Towards Freedom

Investing helps your wealth grow faster than inflation, protecting its purchasing power.

• Inflation erodes your money's value over time.
• Investing helps your money potentially outpace inflation.
• Bank savings accounts cannot keep up with inflation.

• Your risk tolerance is how comfortable you are with investment ups and downs.
• Your time horizon (when you need the money) affects your risk tolerance.
• Riskier investments offer potentially higher returns but fluctuate more.
• Conservative investments offer lower returns but fluctuate less.
• Diversification helps lower risk by spreading investments across different asset classes.*** Trading with Investor's Edge

Diversifying your investment portfolio helps minimize the overall risk of loss and provides more opportunities for profit.

• A diversified portfolio includes investments from different asset classes like stocks, bonds, and cash equivalents.
• Diversification helps reduce risk because the performance of different asset classes is not always the same. When one asset class goes down, another might go up, potentially offsetting the losses.
• Stocks generally provide the highest return but also come with the highest risk. Bonds provide lower returns but are less volatile. Cash equivalents offer the least amount of risk and return.
• It is recommended to diversify within each asset class as well. For example, within stocks, diversify by company size, industry sector, and geography.
• Diversification does not guarantee positive returns, especially during economic downturns when all asset classes might decline.
• Regularly rebalance your portfolio to maintain your desired asset allocation.

Investing in stocks allows you to partially own a company, potentially benefit from its growth, and earn income through dividends and capital gains.

• Stocks represent partial ownership of a company.
• Owning stocks allows you to participate in a company's growth and benefit from potential price appreciation.
• Stocks are created when companies sell part of their ownership to investors.

• Benefits of stock investing include:

  • Potential for long-term growth that beats inflation.
  • Potential income from dividends.
  • Diversification opportunities.
  • Ease of buying, selling, and monitoring compared to other investments.
  • Favorable tax treatment for capital gains in Canada.

• Risks of stock investing include:

  • Market volatility that can lead to price fluctuations.
  • Uncertainty of dividend payments.

• Stock prices are influenced by various factors including:

  • Company performance and future prospects.
  • Economic data releases.
  • Company-specific news.
  • Interest rates.
  • Political events.
  • Market sentiment.
  • Technical factors.
• It can be challenging to determine a fair price for a stock, but fundamental and technical analysis methods can provide guidance.

Understanding a company through fundamental analysis and using technical analysis tools can help you make informed investment decisions when choosing stocks.

• Picking stocks can be challenging due to information overload, difficulty determining fair prices, and emotional bias.
• Fundamental research focuses on understanding a company's financial health, industry position, management team, growth potential, and how it's positioned for future success.
• Technical analysis uses past market data like price and volume trends [sufficient liquidity] to predict future stock performance and identify potential buying opportunities.
• Technical analysis tools include chart pattern recognition, trend analysis, and moving averages (as well as momentum indicator especially for day trading?).
• It's recommended to use both fundamental and technical analysis together for a more comprehensive understanding before making investment decisions.

Investing in fixed income, such as bonds, can provide stability and income to a portfolio, but it also comes with risks like interest rate fluctuations and credit quality changes.

• Fixed income investments, like bonds, offer regular interest payments and return of the principal amount at maturity.
• They are generally considered less volatile than stocks, making them a good option for risk-averse investors or those seeking portfolio stability.
• Bonds can provide income that can be used to meet current living expenses or reinvested for further growth.
• The price of bonds is inversely related to interest rates. When interest rates rise, bond prices fall.
• The credit quality of a bond issuer also affects its price. Bonds issued by governments are generally considered the safest, while corporate bonds may offer higher returns but also carry greater credit risk.
• How to invest in bonds: Individual bonds, Bond mutual funds, Bond exchange-traded funds (ETFs), Bond ladders

Investing in mutual funds and ETFs is a good alternative to investing in individual stocks and bonds, especially for beginners, as it offers diversification, professional management, and potentially lower costs.

• Mutual funds and ETFs pool money from multiple investors to buy a basket of assets like stocks, bonds, or other securities.

• Advantages of mutual funds and ETFs:

  • Diversification: Reduces overall risk by investing in a variety of assets.
  • Professional management: Experts research and select investments on your behalf.
  • Lower costs: Can be cheaper than buying individual stocks due to economies of scale.

• Disadvantages of mutual funds and ETFs:

  • Lack of control: You don't choose the specific stocks or bonds you own.
  • Limited customization: May not perfectly align with your investment goals.
  • Potentially lower returns than individual stocks: Fees can eat into returns and underperformance compared to market indexes is possible.
• The best approach depends on your investment goals, risk tolerance, and preferences.

The most important takeaway from this webpage is that the sooner you start investing, the better. This is because of the power of compound returns, which allows your money to grow exponentially over time.

• The earlier you begin investing, the more time your money has to grow through compound returns.
• Compound returns allow your initial investment and any earned interest/dividends to be reinvested, generating even more gains.
• Investing early allows for more diversification, which helps mitigate risk.
• As you invest over time, you can take advantage of market fluctuations and potentially buy assets at lower prices.
• The longer you are invested, the more seasoned you become as an investor, allowing you to make sound decisions during market ups and downs.
• Dollar-cost averaging is a beneficial strategy that involves investing a fixed amount of money regularly, regardless of market conditions. This helps lower the average cost of your investment over time.

CIBC Investor's Edge offers extended hours trading on eligible U.S. stocks, allowing investors to trade before or after the regular market hours. However, it is important to be aware of the risks associated with extended hours trading, such as low liquidity and wider bid-ask spreads.

