Ideas from readers to jump-start the economy

Covid-19 appears to be slowing down in the earlier infected countries. And some economies are very carefully and slowly moving forward, but there are no full blown recoveries yet.

We are reading and hearing about heightened stock market...

Experiencing economic triage for a second time

This article has been updated for the Covid-19 crisis financial environment. It was originally written during the 2008 ongoing recessionary challenge.

Many of you are no strangers to this economic downturn, which is...

Ways to raise cash to fuel recovery

This is part two of an article on suggestions to raise revenue during Bermuda’s covid recovery.

Our government has utilised significant, precious financial resources to assist thousands of local residents: the unemployed,...

Why a Bermuda United Together bond makes sense

This is part one of suggestions to Curtis Dickinson, Minister of Finance, to raise capital and jump-start the “new normal” Bermuda economy.

The three most important responsibilities every government has towards its citizens, according to...

Celebrating the amazing life skills of mothers

Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers in Bermuda.

Moneywise has an invitation for readers. Please send me your mother/grandmother stories, recipes, and narratives of their wonderful survivor skills for the Bermuda Islander Survival...

Survival food and life skills during crisis

In this time and place it helps the psyche to return to the basics, to the everyday things we do to make life worthwhile. Moneywise will return to discussions of financial matters in a few weeks. Right now we all just have to get through this...

Survival food and other tactics while sheltering

Moneywise will be featuring survival food and other tactics to help with cash management over the next few weeks of the coronavirus sheltering.

Any readers who would like to share cherished old family recipes and any other Bermuda survival...

When bad things happen to good people

Life happens to all of us. We are trundling along, making plans for a vacation, thinking about a weekend get together, considering an advancement or a promotion in our workplace, buying that special pick-me up for the evening, children healthy,...

Don’t panic over your pension fund

If you’re alarmed by a slump in the value of your occupational pension fund as a result of a coronavirus-induced fall in the financial markets, please try to get the situation in perspective.

At the time of writing on Thursday, the Covid-19...

The sequence of a capital market crash

Moneywise is not featuring our 2020 hypothetical portfolio this month, as market values are significantly down from the beginning of the year.

There were concerns from numerous well-established influential financial luminaries, highlighted...

Simple living and the wave to economic recovery

Bermuda is now more than a week into activation of coronavirus management mandatory self-quarantine actions: with a travel ban for our island encompassing airport, shipping, and with closures affecting businesses, schools, local transportation,...

Managing family finances in tough times

In the last few days, our Bermuda Government under the auspices of the current political party, and David Burt, the Premier, have taken steps to:

• Ramp up financial aid programmes for Bermuda residents and businesses

• Close the...

Good time to consider emergency planning

Investors may have complacently thought that the continued rise in financial valuations would never end. The outlier, the so-called “Black Swan” event, this time the extremely serious impacts of the Covid-19 virus around the world became the...

How to research a stock of interest

On January 4, 2020, Moneywise featured a reader’s pretend portfolio. We thank this individual again for the enthusiastic participation.

This week, we discuss Teladoc Health. “I’m thinking about buying it,” our reader...

Long-term investors, don’t panic!

Global trading markets experienced an absolute disruption (expressed in investment terms) last week.

As fears of contagion from the coronavirus with the possible concomitant reductionor freeze in supply chains’ access for global...

A reader wonders if she has Bermudian status

A reader who was born in the US, and has a Bermudian parent and a Bermudian grandfather who resides on the island, has asked a question about her status.

She is 30, and while she has visited her relatives, she has never lived in Bermuda.

Our tax issues interconnected with the world

Moneywise answers a reader’s questions, converted for confidentiality to generic anonymity. Any resemblance to any individual, living or deceased, is completely unintentional.

Readers’ letters...

It all adds up: update on national pensions

This is an update, 18 years later, of the original Moneywise article published in January 2002.

It has now been 20 years since the ground-breaking, game-changing Bermuda National Pension Scheme (Occupational...

Bonds and their unique characteristics

The Moneywise Pretend Portfolio yearlong series has been updated to reflect stock and bond prices at original issue and as at end of January.

The portfolio is not yet complete as each month in the year-long programme,

but please take...

A look at national pension scheme regulations

Dramatic changes to the Bermuda National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pension) Act 1998, the contributory benefit pension plan designed for all eligible employees in the private sector workforce, were announced by the Bermuda Government last...

Investing: should you do it yourself?

The monthly Moneywise Pretend Portfolio articles are generating interest, raising awareness of investing, and reader questions.

Investments, even though we don’t realise their impact, are part and parcel of everyone’s financial...

Getting started in stock investing

Readers have spoken. The launch of the year-long, once-a-month Moneywise pretend portfolio project has generated interest and reader feedback.

We thank everyone who has taken time from their busy schedules to send commentary. The Moneywise...

Reader’s proposal for pretend portfolio

Part four of the of the Moneywise Pretend Portfolio Project.

The new year is here! The old year is ancient history in the global finance investment world, one that may pause, but never stops.

The S&P 500 Index...

A new year brings new opportunities for you

You’ve weathered the holidays. You did your very best to affirm and bring good vibes to family, relatives, friends, and clients.

This is your commitment made to your world, and certainly they all had to appreciate your efforts.

Now,...

Economic support of Christmas in Bermuda

This semi-annual article has been updated for this year.

Much is made of GDP numbers when talking about an economy. GDP stands for Gross Domestic Product, the monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods...

Tips on avoiding holiday overspend

As ever, the approaching holidays tend to take on an exuberant, some would say completely chaotic, life of their own.

What will start out — as thoughts almost every year that “we aren’t going overboard again” — lasts for the first few...

Stocking up our hypothetical portfolio

This is part three of our series featuring a hypothetical portfolio of stocks.

