Well, years ago I absorbed a saying from one the greats in the insurance world by the name of Ben Feldman. (Don’t worry, this post has absolutely nothing to do with life insurance, but it does have everything to do with increasing the probability of your achieving your life goals and objectives). The late, great, Ben Feldman once said, “if you have a problem, make it a process, and then you won’t have a problem.”

So what is a process? A process is a repeatable sequence of predictable actions that change a known undesirable condition to a predictable, hopefully more desirable condition.

I think a majority of Canadians have a problem; a big problem. This problem is that many Canadians have not spent the time moving through the process of planning for their financial future with a professional. I’m not talking about filling out a risk tolerance questionnaire with the mutual fund advisor at the bank, or completing an insurance analysis with your insurance agent at your kitchen table. I’m talking about big picture thinking; getting a clear understanding of where you are today and where you want to be in 20 (or 30, or 40) years from now, and then figuring out if you have the capital resources to do what you want to do!

If there’s one thing I like to do for clients, it’s solve their problems. What we’ve done at Fransen Financial is take the ‘problem’ and turn it into a ‘process’ for our clients. And guess what? It’s no longer a problem! Simple.

Our process takes a ‘whole wealth’ approach to your retirement plan and will answer your most important retirement planning questions:

“When will I be able to retire?”
“How much can I spend?”
“How much do I have to save?”
“What rate of return do I need to earn?”

We call it the “6 Steps to Your Financial Future” process and it draws on our 19 + years of experience and proven financial planning strategies. Our goal is to make sure we address our clients most pressing concerns and to make certain that we not overlooking the details when it comes to your big picture thinking! And good news; we are also committed to making the planning process as easy as possible. There are a lot of moving parts in this vehicle, and we do our best to make sure the well oiled machine remains on track. We do the tune ups, we do the oil changes, we replace the parts when they get worn out. You simply drive the bus.

Do yourself a favour and make a date with a CFP® who is planning focused, not product driven. One who follows a repeatable sequence of predictable actions that can change a known undesirable condition into a predictable, hopefully more desirable condition.

I’ll leave you with one final piece of advice from Ben Feldman, something he’d often scrawl on to $1 dollar bills and then hand to new employees:

Dream Big Dreams

Until next time, continue to live for today, but plan for tomorrow!

Cheers
AF

**This email is solely the work of Aaron Fransen for the private information of his clients. Although the author is a registered investment advisor with DWM Securities Inc., a DundeeWealth Inc. Company, this is not an official publication of DWM Securities Inc. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this newsletter are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, DWM Securities Inc.

Generally speaking, whether it is better to contribute to a TFSA or an RRSP depends on two variables – your tax rate when you contribute funds and your tax rate when you withdraw funds.

If you expect to be in a lower tax bracket when funds are withdrawn, an RRSP is probably a better investment.

If you expect to be in a higher tax bracket when money is withdrawn, a TFSA may be the better choice.

However, each individual situation is unique and other factors may come into play. Please feel free to give me a call to figure out a strategy that will work for you.

Until next time, continue to live for today, but be sure to plan for tomorrow!

AF

**This email is solely the work of Aaron Fransen for the private information of his clients. Although the author is a registered investment advisor with DWM Securities Inc., a DundeeWealth Inc. Company, this is not an official publication of DWM Securities Inc. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this newsletter are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, DWM Securities Inc.

For whatever reason, February seems to be that time of the year when everyone is an expert. So with that being said, here are my top 10 questions to ask yourself before you hand over your hard earned cash, or take the advice of your best friend’s cousin’s brother (the landscape architect living on Salt Spring Island). Not that there is anything wrong with living there. Or being a landscape architect.

1. Do you have a clear understanding of your current financial situation?

2. What are your short term, medium term and long term goals?

3. What is your tolerance for risk (the V-word… volatility)?

4. What types of investments are best suited to help achieve your goals?

5. How will you monitor your investments as well as the managers who are managing your money?

6. How much should you be investing every month / year?

7. Do you have an investment process/strategy to stay on track when the markets go off track?

8. What type of investor are you? Are you a Buy & Hold or Market Timer?

9. How will you follow the markets and keep track of where the opportunities are?

10. Are you a DIY investor, or would you be better off working with an experience and qualified investment advisor?

From my experience of 18 (soon to be 19) years in this wonderful industry, the one common theme among the most successful investors is that they all stick to a process. Sophisticated investors – institutional investors, pension plans and clients of discretionary portfolio management services – all use an IPS. What is an IPS? An Investment Policy Statement is a written document that outlines the general rules for the management of an investment portfolio. It sets out the investment goals and objectives of the investor and describes the investment strategies that are suitable to meet those objectives. In my opinion, you are traveling without a road map, on cruise control to somewhere you may not want to get to IF you do not have a disciplined investment process in place.

