Tower Talk: Navigating Markets

Are the big banks really the safest place for your money? In this episode of Tower Talk, Mark and Tarek are joined by special guest Isaac Unger — a business development consultant working with Tower in the agriculture and colony space — to tackle one of the most common questions they hear from farmers and colony members: Why Tower over the banks? They dig into the numbers and don't hold back:...

Markets were anything but quiet in Q1. This month we sit down to give you an honest look at what happened this quarter, what hurt, what crushed it, and where things are headed. Here's what we get into:Q1 2026 performance recap across our three strategies: Enhanced Index Aggressive Growth (Value), Canadian High Dividend, and Canadian MomentumWhy a rough month is the worst time to ditch a strate...

This month we start our episode with a recap how markets have performed year-to date. If you've been watching your investments, you know that markets have been strong this year, but will this continue? Markets can't go up forever right? Watch the episode to see how we answer these questions. Next we discuss the Tower Philosophy of Money. Wealth is a tool to be used to achieve a purpose, ac...

This is the first in a number of videos exploring investing and retirement planning strategies. We're starting with Income Splitting. It's a simple but extremely effective way to reduce taxes currently and in retirement. Why does income splitting work? Who does this apply to? Should I being doing this now or in retirement? Watch the video to find out! #financialadvice #financialplanning #r...

We're just 3 months past the "Liberation Day" Tariffs and despite initial concerns, the S&P 500 is up 6% and the TSX has gained 10% YTD. To move beyond the headlines we look at specific economic indicators: US Manufacturing (one of our go-to indicators) is up. But while that is green, other indicators are flashing red, indicating a cautious yet optimistic market sentiment. It's a nuanced scena...

In this episode, we discuss the current financial market turmoil caused by Trump Administration. Since the end of March, markets around the world have been in free fall, and the S&P 500 is in a correction by many measures. The reason for the sudden crash is the introduction of substantial tariffs on essentially all imports into the US. Why is the US changing the way the world trades? Is there...

In this episode, we delve into the intricacies of our various investment strategies, providing a detailed analysis of their performance and offering valuable insights for investors. The Canadian Momentum strategy did well in 2024 (~18%) but it did slightly underperform compared to the TSX Total Return index. However, the strategy is still outperforming in the longer 3 and 5 year horizons. Our Enha...

The election of Donald Trump as President of the United States has significant implications for financial markets, particularly from a Canadian investor's perspective. Markets reacted positively to Donald Trump's election with the S&P 500 and the TSX showing solid gains in the days following the election. At the same time, valuations are at all-time highs with stock prices gaining more than ea...

In this episode, Tarek and Mark explore the comparative merits of investing in real estate versus capital markets, particularly the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX). With Canadian real estate prices soaring over the past few decades, many investors are drawn to the tangible nature of property investments. However, Tarek presents compelling data that challenges the notion that real estate is the superi...

Did you know that our Canadian Momentum strategy has outperformed the TSX year-to-date through August? 🏦📈 The TSX index has returned a healthy 11.4%, so listen to the episode to see how much we outperformed. New Dividend Strategy: We’ve developed a fresh dividend strategy focusing on high-yield, stable companies. Our goal? To ensure these dividends are sustainable and likely to grow over time. O...

In this episode, we discuss recent stock market trends, highlighting a potential shift from the dominance of large tech stocks, known as the "magnificent seven," to smaller-cap stocks and a broader market. This may be the beginning of the market rotation we've been talking about. Next we discuss the importance of a diversified investment strategy and introduce a new dividend yield po...

In this episode of Tower Talk, we delve into various market topics, including private equity, election year impacts, and US equity concentration. We discuss the liquidity crisis in private equity (yes, there is a liquidity crunch) with large funds facing challenges due to lack of exits. The conversation shifts to the historical trend of how markets perform during US election years. Finally, we hig...