Today we’ve finished the selection of stocks that we will be reviewing, analysing and tracking for an entire investment cycle, that is...

Lump-sum withdrawals: most are prudent

The National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pensions) Amendment Act 2019 legislation, which will allow employees to take out a quarter of their private pensions as a lump sum on retirement, was passed by MPs in the House of Assembly on November 15.

Raising concern about financial accountability

This week we review the report of the Auditor-General for completion of audit work for the financial year that ended March 31, 2018.

Eight days ago the report was tabled in Parliament. It was submitted by Auditor-General, Heather Thomas, to...

Selection of investments for mock portfolio

This is part two of the Bermuda Hypothetical Investment Portfolio, a continuation of last week’s article where Moneywise introduced the concept for selecting and tracking a pretend portfolio of stocks, bonds, and cash once a month for year,...

Managing a pretend investment portfolio

US capital markets were on another tear and another all-time high last week.

But is it for real? Is it driven by exemplary corporate earnings and corporate buybacks, or by twitter news, tariff vacillations and puffery?

The inverted...

Kicking the tyres of a mutual fund

It’s time to review a mutual fund fact sheet, prospectus and financial statements for the oldest operating mutual fund in the United States (since 1924), the Massachusetts Investor Trust (MFS) with current assets under management in excess of...

Running the rule over mutual funds

Following last week’s money flow and investments article, we today begin a review of a mutual fund structure.

Moneywise noted the recent mutual fund statistics where more than $50 trillion are held and invested worldwide...

The money flow effect and investments

Incessantly, money flows in liquid-like streams up and down in commerce interactions and economic upheavals.

At times, the flow will frantically speed up reminiscent of drenching rainstorms, while at other times it settles to a consistent,...

Why Bermudian investments matter to you

Considering the role of Bermudian investments and their effect on you and your family. Your first thought: what! I don’t even have an investment account, so this type of article doesn’t affect me.

Wait. Read on.

Oh, yes investments...

Frustration and despair at delinquent employers

This is the last in the three-part series of review, comments and responses to the Bermuda National Pension Amendment Act 2019.

Moneywise thanks the many who read the first two parts of this series last month, and then...

What could be better about pension changes

This is part two of the overview of the original innovative Bermuda National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pensions) Act 1998, the National Pension Scheme (General) Regulations 1999 and the 2019 amendments to same that were tabled in...

Lump-sum pension option coming at last

Part one of two: evaluating the Bermuda National Pension Scheme (Occupational Pensions) Act Amendment 2019 tabled in the House of Assembly on Friday, September 13, 2019, but not yet enacted as law.

Well, dear readers, the...

Lessons for Bermuda in Bahamas tragedy?

A human and natural tragedy of catastrophic proportions. Are there lessons for Bermuda?

According to recent Dorian hurricane media reports, the Bahamas islands most heavily affected areas are lowlands, rising 15 to 20 feet above sea level...

What happens when employers steal from staff?

Over more than 20 years of practice in Bermuda, anecdotal stories filtered through from employees short-changed by their employers had almost always the same sad outcome — little to no recourse for recovering a 15 to 20 per cent reduction of...

The significance of the inverted yield curve

Global capital markets have been roiling and boiling in roller-coaster activity for months, as various country twitterheads-in-charge jockey for trade concessions with various tactics, including tariffs and economic sanctions.

Of course...

Employers stealing from employees

Our Bermuda forebears and the futuristic-minded leaders of today enacted employment legislation to define employee positions, rights, and future security that far surpass much larger countries.

The employer-employee relationship is a...

Bonds and the inverted yield curve

It was significant news. Bloomberg’s Katherine Greifeld, Ruth Carson, and John Ainger, on Thursday wrote that “the yield on the United States 30-year Treasury bonds dropped below 2 per cent for the first time; the world’s pile of...

Mapping a journey to financial freedom

This is the second in a new, possibly monthly, series on the millennial trend to becoming financially independent, retire early (FIRE!). We first covered this phenomenon on July 27.

FIRE! is a very real financial...

Research and have a plan before you emigrate

This is the third and final part of the series for Bermuda residents leaving the island, giving relocation references and general timeline guidance. This first and second instalments were published in The Royal Gazette...

Millennials drawn to retire-early movement

Surprise! Fire — short for Financial Independence, Retire Early, is not about us anxious-about-retiring oldsters.

Nor is Fire about Fireworks, but a new millennial finance movement, generating a heightened global surge of interest (and...

Financial considerations when leaving Bermuda

This is the second part of a look at relocating away from Bermuda to the US, UK or Canada.

Before beginning, a word of caution: this article is general financial information only and cannot, and should not, be...

Complications of relocation

More frequently now, according to local social media, and anecdotal commentary, individuals and families have already left Bermuda or are contemplating moving to other jurisdictions. While actual relocations numbers are not quantified, a...

Risk, correlation, and modern portfolio theory

Reader comments sometimes state that Moneywise articles are not as detailed as they should be. Just a gentle reminder that The Royal Gazette personal finance column space size is limited each week, necessitating more general...

Understanding the role of preferred stocks

This is part of the Bermuda Fundamental Financial Planner Primer; Segment Two — the First Bermuda Investment Primer

A reader wrote after last week’s article about the pros and cons of share buybacks, and asked:...

Share buybacks: the pros and cons

The following is an excerpt from The First Bermuda Investment Primer, segment two of the Bermuda Pondstraddler Fundamental Financial Planning Primer Series.

When Warren Buffett, the highly respected, legendary...

Adverse child experiences costly in many ways

When a child arrives in our world as a beautiful, precious new life to be celebrated, as much as we derive happiness from our perception that their future life will be a great success, that is not always the case.

Children are the future...