New Year | Artificial Intelligence

Matthew Lekushoff | www.matthewlekushoff.ca

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Although the 11th day of the year is a little late, I'd like to wish everyone a happy New Year! I hope 2018 is a rewarding one for you and your loved ones.

I for one am excited about the upcoming year. Global economies seem universally healthier than they have been in years, with markets closing 2017 and beginning 2018 positively.

Our portfolios have also enjoyed positive returns. Should markets take a turn, we are not only well positioned to weather most any financial storm, we are also prepared to take advantage of it. If a correction doesn't occur in 2018, we will continue to ride market tides higher, while paring risk through regular rebalancing.

Many of you have told me how much you enjoy this bi-weekly letter. This year, I plan to pour more energy into structuring and organizing my thoughts more thematically. In short, there will be a method to my madness.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the topics on my radar for 2018: Emerging markets, crypto currencies, tax planning, multidisciplinary learning, artificial intelligence, autonomous cars, and market trends.

Feel free to let me know about your interests ----- the more feedback I receive, the better this newsletter will become!

DEADLINES AND OPPORTUNITIES

As of January 1, Canadian residents can add an additional $5,500 to their TFSA accounts, if you've previously maximized your limit. If not, the lifetime contribution limit is now $57,500.

If you aren't sure how much you have contributed so far, please contact Revenue Canada, or set up an online account with them , to access this information as well as other tax-related resources.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

"The virtue of a person is measured not by his outstanding efforts, but by his everyday behavior."

----- Blaise Pascal

IN THE REVIEW QUEUE

Getting Job, Skill And Mindset Ready For A Post AI World by Amit Somani: Rather than try and fight it, if you are young and ambitious, it's important to work with advances in artificial intelligence----- as well as to hone those skills AI will have a difficult time replacing. For those of us old(er) folks who think we won't be affected, don't get too complacent, things are changing fast!

Robot Cars May Kill Jobs, But Will They Create Them Too? by Carolyn Said: Although many people are worried about the jobs autonomous cars will cost, what may not be so obvious are the jobs they will create.

Mental Model Tweet Storm by Sizhao Yang: There are tweet storms, and there are Tweet Storms. This particular one by Farmville co-creator Sizhoa Yang on the intellectual compounding one gets from mental models is definitely worth your time.

Our Universe Is Too Vast For Even The Most Imaginative Sci-fi by Michael Strauss: It's often hard to remember we aren't the centre of the universe. This article reminds us our planet is smaller than a grain of sand on the galactic beach.

This Water - David Foster Wallace Commencement Speech : I'm a fan of good commencement speeches. This one is great. It's funny and self-deprecating, but most importantly, it's full of wisdom and useful advice.

10 Charts That Show Why Gold Is Undervalued Right Now by Frank Holmes: It's difficult to ascertain whether a commodity is undervalued or not, as there are no profits or cash flows. Therefore, unlike the title of this article, I won't go so far as to say gold is undervalued. However, I do think the charts in it make compelling arguments for the yellow metal's rise in the future. As a reminder, we own gold to provide a hedge against unforeseen and dramatic socioeconomic and economic events, given its track record of doing well in times of volatility.

GOING VIRAL

The snow in photos: 2018 started with a bang...or a bomb, as most of the east coast was pummeled with snow. Temperatures are expected to drop again by the end of the week so stay safe and warm everyone!

Matthew Lekushoff

416-777-6368

matthew.lekushoff@raymondjames.ca

www.matthewlekushoff.ca

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