Friday, January 23, 2009

Government Relief Index

I'm a few weeks late to this news release but thought it was pretty funny:

NASDAQ OMX Introduces a Government Relief Index

New Benchmark Tracks Companies That are Participating in the U.S. Government's Financial Relief Plan

NEW YORK, Jan. 8, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. today introduced the NASDAQ OMX Government Relief Index(sm) (Nasdaq:QGRI). The index enables investors to track the performance of U.S.-listed securities that are participating in U.S. government sponsored relief programs such as the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) or other direct government investments. The NASDAQ OMX Government Relief Index is the latest index launched by NASDAQ OMX Index Group and underscores its commitment to designing and calculating relevant world-class indexes.

"This Index allows taxpayers and other investors to measure the performance of U.S. companies that are participating in the government's financial relief plan," said NASDAQ OMX Executive Vice President John Jacobs. "We believe the NASDAQ OMX Government Relief Index will be useful in helping investors evaluate the government's investments and the impact of the relief plan on the economy during this period of historical significance."

The NASDAQ OMX Government Relief Index consists of companies across multiple industry groups that have received a direct investment from the U.S. Government greater than $1 billion. The Index is the first of the Government Relief Index Series that NASDAQ OMX will be launching in the coming weeks.

The Index is calculated in real-time across the combined exchanges and is disseminated in dollars. The index began calculation with a value of 1000.00 on January 5, 2009...

Sold AEM

Agnico-Eagle hit my long-standing sell price today so I squeezed out a small gain.

Sunday, January 4, 2009

$25 ING Direct Orange Key - 21633702S1

When you open an ING DIRECT account with a minimum of $100, ING will start you off with a $25 bonus when you register via their "Refer a Friend" Program.

All ING DIRECT products are eligible - not just their Investment Savings Account anymore. This includes the Tax Free Savings Account, unmortgage referrals and Streetwise Funds too.

So, if you're looking for an ING DIRECT Orange Key code to earn your $25 bonus, feel free to use Orange Key 21633702S1

The offer is valid for new Clients who open an ING DIRECT Account with a minimum initial deposit of $100. The offer is limited to one $25 bonus per new account (including joint accounts) and is limited to one account per new Client.




Thursday, January 1, 2009

The 2009 Game Plan

All things considered, 2008 was a pretty good year.

From a financial standpoint, my net worth was up approximately 11.9% and my realized capital gains more than doubled (year-over-year) but that doesn't mean it couldn't have been better.

With that in mind, I will recycle last year's resolutions and add a few more for this year.


So without further adieu, here are my goals for 2009 in no particular order:

  • Set up a Tax Free Savings Account at Questrade

  • Take advantage of the economic downturn to pick up some Canadian dividend-paying stocks to increase my dividend income (to a minimum of $1k / year)

  • Establish stop-losses and stick to them no matter what happens

  • Stay away from companies I don't understand or even pretend to understand

  • Establish an investment plan for my RRSP & TFSA

  • Let my winners fly until the trend is broken

  • Find a feasible way to make short-term trades while at work

  • Earn a minimum of $10k in capital gains

  • Stick with bigger, well-known names for a minimum of 80% of my stock portfolio

  • Reach a net worth of $335k in liquid assets (cash / stocks / mutual funds / RRSP / TFSA)

  • Get another promotion at work

  • Exercise at least 1 hour a day, 3 times a week

  • Improve my French language skills