It’s that time of year again when students of all ages head back to school. For younger students, parents are reminded to think ahead and put money into Registered Education Savings Plans (RESP) to help pay for their children’s post-secondary education. For those who are off to College or University, it’s not about putting money into RESPs as it is about getting money out. In this edition of the Martens Report I would like to focus on what is needed when it is time to wit

Summer season is upon us and if you are one of the many Canadians who are lucky enough to have a cottage or summer property, likely you have been enjoying nights by the fire, days on the dock and quality time with your family. We thought this would be a great time to also share some financial planning topics you may want to consider that specifically relate to the family cottage. We hope the following articles are helpful with any financial plans you may have being thinking

In contrast to the relative market calm of 2017, volatility returned to equity markets in the first quarter of this year. Most global markets dropped sharply in early February, with some falling into correction territory (a decline of 10% or more). The initial decline was apparently due to market participants’ concern about rising inflation based on strong U.S. economic data. Though they recovered somewhat over the ensuing weeks, equity indexes remained choppy through Febr

We would have never imagined we would be writing a second part to our January 2018 newsletter about volatility this quickly, but after a wild couple of weeks we thought it might be timely to circle back and discuss volatility once again. Our January 2018 newsletter titled, Dear Volatility, discussed the lack of volatility we had been experiencing in the markets that has been in effect for several years. It did not seem to matter what was happening in the world, the markets

You may have noticed that things have been looking quite good lately with regards to your accounts. The markets have been steadily growing over the past couple years in what would seem to be a worry free environment. Events that would typically spook the market have had very little effect, such as Brexit, Korean missile launches or the surprise win by Donald Trump. We wanted to take a moment to remind everyone that although most portfolios are doing well, the market still goe