Short Takes: Financial Advisor Background Checks, Fiduciary Duty, and more

1. Preet describes detailed procedures for doing a background check on your financial advisor.

2. Jason Zwieg thinks the idea of making investment advisors bear a fiduciary duty to their clients is worth considering.

3. Canadian Mortgage Trends gives some insight into the incentives lenders offer to mortgage brokers to stick customers with above-market interest rates.

4. Canadian Financial DIY makes the case that the standard discount broker comparison charts should take into account currency-conversion spreads and whether the brokerage allows US dollars in RRSPs.

5. Potato has some fun with the assertion that immigration will prevent housing prices from dropping with his argument that immigrants are not stupid.

6. Larry MacDonald has 8 tips for reducing rebalancing costs. This is an excellent list, but I’m not a fan of point number 5. As I’ve argued before, I think that rebalancing should be driven by prices rather than the calendar.

7. Big Cajun Man reviews the video Madoff and the Scamming of America.

8. Million Dollar Journey explains the use of put options to protect your portfolio.

9. Ellen Roseman has some customer complaints about another of Bell’s attempts to increase the size of the bills they charge their customers.

Comments

  1. Balance JunkieMay 27, 2010 at 11:07 PM

    Thanks for the mention Michael. I have to agree with you on the prediction front. There's an old investor rationalization that goes something like "I wasn't wrong. I was early." A few people (David Rosenberg and Gary Shilling come to mind) did get it right by recommending buying treasuries based on deflationary predictions. The conventionally wise called them crazy.

    Enjoy the weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  2. MarkWolfingerMay 27, 2010 at 11:18 PM

    #2. Zweig.

    The fact that these people are allowed to NOT act as a fiduciary is (to me) a scandal.

    If all they do is sell to earn commissions, or spend time to earn fees, then what's the point? Why would anyone in his right mind take financial advice from a non-fiduciary?

    Oh yes. They have no choice. Fiduciaries are not readily available.

    ReplyDelete
  3. PotatoMay 28, 2010 at 12:03 AM

    Thanks for the link, also a good set of articles all around this week for getting people to think about their advisors...

    ReplyDelete
  4. Big Cajun ManMay 28, 2010 at 6:01 AM

    Thanks for the mention enjoy your weekend on the links.

    ReplyDelete
  5. WhereDoesAllMyMoneyGo.comMay 28, 2010 at 10:20 AM

    Thanks for the link Michael! More on the advisor checking to come...

    ReplyDelete
  6. CanadianInvestorMay 28, 2010 at 5:34 PM

    Hi Michael, thanks for the mention. I only wish the brokers would all fall into line with Qestrade and RBC to allow USD within registered accounts to remove one more source of complication and cost.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Million Dollar JourneyMay 30, 2010 at 7:01 AM

    Thanks for the mention Michael!

    ReplyDelete

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