What are your odds of winning the lottery?

Toronto Star, by Ellen Roseman
April 2006

Unimaginably small, says University of Toronto statistics professor Jeffrey Rosenthal.

You have one chance in 14 million to score big playing Lotto 6/49. (That's where you have to match all six numbers chosen from 1 to 49.)

Full text: Advice for lottery winners: Chill out

By providing his clients with a full suite of services—from basic tax preparation to comprehensive wealth management — Marc Lamontagne managed to successfully move from a commission-based to a fee-for-service model 10 years ago

TD Performance Magazine, by Kevin Nishmas
April 2006

Q. Who are your clients and what are their top priorities?

My clients are mostly Baby Boomers and busy professionals. Because I offer tax preparation as part of my services, I also have many clients who are selfemployed, near retirement or retired. My clients generally have an annual household income of $100,000 or more, and tend to have a net worth of at least $500,000. As a result, they are really looking for an expert to help them manage their wealth, so they have the money to reach their financial goals. They also want to minimize taxes and avoid serious mistakes—with the peace of mind that comes from knowing someone trustworthy is looking after their investments.

Full text: Field interview with Marc Lamontagne

Right after Jason Lalonde won Ontario's Cash for Life lottery on the weekend, he did a little math

Ottawa Citizen, by Dave Rogers
March 2006

And the 23-year-old apprentice plumber from Alfred quickly calculated he'd be better off taking the weekly $2,000 cheques, rather than a $1.35-million lump sum.

"At first people didn't believe I had won, but when my girlfriend told them the ticket read 'Life Life Life,' they didn't doubt me," he said yesterday. "My mom is really happy that I have won."

He figures that if he invests most of his tax-free winnings every week for less than 15 years, he will earn more than the lump sum.

With such a strategy in mind, Mr. Lalonde, who has been an apprentice for about a year, intends to complete his training at Algonquin College or La Cite Collegiale.

Full text: Cash for life winner calculates his golden future

Real estate values have been on a tear for the past five years in many parts of Canada, as low interest rates have encouraged investors to enter the housing market

Advisor.ca, by Steven Lamb
March 2006

With easy access to cheap money and innovations such as "zero-down" mortgages, many Canadians have dipped their toes into real estate as an investment.

As with all rallies, there have also been concerns that the market was in bubble territory — concerns that have yet to be proven right.

According to the T. Stenner Group at CIBC Wood Gundy's True Wealth Report, an annual survey of high net worth individuals, wealthy investors have become wary of the real estate market, with 89% saying real estate was either "expensive" or "somewhat expensive."

Full text: The real estate debate: Boom or bubble?