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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Marc Cohodes seems to think that accounting practises at Bad are either incompetent or fradulant.

He is still extremely bearish on the company and its accounting practices, claiming that the company is “…counting revenues they don’t even have invoices for” and that Badger reported $60 million in non-cash revenue, approximately half of Badger’s quarterly revenues, as “trade receivables” in the single month of June.

I know that it seems to be legal to do accounting in this way. But, for a layman it is difficult to draw a conclusion. I wondered if you had an opinion on this?
thanks as always for your wonderful and profitable service,
Read Answer Asked by joseph on August 22, 2017
Q: Good morning Peter and Team,

I just read about David Driscoll's recent appearance on BNN, where he summarizes his eight steps to a winning "investing recipe":

Here are eight steps to a winning recipe:

Low fees: The lower the fees, the more you make.
Low turnover: By investing in businesses and not trading stock prices, transaction costs stay low and you keep more of your capital for growth.
Invest in companies that consistently grow their free-cash flows: These companies have the financial flexibility to raise dividends, invest in innovation and make strategic acquisitions.
Diversify globally: Long-term returns outside North America have historically been one per cent to two per cent higher.
Re-balance the portfolio when necessary: Having a high concentration in one stock can lead to trouble if that company’s stock price crashes to Earth (i.e. Valeant).
Avoid correlated assets: In 2008, all the Canadian banks fell 40 per cent, not just one of them. Pick one Canadian bank and move on.
Manage your cash prudently: Given that the market has risen for eight years, it’s prudent to hold some cash to take advantage of opportunities if the market corrects.
Choose stocks with above-average annual dividend growth: The average growth rate of stocks globally is about seven per cent. Those that grow their dividends faster provide investors with greater income to use in retirement. Their share prices also tend to grow at a faster rate.

Seems to me that Mr. Driscoll must be a 5i member, since most, if not all, of his points have been mentioned from 5i over the years! In any event, it's always reassuring to see other financial types who share 5i's philosophy!

You may publish at your discretion. Thanks for everything you do to help the small retail investor!
Read Answer Asked by Jerry on August 22, 2017
Q: Would the Model Income portfolio be appropriate for a recent retiree with 4% income needs, adjusted for inflation over time? Would there be enough dividend growth to compensate for inflation? I am not conservative by nature, but realize that without employment income, I cannot accept the potentially large volatility of an all equity portfolio as in the past when I was working.

Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Hans on August 22, 2017
Q: Two questions: Can you recommend a simple/small set of low-fee ETFs for a young, long-term investor for a TFSA, and one for an RRSP? (If not the same.)

Thanks very much.
Read Answer Asked by Chris on August 21, 2017
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