18. April 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

The past several years have been a game-changer in terms of investment strategies with “buy and hold” strategies providing little in the way of investment returns for many investors. Making money requires a much more nimble approach where tactical asset allocation techniques, sector rotation  and profit specific targeting are the order of the day.

GREGORY ZUCKERMAN of the Wall Street Journal has a very good article on how to Play the Bubbles like the pros. You can read it here.

Posted in Investing | No Comments »

17. April 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

Chinese authorties take further action to rein in runaway real estate prices. Under the new rules, down payments for second homes must be at least 50 percent, up from 40 percent, and mortgage rates can’t be lower than 110 percent of benchmark rates, the State Council said. Banks should also raise down payment ratios and rates for third homes “by a broad margin,” it said.

Read more here.

Posted in Investing, Real Estate | No Comments »

6. April 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

The widely anticipated expansion of the Roth IRA conversion program steamrolled into 2010 in a blaze of hype and publicity, but a new report shows consumer interest has been more of a whimper than a bang. This tax break offers basically one year in which anyone with an Individual Retirement Account (IRA) can shift the money into a Roth IRA and never again pay tax on it.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/business/article/0,8599,1977893-1,00.html#ixzz0kK2jJaxy

I think one of the most appealing aspects of the new IRA rules is for those investors who have more than enough retirement savings and are looking to “pass down” their IRA to their children who can grow and withdraw assets tax-free.

Posted in Tax, Pensions, Taxation | No Comments »

3. April 2010 by Dan Walkow, CFA, CMT.

The Problem:

Canada Revenue Agency tells me I was not eligible to split pension income with my wife in 2007 and 2008. Now I have a huge tax bill with a penalty. The income came from a registered retirement income fund and a locked-in retirement income fund. That money came from my defined-contribution pension plan when I left Sobeys in 2006. I am now 58 years old.

The Pain:

Only lifetime income paid directly from a pension plan qualifies for the federal pension credit and for splitting with a spouse to save tax, unless it is transferred to you on the death of an earlier spouse. Your RRIF and LRIF withdrawals will not qualify as pension income until you reach 65. It’s another example of discriminatory treatment toward folks without a pension plan.

Posted in Tax, Taxation | No Comments »