So back to the time of year. Enjoy all of the RRSP/TFSA noise that seems to get louder at this time of year, and if you need any help/clarification in answering any of the above top 10 questions, you know where to reach me!

Until next time, continue to live for today, but be sure to plan for tomorrow!

AF

**This email is solely the work of Aaron Fransen for the private information of his clients. Although the author is a registered investment advisor with DWM Securities Inc., a DundeeWealth Inc. Company, this is not an official publication of DWM Securities Inc. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this newsletter are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, DWM Securities Inc.

It is because of the relationships with friends and clients like you that I feel extremely grateful to be in a position to provide guidance and support during the good and bad times that the world throws at us.  It’s a responsibility I take very seriously, and one that brings me great satisfaction when I see people working towards their life goals.

I am looking forward to continuing to build and strengthen our relationship together in the new year.

Have a safe and happy holiday!

AF

As English rocker Mick Jagger so nicely put it “I’ll be your savior, steadfast and true. Let me come to your emotional rescue”. Well I can’t sing, and I can’t dance, but perhaps I can come to your emotional rescue during these difficult times.

Investors are being assaulted by negative news, radio, online media and newspaper reports day in a day out. This can understandably lead to an emotional roller coaster; you’re up, you’re down, and you’re probably scared (and possibly screaming). The most tempting thing to do at this point is, well, something! Buy! Sell! Just do something, anything, to make it better!

Financial professionals have a term for that kind of rash action: “financial suicide”. A decision made in panic is usually a bad one, and one you’ll probably come to regret.

So What to Do?

The solution is to remain calm. Easier said than done, I know. But that’s why I’m here; to provide the advice that has seen hundreds of clients through tough times like these. This is what I’ve learned after riding through other rough periods:

• What goes up, must come down
• Buy low and sell high – now is not the time to sell
• The best investment opportunities occur after down periods
• Recessions “trim the fat” from the system

Not everyone suffers during a recession – stay calm and logical and you will come out ahead. As the English so aptly put it:

 **This email is solely the work of Aaron Fransen for the private information of his clients. Although the author is a registered investment advisor with DWM Securities Inc., a DundeeWealth Inc. Company, this is not an official publication of DWM Securities Inc. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this newsletter are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, DWM Securities Inc.

As an investor you’re likely getting used to market volatility as a fact of life, like it or not. One day up, one day down, and a few more sideways. It reminds me of an epic mountain bike ride I did back in June in Whistler. The run was called ‘Kill me, Thrill me’ and it did just that! The ride started with a little climb, and then a little down, and then a big climb, followed by another dip! This continued on for about 2 hours but eventually we made it to the top! The markets often do that to us, they ‘kill us’ and then they ‘thrill us’. One moment going down (which is always fun on a bike, not so fun in the stock market) and then the next moment grinding up (which is never fun for me on a mountain bike, but it sure feels great when the stock market climbs up).

The stock market does not operate in a vacuum unrelated to world events, so investors like you and I need to be prepared to deal with volatility of all types. Being prepared for the unexpected is the key; the reason I wear my bike helmet every time I ride is not because I plan on crashing, but rather I’m prepared in the event that I do crash.

The Golden Rules

I think it would be helpful to revisit the key points below, or as I like to refer to them, “The Golden Rules” about investing in the markets :

* Maintain a long term perspective. While your investments may experience volatility over the short term, no one can dispute the fact that equity markets provide the best opportunity for long-term growth and wealth accumulation. Patience pays off.

* Stick with your investment goals. Don’t tie your financial investments to the headlines; the key to success is to maintain discipline and long term focus. Emotion, although understandable, can be misleading.

* Diversify! By investing in more than one market or fund, you become less vulnerable to volatility (the ups and downs in the stock market).

* Don’t panic. Sitting tight and riding out the storm will pay-off, versus bailing out. A decision made in panic is a decision you’ll regret.

One of my key responsibilities as your advisor is to help you make the smartest possible decisions about your financial lives – not just your investments! This means making myself accessible to you as your personal sounding board during times of uncertainty. There is a ton of noise in the marketplace at the moment and I understand that it can be overwhelming in times like these. There is no need for you or anyone you care about to feel alone. If you ever have any questions, or want to go over your portfolio, never hesitate to contact me and we’ll arrange for a meeting.

Enjoy the rest of your summer ( hopefully the sun is here to stay) and I look forward to meeting with you in the fall!

For those who are interested, I have a great article that was just released from our research department which outlines the US Debt situation. If you’re interested in learning more about the crisis, drop me an email at afransen@dundeewealth.com and I will send it to you.

