Blog

Cutting Through the Noise


March 25, 2024

By Tom Bradley

Why interest-rate cuts and recession fears are short-term noise for investors

The business media is obsessed these days with the possibility of interest-rate cuts, the next recession, and the U.S. election. But there are important trends and innovations that will have a greater effect on long-term portfolio returns, yet garner little attention. Here are a few.

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March 11, 2024

By Tom Bradley

If not now, when?

While we're not proponents of doing a lot of trading or fiddling with your portfolio, here are a few things you can do to improve your chances of success in the current environment.

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February 26, 2024

By Tom Bradley

Protecting against the right risks

Risk is a loaded word. It has negative connotations for most people, and is something to be avoided. Yet, it’s an essential part of investing. It’s embedded in the math — risk plus time equals return. Tom Bradley explores the topic in his Globe and Mail column.

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February 12, 2024

By Tom Bradley

Hoping for the abnormal

The perils of basing your financial and investment decisions on the hope that interest rates will go back down.

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January 29, 2024

By Tom Bradley

The annual report is the most important document of the year

Breaking down the most important investment document of the year.

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January 15, 2024

By Tom Bradley

When an investing strategy is easier said than done

“I will be a steady, long-term investor.” It’s easy to say and difficult to do. Indeed, there’s a big gap between talking about sticking to a plan and actually doing it. Tom Bradley offers a few suggestions that will improve your chances of success in his latest Globe and Mail article.

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January 9, 2024

By Tom Bradley

Bradley's Brief — Q4 2023

Tom Bradley's year-end letter to clients.

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January 3, 2024

By Tom Bradley

For investors, there were things that happened in 2023 that will be good for 2024

As we head into 2024, there is no shortage of negatives to focus on. But there are plenty of reasons for optimism, too. Tom Bradley highlights seven of them in his Globe and Mail column.

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December 18, 2023

By Tom Bradley

The consequences of unpredictable markets

Beware of market forecasts: There’s no accountability around them, and certainly no intellectual honesty. And for every prediction that’s right, there are 10 that are way off.

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December 4, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Nvidia, Apple and using valuation as a gut check

Nvidia Corp. reported its results recently and the numbers were eye-popping. Revenue for the third quarter was up 206 per cent to US$18-billion, and earnings per share were up more than 12 times, year-over-year. It was one of the most remarkable earnings reports I’ve ever seen from a large, established company. So, what did the stock do? Well, it went down.

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November 20, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Beware of bright shiny objects to avoid falling off your investment plan

Right now, the bright shiny object is the safe and reliable GIC. Yet, investors opting for the comfort and certainty of GICs are likely to expose themselves to a set of risks they hadn't considered.

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November 9, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Glorianne Stromberg: On the client side of the table

Canadian investors recently lost a great advocate. Glorianne Stromberg passed away in Toronto on October 15th. She will be missed but her legacy lives on.

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November 6, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Cutting through the noise: For investors, it’s crucial to distinguish between the urgent and the important

In his new Globe and Mail column, Steadyhand Chair Tom Bradley endeavours to cut through the noise and sift through the urgent (news, headlines and stats) in search of the important.

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October 12, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Remembering Tony Hamblin

Tony Hamblin was a little-known giant in our industry. He was a mentor to several of Canada's great investors and had a lasting impact on many.

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October 10, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Bradley's Brief — Q3 2023

Tom Bradley's quarterly letter to clients.

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September 5, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Nvidia: A fund manager's dilemma

The world's hottest stock, Nvidia, poses a dilemma for fund managers — both those who own it and those who don't. We explain.

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August 21, 2023

By Tom Bradley

7 reasons why investing is different from everything else in your life

A look at what makes investing different from every other aspect of your life, and how you can embrace its peculiarities to your advantage.

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August 8, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Case of the missing recession and other misunderstood investing trends

Observations about trends being overlooked, misunderstood, or in transition.

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July 24, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Falling for the forecasting fallacy will cost investors in the long run

Speculating about something can be entertaining. Debating how the Jays will do, or the number of goals Connor McDavid will score, is fun and totally harmless. Everyone knows there’s no way of determining what will happen. Any outcome is possible. The investment industry’s preoccupation with predicting the stock market is another matter. The people making the forecasts actually believe what they’re saying. Their seemingly well-reasoned projections also have entertainment value but, unfortunately, lead to poor investment decisions.

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July 20, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Advisers are trained to look for inefficiencies, but miss the most important one of all: investor behaviour

A lightly edited version of a speech that Tom Bradley gave at a Portfolio Management Association of Canada dinner for the 2023 PMAC Awards for Excellence in Investment Journalism on June 21.

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July 11, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Determining your portfolio's strategic asset mix can be an invaluable starting point

Why you should stay glued to your target asset mix unless there are good reasons to do otherwise.

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July 10, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Bradley's Brief — Q2 2023

Tom Bradley's quarterly letter to clients.

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June 26, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Why liquid versions of illiquid assets can pose problems for investors

Capturing a liquidity premium can make sense for your portfolio, but there's no free lunch with this type of risk — as holders of some real estate and mortgage funds today will attest.

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May 29, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Don't trust anything you can’t prove and other lessons learned from an investing legend

It’s not often you get a chance to talk to someone who’s been involved in a profession for more than 70 years. But the Vancouver investment community has such a person — Michael Ryan. Behold some nuggets of wisdom from the veteran money manager.

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May 15, 2023

By Tom Bradley

Market changes in progress, gaining steam, and still to come

It’s a fascinating time to be analyzing businesses, the economy and the market. In his latest Financial Post article, Tom Bradley identifies a list of important trends that are going through profound change or just starting a transition.

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