• Investor's Edge allows extended hours trading for U.S. stocks listed on NYSE and NASDAQ from 8:05 am to 9:29 am and 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Eastern Time.
• During early exchange closures, the morning session remains unaffected, while the afternoon session is between 1:00 pm and 5:00 pm.
• Only limit orders are accepted for extended hours trading.
• Foreign currency conversion is not available, so ensure sufficient U.S. cash is available.
• CDRs and options are not eligible for extended hours trading.
• The main risk is low liquidity, which can lead to wider bid-ask spreads and difficulty getting orders filled at desired prices.
• Benefits include the ability to react to news breaking outside regular hours and to volatility in foreign markets.

[00:00] Introduction to Short Selling

• Explains the concept of short selling as a strategy to potentially profit when stock prices drop.
• Introduces the basic idea of borrowing a stock, selling it high, and buying it back later at a lower price to return it.

[01:08] Example of Short Selling

• Uses a simplified scenario to illustrate the mechanics of short selling.
• Explains how the borrower profits by selling high and buying back at a lower price.

[00:00] Calculating Profit or Loss in Short Selling

• Explains how to calculate profit/loss when short selling a stock.
• Profit = (selling price - buying price) x number of shares.
• Loss = (buying price - selling price) x number of shares.

[01:09] Unlimited Risk of Short Selling

• Biggest risk: Stock prices can rise indefinitely, leading to potentially unlimited losses.
• Unforeseen positive news can cause sudden price spikes.
• Exchange may halt trading due to pending news, allowing price gaps to form upon reopening.

Understanding the different order types (market, limit, stop-limit) is crucial for executing trades effectively under various market conditions.

• Market orders prioritize immediate execution, filling your order at the best available price, which may differ from the displayed price.
• Limit orders prioritize a specific price or better, ensuring your order is filled only at or above your desired buy price or at or below your desired sell price.
• Stop-limit orders combine stop and limit features. They trigger a limit order to buy or sell once a certain price (stop price) is reached, but the actual execution happens at the best available price within the specified limit price.

Additional points:

• Limit orders and stop-limit orders may not always be filled, especially in volatile markets.
• CIBC Investor's Edge offers resources to learn more about advanced order types like trailing stop-limit orders and short selling.

This is a good article because it gives details about the stock page.

CIBC Investor's Edge provides real-time stock quotes and in-depth market data to help you make informed investment decisions.

• Access real-time stock quotes through the "Quotes and Research" tab after agreeing to any outstanding disclaimers.
• Search for stocks by company name or ticker symbol using the search bar.
• The "Snapshot" page displays key information including last price, change, bid/ask, volume, P/E ratio, EPS, dividend yield, and more.
• Additional details like 52-week range, market cap, short restrictions, and ex-dividend date are also available.
• Utilize "Quotes and Research" for advanced charts, news, analyst ratings, technical analysis, and the ability to set price alerts and watchlists.

[00:03] Finding and Purchasing GICs on Investor's Edge

• Explains where to find GIC offerings on the Investor's Edge platform and the steps to purchase them.
• User navigates to "Trading" > "GICs & bonds" and selects "Buy GICs".
• Chooses a GIC, selects account, amount (minimum $5,000), and currency.
• Reviews the order and enters trading password to complete the purchase.

[00:58] Exploring Alternative GIC Options

• Investor's Edge also offers GICs from other issuers.
• User can choose between different interest payout options.
• The purchase process remains the same as for CIBC GICs.
• Talks about MLGICs as well

[00:02] Accessing the Trading Platform & Order Screen

• Investor's Edge platform explained, location of the trading section.
• User navigates to the order entry screen.

[00:31] Placing a Market Order

• User selects "buy" action and enters stock symbol (or company name).
• Exchange selection, defaulting to the Canadian exchange.
• Specifying the number of shares to purchase.
• Choosing a market order to buy at the best available price.
• Selecting the account to purchase from.

[01:38] Reviewing & Submitting a Market Order

• Reviewing the order details (stock, price, quantity, account).
• Entering trading password and submitting the order.

The Balance Trend feature in CIBC Investor's Edge helps you visualize how your investment decisions have performed over time, allowing you to monitor progress towards financial goals and assess portfolio performance.

• Balance Trend shows the movement of your total asset value (cash, investments, income, gains/losses) over time.

• Use it to:

  • Track progress towards financial goals (e.g., saving for a car).
  • Analyze investment performance by comparing your returns to benchmarks and understanding how your portfolio reacts to market fluctuations.
• The Rate of Return tab provides the same information in percentage format.

Understanding the differences between time-weighted rate of return (TWRR) and money-weighted rate of return (MWRR) helps you measure your investment performance by considering the impact of cash flow and investment timing.

• Time-Weighted Rate of Return (TWRR):

  • Ignores the impact of cash flow (contributions, withdrawals).
  • Useful for comparing your portfolio's performance to a benchmark, focusing solely on underlying investment returns.
  • Calculated by geometrically linking daily valuations over a specific period.

• Money-Weighted Rate of Return (MWRR):

  • Takes into account the impact of cash flow timing and amount.
  • Useful for assessing if you're on track to meet your financial goals.
  • More complex to calculate, often requiring financial software.
  • Sets the present value of the portfolio's ending value equal to the present value of the initial investment, considering all cash flow changes.
• Both TWRR and MWRR offer valuable insights, but they measure different aspects of portfolio performance.