. Would these same investors be equally concerned if their homes were hitting record highs? No, it is likely they would be celebrating and cheering the market higher. So what makes the stock markets and equity investing different from other asset classes? And how does the fact of new equity market highs affect investor’s ability to build...

Basics For a Wise Financial Strategy

Before a skyscraper can reach for the clouds, it needs a very strong foundation. Once the building is complete, the foundation is virtually unseen. The same goes for our financial strategies. Following are the basics of a strong financial foundation:

Budget – Governments and businesses use budgets to properly allocate resources. It’s known as good business. A budget can help you figure out where your hard-earned income is going and to identify ways to cut spending or increase savings.

Rainy day and opportunity fund – Unforeseen emergencies and opportunities catch far too many of us by surprise. Such things as job loss, major repairs or investment opportunities are much easier to deal with if we have the funds available at the time. Debt is not a good way to handle these events. A minimum of three months’ income...