You should. I may cost you dearly… Warmer weather is more than welcomed by most Canadians. Some dream about palms in their backyards and no shoveling during the winter. While global warming may bring devastation to many parts of the…
Monthly Archives: September 2011
Forecast: Big stock market crush still ahead
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
Alessio Rastani: Savings of millions will vanish within 12 months
In a day when stock markets in Europe and North America are jubilant and post big gains, someone goes on BBC and in a short interview says things that are unheard before. He scares the hell out of everyone, who has listened.
US housing market: Is it an indication of what is to come to Canada?
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
Home prices up, but still in the red for the year We always look to the States and try to predict what may be coming to Canada. From housing point of view the recent devastation of real estate markets in…
Want to become a real estate investor?
by Vasko DeLev • • 9 Comments
What books should you read and what should you avoid?
It’s tempting, isn’t it? The stock market has crashed again and your portfolio is down 20% or more for the year. At the same time, from what you hear on the street and read in the paper, one thing is more than clear – real estate is stable and the forecasts for the future are positive. What if you pull some money out of the losing mutual funds and buy an investment property? Your neighbour down the street made a small bundle this summer selling his rental duplex. He is looking to buy again. Should you try too?
Who is buying in Florida?
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
Canadians, of course. The sun, the depressed real estate market and the high Canadian dollar are just too important arguments to ignore. If one has to follow the rule “buy when the time is right”, will hardly find a better…
Real estate values: Are we getting too naive?
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
She said: “I hope it doubles in 10 years”… Last week I attended a presentation on “the psychology of sales”. Just before the beginning of the session an ex-colleague came to the table to say hello and started telling us…
Your investments: Who manages your mutual funds?
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
Should you care at all? When I was still financial adviser a good chunk of time went for tracking the performance of different fund managers. My clients wanted to know that their mutual funds are managed by someone who not…
Saving energy: The smart meter delema
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
The reality, though, is that people, driven by old habits, use energy as before – whenever they need it with little regard to savings. And this may undermine the advantage of the smart meters. IBM has done a survey with more than10,000 people in 15 countries to get a sense of what people know about smart meters and how they use them. The results are startling:
Real Estate: Still attractively priced…
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
. . . But not in Vancouver, Toronto or Calgary It is a reality. Canadian real estate market is very diverse, but we tend to focus on the overheated metros like Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary or Montreal. It’s easy to point…
Who killed the variable rate?
by Vasko DeLev • • 0 Comments
Not as attractive as a month ago For a long time variable rate was the ultimate choice for borrowers who didn’t mind some fluctuations in their mortgage payments in return of big savings in interest. It worked very well. And…