US investing

Quite a few of my clients have made Canada their new home and have brought over their loved ones, dreams and aspirations. Some of them brought in considerable life savings as well, and almost inevitably this money was held in US currency.

This could be seen as good news or bad news. Let me start with the good. The US dollar is a world reserve currency. Most liquid bonds and stocks tend to be held in US dollars. There is a huge choice of indices, Exchange Traded Funds and foreign stocks being traded in the US as American Depository Receipts (ADRs) that are not otherwise available to Canadian investors.

The bad news is that US currency has fundamental underlying problems too numerous to dwell upon here.

I have many years of experience constructing US dollar denominated portfolios for my clients. This experience helps me reduce risk by taking into consideration both its good and the bad aspects. On an ongoing basis, I follow research from leading US based investment firms that tends to be more global in approach and analysis. This research helps me to give you better advice — whether your portfolio is US or Canadian dollar denominated.