Desi News Corp - Index

Desi News Corp - Desi News - Feb 09 - Index

SUN LIFE FINANCIAL
Understanding
market volatility
is important
What do the terms bear
market and bull market
really mean?
In a bull market, stock prices
are on the rise and markets give
a 20 per cent return for a number
of years in a row. In a bear
market, stock prices fall for a
sustained period of time. The
fear and uncertainty of a bear
market is what makes most
people nervous about investing
in market-based products, but
bear and bull markets, along
with in-between periods of less
dramatic ups and downs, are a
normal part of investing. In
fact, severe short-term volatility
happens about every two years.
While there is no way to
completely protect your money
from this volatility, you can
moderate the impact. Think
back to when your financial
advisor helped you create your
savings plan based on your
long-term goals. You considered
your hopes for the future,
your comfort with investing
and even market volatility.
Your advisor may have
walked you through the asset
allocation process, selecting a
mix of investments to diversify
your portfolio and help minimize
risk and maximize return.
It’s designed to help cope with
market volatility.
Investing on a regular basis
offers you more buying power.
Your regular contributions
purchase more units when prices
are low. When prices rise, you
purchase fewer units at the higher
price – the average cost per unit
could end up being lower.
• For more information on financial
planning, or to find a Sun Life
Financial advisor, visit www.sunlife.ca
Make the most of your retirement savings, invest in RRSPs
New Canadians come
here with hopes and
dreams for their future.
Saving for the future can feel
out of reach at first because of
other financial priorities such as
buying a new home or saving for
your children’s education, but a
Registered Retirement Savings
Plan (RRSP) can help.
An RRSP is a personal savings
plan registered with the Canadian
federal government allowing
you to save on a tax-deferred
basis. It can contain savings
deposits, treasury bills, guaranteed
investment certificates
(GICs), mutual funds, bonds,
and equities. Your contributions
to an RRSP are tax deductible,
meaning that they reduce
your tax. Furthermore, your
portfolio grows on a tax deferred
basis until withdrawn. Individuals
with RRSP contribution
room in Canada may contribute
to an RRSP up to the end of the
New social networking portal launched
Launching just in time for
Valentine’s Day celebrations
is the latest South
Asian social networking portal,
www.balleballe.ca.
It features Jodiyan, a section
for desi singles with mechanism
to find a matching partner. “We
are proud to bring this portal to
desis the world-over. Our
Jodiyan, blogs and forums
will all help connect the
community across Canada,
as well as with the diaspora
across the world,”
said balleballe.ca president
Sandhya Raj.
Balleballe.ca also
offers a Classifieds section
where one can
place and find listings
for a host of products
and services, says Raj.
No desi portal would
be complete without
Bollwood masala! Balleballe.ca
will carry reviews,
year in which they reach age 71.
Consider the following:
• Make regular contributions
to your RRSP: You can
start slowly, setting aside small
amounts. Consider an automatic
RRSP contribution program
to make these small steps a
priority in your financial life.
• Carry forward unused
contribution room: Investors
who don’t regularly maximize
RBC ROYAL BANK
their annual RRSP contributions
miss out on significant taxdeferred
growth potential. The
good news is that you can carry
forward any unused contributions
room to future years.
• Reduce your debt: Making
regular payments to reduce
debt can make it difficult
to find money for an RRSP. The
best strategy is to first reduce
feature stories, snippets and
breaking news from Bollywood.
Also featured is a Travel
section with articles on the
high-interest debt such as credit
card debt, and then lowerinterest
debt such as a mortgage.
• Take out an RRSP loan: In
certain situations, it makes sense to
take out a loan to top up your RRSP.
If you have unused RRSP contribution
room available, borrow
money to catch-up, and use your tax
savings to help repay your
RRSP loan.
It’s important to
work with an advisor
that understands your
risk profile, time
horizons and priorities
in order to determine
the best options for
you. An RBC advisor
market movers
can help you build a plan
according to your unique goals
and circumstances as a newcomer
to Canada.
• For more info, visit any RBC Royal
Bank branch, call 1-866-756-1106
or visit rbc.com/first rrsp.
known and off-the-beatentrack
destinations in South Asia
and Canada.
“Our mantra is ‘Celebrate
life’ – and you’ll find much to
celebrate in balleballe.ca.”
So what’s on thisValentine’s
Day? Find out at balleballe.ca!
Sandhya Raj can be reached at
sandhya@balleballe.ca.