**This email is solely the work of Aaron Fransen for the private information of his clients. Although the author is a registered investment advisor with DWM Securities Inc., a DundeeWealth Inc. Company, this is not an official publication of DWM Securities Inc. The views (including any recommendations) expressed in this newsletter are those of the author alone, and they have not been approved by, and are not necessarily those of, DWM Securities Inc.

Dave, JM, Wedgie, AF & JY (missing Kim & Cliff)

As many of you know this was my third Ride to Conquer Cancer and it was a ride to remember. Not because we rode for two days in the rain, but because YOU helped raise OVER $11 million for the BC Cancer Foundation that is going to make a difference — a BIG difference – in the lives of cancer patients across BC. Thank you again for your tremendous support! I am once again blown away by your generosity and willingness to help make a difference in peoples lives.

Our team, Fransen Financial, raised over $38,500, exceeding our goal of $35,000.  I’m also very excited to announce that over the past three years we have cumulatively raised approximately $98000 for the BC Cancer Foundation! WELL DONE TEAM!

I’d like to pass along a very special thank you to one of our team members, Kim Shaw.  A great fundraising effort was put forth by Kim, and it was very unfortunate that she and her husband, Cliff, were unable to ride with us this year.  However, we look forward to them joining our team for the 2012 ride!

Ah yes, next year… the core of our team is already signed up and back for the 2012 ride (John, Jon, Wedgie and Dave).  I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to join us on the ride! Think of it as a challenge! A step outside your comfort zone but a step that you will not regret!   We have a number of fund raising ideas in the works for 2012 and would love to see you pedaling along side us!  So hey, come join us!  This can be your opportunity to do something challenging and rewarding in so many ways. And you won’t do it alone.  We will be doing training rides, helping each other to fundraise, and generating awareness for critical cancer research at the BC Cancer Foundation, a leader in cancer research and care.

Below is the link to our team website … please check it out and come join us!

Team Fransen Financial

Have a safe and memorable summer with your families and friends.. and until next time remember,  Life is short. Ride hard!

Cheers.

Aaron Fransen

The 2010 Fransen Financial RTCC Team

Thanks so much for stopping by the new Fransenfinancial.com website, and welcome to my new blog! I’m really excited to share with you all the latest investment news, as well as tips and advice for navigating the complicated world of finance.

One of the things I love about the new site is that it has allowed me to express a little more personality than my previous page. I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that the major theme of my branding is biking, and I think to most people who know me it won’t come as a surprise; I’ve talked many a client’s ear off about my latest rides or upcoming biking trips.

In many ways a bike ride is a lot like investing, and that’s what inspired me to create my “6 Steps to Your Financial Future” plan:

Step 1: Explore

Before you start a ride you need to figure out where you’re going, and how you want to get there. We’ll do the same thing the first time you and I meet; we’ll get together and have a no-pressure discussion of your hopes and dreams for the future.

Step 2: Discover

You can’t set off on a challenging path without knowing your own limitations. If you decide to move ahead with Fransen Financial, I’ll schedule another meeting with you to discuss your financial priorities.

Step 3: Plan

The bigger the ride, the more preparation goes into it. You need to have solid plan in place before you begin, so you’re ready for anything. This is just like investing; you’ll fully understand your plan before we set off.

Step 4:  Starting Line

Starting a race is huge, and you need to make sure all the parts of your bike are functioning properly so that’s you’re in good shape for the long haul. We meet with every client 45 days-in to ensure that we’re both comfortable with everything.

Step 5:  Monitor

Once you’ve found your rhythm, things start getting easier. But, it’s important to frequently check your progress to make sure you’re on track, which I’ll do on a regular basis for your financial plan.

Step 6: Adjust

If you hit a trouble spot, or if the ride isn’t as smooth as you wanted, then it might be time to make adjustments to the bike. As we proceed on the path to your financial goals, I’ll always be ready to make changes on your behalf.

The biggest difference between riding and financial planning? You always hurt the day after a big ride, whereas I make financial planning as painless as possible for everyone.

My Latest Challenge

Fitness is a big part of my life, and there’s nothing I love more than a long ride, especially when it’s for a good cause. That’s why I’ve been supporting the Ride to Conquer Cancer for years; it combines two great passions in my life, riding, and helping people. This year my team has done a phenomenal job fundraising, and we’re extremely close to reaching our goal of $35,000:

Team Fransen Financial  Goal: $35,000.00 Achieved: $32,330.24

If you’d like to support my Ride this year and help defeat cancer, then I encourage you to visit my RTCC page to donate online.

Thanks so much for your support, and thanks to everyone else who has already donated. We couldn’t do it without you.