In this episode, we explore the nuances of Value and Momentum investing strategies. Value investing targets undervalued companies with strong fundamentals, while Momentum investing rides the wave of current market trends. Tarek and Mark share insights from Tower's own in-house Momentum strategy, emphasizing a disciplined, mathematical selection process. The conversation underscores the importa...

In this live episode of Tower Talk we start by discussing the current state of US and Canadian markets. Markets have been doing well, but those returns have been concentrated in a small number of large companies driven by the ongoing "AI Revolution". We compare the economic trends in both countries to see if we can expect markets to continue to climb this wall of worry. Then Mark outline...

Maximizing your financial potential isn't just about earning—it's about smart saving, too. That's why this month's episode of Tower Talk is all about taxes. We unpack the power of registered accounts like RRSPs, RESPs, and TFSAs. Understanding contribution limits and employer matching can make a significant difference in your tax savings. We also explore the importance of estate pl...

Happy New Year Tower Talk listeners! Markets ended 2023 on a strong note (the Santa Claus Rally came through!) and we look back at some highlights, including how many were calling for a recession in 2023. We also go through how the Tower portfolios performed, and show why one strong year in the market is not nearly as important as consistency. Finally, we look forward to what we expect for 2024, i...

It's hard to believe but 2023 is coming to an end. We hope that you're spending your holiday season with family and friends, but we also want to make sure you take care of your finances as well! Year-end means tax planning, managing registered account contributions (RRSPs, TFSAs, etc.) and charitable donations among other things. We discuss what you need to know going in to year-end as wel...

What does the word "Risk" mean? We use it constantly in life to describe a number of different things and its meaning can be deeply personal. What one person sees as risky, another person may see as exactly the opposite. The word Risk is used often in Investment Management and we wanted to provide some clarity around what is meant by Risk in our context. Then, after we're all on the...

Q3 is behind us and with the leaves falling and the air getting crisp we are in the final quarter of 2023! Markets are down this quarter which is a reversal of much of the positive momentum we saw in the first half of the year. This dip is in response to many factors, including this new "higher for longer" interest rate environment. However, we are anticipating this is part of a larger r...

Timing the Market. Is it possible? The short answer is no, but the longer and more interesting answer is, it depends and is it really even worth it? This month we look at what it means to try to time the market. We compare the perfect investor, who picked the best day to invest for 20 years, to the investor who just invested regularly. The results may surprise you. Markets will correct, that's...

An economic indicator is a piece of economic data used to understand current and future economic activity. They're used to judge the overall health of an economy. In this episode Mark and Tarek discuss some of their favorite economic indicators and what they mean for the larger economy. What are Purchasing Managers expecting for the economy? Who is Dr. Copper and how is he so good at predictin...

In this episode we look back at Q2 2023 and examine the major factors at play. The US stock market is officially a bull market with the S&P 500 gaining more than 20% after the lows of 2022. A quick look at which companies are leading this rally show may not be as broad as it appears. We also discuss inflation and interest rates, with Prime being the highest its been in 22 years here in Canada....

In this video, we dive into the current state of the capital markets in Q1 of 2023. We'll be taking a closer look at some of the most pressing issues facing the financial industry today, including the banking crisis, interest rates, and inflation. We also discuss the financial press in general and how there are always reasons not to invest. Finally, we look at the returns for our strategies an...

In Part Two of this quarterly update Tarek and Mark outline the strategies employed at Tower and how they are expected to navigate the current economic environment. They also look at how the the various Tower portfolio performed in comparison the market. Finally, they discuss the upcoming year and some of the challenges as well as opportunities. Part One: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/M7PDP...

In Part One of this quarterly update Mark and Tarek discuss how capital markets have performed in 2022. They also look at how the the various Tower portfolios performed in comparison to the market. Finally, they discuss the upcoming year and some of the challenges as well as opportunities. Part Two - In the second part of this quarterly update Tarek and Mark outline the strategies employed at Towe...