Portfolio Corner: A Stock Picker’s Market

done that hasn’t been done yet?” Or worth listening to at least I might add! We did have the best music, hands down. If you noticed the Billboard Music Awards this year, best tour was all Classic Rock acts. This means by golly, (told ya he was southern) these are the acts that people are showing up for. It’s transgenerational. I don’t think kids today who love Justin Bieber will be taking their grandkids to his shows.

BIZ X: Do you think this transgenerational love of Classic Rock music translates to numbers in views for Boomerocity? PATTERSON: Yes, I do. I will say that I think web analytics is an estimation at best, regardless of the tools. I just have a feeling that it’s a wild guess — what makes me think that is the fake bots. When I look at the public “likes” on Boomerocity and the data behind it and I think that’s just little old me. Let’s just say I’m pretty proud of my numbers compared to someone who has sold millions of records.

BIZ X: You are truly a one-man band for over 10 years. You approve the layout, you write, you produce with no advertising, why that is? PATTERSON: Our demographic is a very eclectic mix moving from one extreme to the other. They are either “Get off my lawn type,” — the millennials like to put us in that box — or what I call “lurkers” that make up a larger demographic who are interested in all kinds of content. I’ll be testing those advertising dollars in the upcoming months to see what if anything I’m interested in pursuing.

BIZ X: Was Boomerocity born from a business plan with marketing or is it just a labour of love and passion? PATTERSON: A little of both. The initial plan was what you find in the unplugged section of the magazine. Some musings, some introspective things. I used song titles representative of what I wanted to talk about for articles. When I started I thought it would be up and down in a year. I finished my first year with 25 interviews.

BIZ X: What advice would you give to someone ready to leap into writing? PATTERSON: Be willing to do it for free, because you will! I read a long time ago that if you have a job, you love and would be willing to do it for free you’re really blessed. Over 360 interviews it’s been a lot of fun. Always do your homework by looking at other interviews and don’t ask those questions! Sometimes you can’t avoid it. I try to ask things that aren’t always asked. It’s so important to be respectful. It’s not about you, it’s about who you’re interviewing. That is part of why I get access to the people that I do. I let them know that Boomerocity is a safe harbour.

Old Fashioned Investing

By Steven Mayo

Just picture an old man in his rocking chair on the front porch, chewing on a piece of grass and once in a while, taking a puff of his pipe.

In the old days an investor would read the business section of newspapers and then take their time before buying shares of good companies on the stock exchange.

During the course of the year as they earned money they would invest.

In the 1960s and 1970s there were only hundreds of stocks, not thousands, to choose from. There were no ETFs, and only a limited numbers of mutual funds, as they were new investment vehicles . . . and maybe that was a good thing.

Since the late 1990s, everything moves faster, and there may be too much news, including news in online chat rooms and on social media platforms. It has now become more difficult to separate good investment advice from opinions promoting a specific agenda.

Unfortunately, in this type of environment “new investors” can get distracted, overwhelmed, and influenced to make poor choices, not appreciating good fundamental investing.

In the last six months when speculative stocks and strategies have fallen out of favour, the “old” investment disciplines are once again back in vogue.

What companies produce, their earnings, and dividends are more important than just “potential” sales and growth.

So far in 2022, “Value Managers” have considerably outperformed “Growth Managers” and I expect this to continue for a while in a rising interest rate environment.

This is the environment the old man on the porch recognizes and appreciates.

He has seen this before.

He learned from experience how to pick stocks and this is again a stock pickers market. He’s probably looking closely ***The Interview list reads like the PRINTED playlist (yes many a tree died for your musical information!) of the top 50 singles and albums that you could pick up at any record store. Through the years the paper turned into a two-page fold where you would see which bars your favourite act was playing. It also started to promote concerts. Two names come to mind, Bamboo Productions and Son of Bamboo Productions, now get off my lawn, you hippie! From working backstage production to the radio airwaves, Lori Baldassi has been involved in the music industry on a number of professional levels for many years. Baldassi has spoken in front of the CRTC, holds a certificate in Adjudication from York University Toronto, and is a graduate of St. Clair College’s Media Convergence program.

at the railways, trucking companies, manufacturing businesses, and the banks.

Back on the porch, our old man listens to his music and enjoys a cold beverage (or two) and appreciates the warm summer air.

There’s no fear of missing out in his mind, only a consideration for making wise investment decisions.

The music plays the classic John Denver lyrics: “Well, life on the farm is kinda laid back, ain’t much an old country boy like me can’t hack. It’s early to rise, early in the sack, thank God I’m a country boy.”

Happy rocking! Steven Mayo is a Senior Investment Advisor with RBC Dominion Securities Inc. (Member — Canadian Investor Protection Fund). This article is not intended as nor does it constitute investment advice. Readers should consult a qualified professional before taking any action based on information in this article.