January 21, 2013 Newsletter

Dear Friends,

Tangents:

It’s Blue Monday.  This was worth a read today:

Beating “Blue Monday”

Think positive thoughts and focus on attainable resolutions

By Brent Jolly | January 21, 2013

British post-punk band New Order released the song Blue Monday in 1983. It became the best-selling 12-inch single of all-time. The song begins with lead singer Bernard Sumner asking the rhetorical question: “How does it feel?”

The answer, according to mental health experts: pretty depressing.

While the song remains a popular post-punk anthem, “Blue Monday” has another meaning. Cardiff University psychologist Cliff Arnall has awarded that title to the third Monday in January, which he has identified as the most depressing day of the year.

Cold, dreary weather, holiday debt and shorter days contribute to “blue” feelings, says Dr. Arya Sharma, chairman in obesity at the University of Alberta in Edmonton. Another contributor may be that many of us have fallen short of those resolutions made three weeks ago.

If blue Monday is getting you down, Sharma recommends the following:

> Look on the bright side
Sharma is quick to point out that the Blue Monday phenomenon is not rooted in the scientific method, so it lacks proper scientific status. Nevertheless, he says, it makes sense.

“You have short days and long nights,” Sharma says. “It’s cold outside and you could have a bit of SAD [seasonal affective disorder], which has an impact on your mood.”

He encourages you to keep a resilient mind by thinking positive thoughts. Consider what you have accomplished recently, not what you still have left on your to-do list.

> Revisit your resolutions
Check in on how well you are doing with your New Year’s resolutions.

If you have been able to keep up with your goals, Sharma says, give yourself a pat on the back. But falling short in this area can be a source of frustration that colours your mood.

Many New Year’s resolutions fail, Sharma says, because they focus on outcomes we can’t control instead of behaviours we can control.

For example, resolving to lose weight calls for a result that is beyond your control. Resolving to eat more salads or quit smoking involves a behavior you can control.

Says Sharma. “It’s the things you are going to do that are the behaviours.”

> Eat healthy
While a healthy diet can contribute to a feeling of wellbeing, overeating can make you feel worse.

When it is time to dine, Sharma says, focus exclusively on eating — not your mobile devices, the television or paperwork. You will feel more full, and thus, eat fewer calories if you are paying attention to your meal.

> Have a plan
The path to good health — like the path to financial wellbeing — is best done with a good roadmap, Sharma says.

That could mean working with a dietician, for example, or mapping out your workouts with an activity monitor and software. In any case, be sure to keep your goals realistic and attainable.

Says Sharma: “If you have [a plan] and use it properly, it will work.”

photo of the day

01/21st/2013

President Obama hugs Vice President Joe Biden before he takes the oath of office during the 57th Presidential Inauguration on Jan. 21, 2013, in Washington, D.C.

Photo: Ann Hermes/Staff

Market Closes for January 21st, 2013:

International Markets

Bonds

Currencies

Commodities

Market Commentary:

Canada

By Eric Lam

Jan. 21 (Bloomberg) — Canadian stocks rose, closing at the highest level in more than 17 months, as European finance ministers met for the first time this year to discuss a solution to the region’s debt crisis.

Bank of Nova Scotia and Royal Bank of Canada gained at least 0.4 percent. Research In Motion Ltd., maker of the BlackBerry 10 line of smartphones, jumped 11 percent after Die Welt reported Chief Executive Officer Thorsten Heins said in an interview he’s still considering a sale of hardware production.

Golden Predator Corp. surged 17 percent after announcing on Jan. 18 it plans to transition to a royalty mining company. Home- improvement retailer Rona Inc. added 3.1 percent after naming a new executive chairman.

The Standard & Poor’s/TSX Composite Index rose 68.56 points, or 0.5 percent, to 12,794.25 in Toronto, the highest close since August 2011. The benchmark gauge has gained 2.9 percent this year. Markets in New York were closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

“When there were concerns about Europe a year ago markets took a tumble, now maybe investors are looking at Europe as not as important,” David Cockfield, managing director and fund manager with Northland Wealth Management, said from Toronto. His firm manages about C$200 million ($201 million). “There’s not a lot for the market to get upset about. Markets are somewhat relaxed and people who were on the sidelines are edging back in.”

Jean-Claude Juncker, Prime Minister of Luxembourg, stepped down as head of the group of euro-area finance ministers as the policy makers met in Brussels today. Jeroen Dijsselbloem of the Netherlands assumes the informal, unpaid post. The ministers are discussing how and when the 500 billion-euro ($666 billion) European Stability Mechanism can bypass governments and provide direct help to banks.

Scotiabank rose 0.8 percent to C$58.34 and Royal Bank added 0.4 percent to C$61.96 as bank stocks contributed most to gains in the S&P/TSX. Trading volume on the S&P/TSX was 47 percent lower than the 30-day average.

RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, rose 11 percent to C$17.41 after Heins, speaking to the German Die Welt newspaper, said the company’s strategic review is continuing. Pressure to sell off assets has diminished because of high cash reserves, and other options include licensing of RIM’s software, Heins said.

Rona, based in Boucherville, Quebec, gained 3.1 percent to C$11.86, the highest close since September.

Rona, with the backing of Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and Invesco Canada Ltd., its two biggest shareholders, has appointed Robert Chevrier as the company’s new executive chairman. Robert Pare has resigned the post and will continue as a board member. Four new directors, including Bernard Dorval, former group head of insurance at Toronto-Dominion Bank, also immediately join the board.

Golden Predator, which is exploring for gold in the Yukon Territory’s Tintina gold belt, soared 17 percent to 39 Canadian cents after announcing on Jan. 18 it will change the company’s name to Gold Bullion Royalty Corp., focused on royalty creation through its 34 existing projects. The company will also spin off its Golden Predator Canada Corp. unit to shareholders through a dividend or other plan, it said in a statement.

Gluskin Sheff + Associates Inc., a Toronto-based wealth- management company, advanced 5.9 percent to C$16.65 after declaring a special semi-annual dividend of 65 Canadian cents a share based on C$34 million of performance fees earned in the six months ended Dec. 31.

Nevsun Resources Ltd., operator of a mine in Eritrea, slumped 8.7 percent to C$4.22 after about 200 Eritrean soldiers mutinied and stormed a Ministry of Information building in the capital of Asmara, Agence France-Presse reported. Nevsun’s Bisha mine is operating normally, an external consultant for the company said today by e-mail.

US

Markets Closed for Martin Luther King Day.

Have a wonderful evening everyone.

Be magnificent!

Duties to self, to the family, to the country,

and the world are not independent of one another.

One cannot do good to the country

by injuring himself or his family.

Similarly one cannot serve the country

by injuring the world at large.

Mahatma Gandhi, 1869-1948

As ever,

Carolann

Time you enjoy wasting is not wasted

time.

-Marthe Troly-Curtin

Carolann Steinhoff, B.Sc., CFP, CIM, FCSI

Senior Vice-President &

Senior Investment Advisor

Queensbury Securities Inc.,

St. Andrew’s Square

Suite 340A, 730 View St.,

Victoria, B.C. V8W 3Y7