Robert Sidney CFP - Financial Advisor, Certified Financial Planner, Branch Manager, Manulife Securities Inc., Halifax, Nova Scotia, NS, Canada

Below, you'll find some links to mutual fund companies, as well as some helpful basic investment descriptions.

Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions you may have.


You can look up daily fund prices, track performance, & monitor your portfolio at Globefund.



Savings accounts are the simplest way to earn interest. The interest is generally low (less than one per cent these days) because the money can be withdrawn at whim. Interest can also be determined by whether the savings account is bundled with a chequing account. Check Current Savings Rates
Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) - are for investing in for a year or more - usually one to five years - and come in various forms with different available options. Check out the options offered and determine which suit your needs and situation most closely. For example, some can offer a low interest rate in the first year and more attractive returns in subsequent years. Always check if there are penalties for early withdrawal and how much those penalties are. It is important to consider the liquidity of any investment. Liquidity means how available your money will be if you want to withdraw it on short notice. Generally, the more liquidity you want, the lower the interest-rate return. Long-term rates tend to be higher, but in high-inflation and pre-recession environments, this may not hold true. Check current GIC Rates
Canada Savings Bonds - typically offer more liquidity than GICs. They can be cashed in without penalty after 90 days if you do it at month end. Terms vary from issue to issue. They have been made more attractive lately because of stepped-up guarantees on rates beyond the first year. For example, three per cent could rise to 5.00 percent. Minimum purchase is usually $100 and the maximum $500,000. Check Current CSB Rates
Money Market Mutual Funds - invest in federal government treasury bills, provincial treasury bills, and short-term commercial paper issued by the most credit-worthy corporations. The return for these funds are expressed as a yield. Check Current T-Bill Rates
Bond Mutual Funds - are a pool of government and/or corporate bond investments that are professionally managed. They have two components: the rate of interest the bond is paying and the price you pay for the bond. If a bond is paying five per cent and interest rates move higher, the bond is less attractive and therefore worth less. The price of bond mutual funds, therefore, moves in an inverse direction to interest rates. Check Current Canadian Government Bond Yields
Balanced Mutual Funds - are a combination of cash, fixed income (such as bonds) and equities (such as stocks). These funds are an efficient way to spread your money across different types of investments. When stock markets are down, for example, bond markets may be up, or vice versa. Diversification by asset class is the objective with these types of funds. They will tend to produce a lesser rate of return over the longer term, than equity-based vehicles, but will tend to exhibit lower volatility.
Equity Mutual Funds - are mutual funds that invest in a mixture of stocks. Equity funds are categorized by the types of stocks in which they invest. For example, by geography or industry type. Usually, these types of funds will be more volatile and generate the highest rate of return over longer investment time frames. Check Current Stock Market Conditions
Labour Sponsored Mutual Funds - are equity type investment funds sponsored by labour to provide venture capital for small and medium-sized businesses. Most of these funds are provincially based, although some national labour funds exist as well. Thanks to the generous tax credits they offer investors, these funds have proven quite popular. To benefit from these tax credits, investors must typically allow their investment to remain in the fund for a minimum of eight years. It should be noted that the large tax credits are offered as a "risk premium" of sorts. These funds will tend to be towards extreme end of potential volatility.

Robert Sidney CFP is a Financial Advisor and Certified Financial Planner serving HRM - Halifax / Dartmouth, NS, & Bedford / Sackville Nova Scotia.

*The information contained herein is for Canadian residents only and does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation in any jurisdiction in which Manulife Securities or its Advisors are not appropriately licensed or registered or where any Product or Service is not eligible for sale. Details are available on request.

*Robert Sidney and Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc. and Manulife Securities Insurance Inc. (“Manulife Securities”) do not make any representation that the information in any linked site is accurate and will not accept any responsibility or liability for any inaccuracies in the information not maintained by them, such as linked sites. Any opinion or advice expressed in a linked site should not be construed as the opinion or advice of Robert Sidney or Manulife Securities. The information in this communication is subject to change without notice.

*Commissions, trailing commissions, management fees and expenses all may be associated with mutual fund investments. Please read the prospectus before investing. Mutual funds are not guaranteed, their values change frequently and past performance may not be repeated.

*This material is not to be construed as an offer or solicitation. The securities mentioned may not necessarily be considered suitable investments for all clients. Contact your Investment Advisor to discuss your individual investment needs.

*Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc. is registered as a Mutual Fund Dealer, or its equivalent, with the provincial securities commissions and as such our Advisors are entitled to sell mutual funds and other approved securities as permitted under our registration. They may also be able to provide other services or products to you through their own business. As a member of the Mutual Fund Dealers Association of Canada ("MFDA"), Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc. is obligated to disclose to you that you may be dealing with companies other than Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc. when purchasing services or products from your Associate (remuneration to your Associate may also come from various sources depending on the services or products purchased). For example, your Associate may offer any one or more of the following through a separate business, which would not be the responsibility of Manulife Securities Investment Services Inc.:

* Deposit Instruments: GICs, Canada Savings Bonds;
* Fee for Service Financial Planning;
* Estate Planning;
* Tax Planning or Income Tax Preparation;
* Insurance: Life, Accident, Sickness, Disability, General.

Please be sure that you have a clear understanding of which company you are dealing with for each of your services and products. Your Associate would be happy to provide any clarification you require.