Dan Bortolotti Interview – Debunking Dividend Myths

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For those of you who don’t know Dan, he is an advocate for Index Investing, and his knowledge of this subject is extensive. His blog the Canadian Couch Potato is a fantastic resource for both the novice and experienced investor. Dan is also an accomplished author, and for more than 10 years he has contributed regular articles for Canada’s MoneySense magazine. This interview is inspired from the Debunking Dividend Myths series which Dan wrote on his blog in January and February 2011. To say the least, a flood of responses and the lively debate quickly ensued with that series. During …

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Are Gold Stocks Cheap? Factors that Increase the Price of Gold

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As a dividend investor, I certainly would never have considered gold stocks as a possible investment for my portfolio. In fact, I haven’t even invested in gold, and have missed the big run-up in gold bullion over the last few years. I’ve always considered gold and gold stocks as speculative investments to be avoided. However, the price of gold bullion and the share value of gold producers are not always correlated. Currently gold is only 7% off its March highs, with a troy ounce of gold currently trading at $1662 USD. Conversely, the world’s two largest gold producers by market …

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Can You Live Off Your Dividends and Dividend Income in Retirement?

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We all invest for the same end result – to sustain our retirement or lifestyle when we are older. All of us have different goals and reasons, but the end result is the same. How much can we safely withdraw from our portfolio without depleting our original investment capital? Does a primarily 100% dividend stock portfolio support a retirement income? Is it possible to live off dividends? It definitely is! Here’s what you need to earn a dividend income in retirement and live off your dividends. The Golden 4% Rule Most of the experts agree that 4% is the amount …

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What Happened to the Income Trusts?

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This article was published in the September 2011 edition of the Canadian MoneySaver, and is posted here with permission. For more information visit www.canadianmoneysaver.ca January 1st, 2011, was the deadline for Canadian income trusts (other than REITs – Real Estate Investment Trusts) to convert to corporations. I examine the basic changes of income trusts into corporations, and what’s happened to these high-yield dividend payers. Now that almost all income trusts have converted to corporations, which ones are still worth holding? The Cash Cow In Canada, income trusts were created as an alternative to the corporate structure.  The first income trust …

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