Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - Valuing Bitcoin

Bitcoin has traded between a high of $123,000 and a low of $63,000 over the last 12 months. The question is, how do you value whether it is cheap, and time to buy, or expensive, and time to sell. Bitcoin has no physical assets, no sales, no profits or patents. Nothing that gives us a set of metrics, or way to calculate its worth. Its value, is whatever the majority of buyers and sellers think it is at any given time, and that number can change dramatically over even short periods. This makes Bitcoin a very controversial investment. Because there is no conventional way to gauge its worth, your guess as to a fair price, is probably as good as anyone else’s. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - Gold’s Golden Era

These are very exciting times for holders of gold stocks. Four years ago, the spread between a gold miners production costs, and what they could sell their product for, left them with a profit of about $600 US per ounce. Today with gold around $5000, their profits have ballooned to $$3500 per ounce - almost 6 times higher. These are the biggest profit margins in modern history and leave gold miners with extra cash to raise dividends, buy back stock, pay down debt and grow production. All of which are shareholder friendly. For miners of the yellow metal, this is truly a golden era. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - Estate Sale Bargains

Virtually every time I go shopping on Amazon or at a retail store, I came away with sticker shock, shaking my head in disbelief at how fast prices have climbed in the last few years. This unaffordability, has caused a resurgence in discount, next to new, and second hand transactions, as people look for ways to stretch their dollars. One area that shouldn’t be overlooked are estate sales. As boomers pass on or downsize, an enormous amount of items are coming up for sale. Boomers, or the kids who inherit this pile of stuff, just want to get rid of the clutter, and are incentivized to move it - often at bargain prices. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - The Seven Trillion Dollar Question

To make Artificial Intelligence a functioning global reality, requires enormous resources. The cost for all the AI programs, data centres, computers, semiconductors and electrical generating infrastructure is expected to reach 7 trillion dollars over the next decade. What no one seems to be asking, is where are the profits going to come from to pay for all of this. Even a profit margin of 10%, which is less than 1/2 of what tech companies normally expect, would mean these assets need to generate 700 billion in profits annually - an enormous sum. Can they do it? Investors are betting 7 trillion dollars the answer is yes. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or .CFCW.com

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - USMCA Will Be A Grind

Canadian’s have pushed stock markets ever higher. Pricing them to perfection and assuming that nothing could happen to disrupt their rosy economic outlook. People for the moment are ignoring the very difficult round of trade negotiations with Mexico and the US, starting in less than four months. Trump has made numerous derogatory remarks about Canada and our Prime Minister has made comments about the US that have further escalated things. Markets don’t like the tough, the grinding, the brutal - but that is exactly what these talks are expected to be. Investors might want to temper their bullish enthusiasm until they get a clearer understanding of how these trade negotiations are likely to turn out. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - USMCA & Opportunity

Under the USMCA trade agreement, the U.S., Canada and Mexico must meet on July 1, 2026, to determine whether to extend the treaty for another 16 years, negotiate changes or withdraw. If they cannot reach consensus, the agreement continues with annual reviews until its scheduled sunset in 2036. Expect there to be a lot of sharp disagreement as Trump has already declared that he is looking for major concessions before he commits to its renewal. It is in these times, investors want to have cash available on the sidelines. Critical meetings with lots of drama, often provide the best buying opportunities of the decade. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - The US Policy Uncertainty Index

It might be tempting to seek safety when markets get rattled, but high levels of uncertainty can actually be positive for stocks. There is an index which tracks how investors feel about out the economic times they are in called the U.S. Economic Policy Uncertainty Composite Index. Research over a 40 year period between 1985 and 2025, has shown when levels of uncertainty are high the S&P 500 rises 19% on average. The rest of the time the S&P 500 returns 11.6% annually. Typically, when bad news is commonly known, it is already priced into the markets. This gives investors an opportunity to shop for bargains when prices are down. For more information listen to our Making Money podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - Who Is Right?

The best descriptor I have heard summarizing the investment outlook for 2026 - is a dumpster fire. The world seems to have gone crazy. Trade friction, a global arms race, regime change in Venezuela, threats of it in Iran, and endless wars in Ukraine and Gaza, have made the world an uncertain place. Even though the year has gotten off to a chaotic start, you would never know it by looking at the markets. Stocks just shrug off the negativity and keep moving from new high to new high. Aggressive investors either know something the rest of us don’t, or they will eventually pay the price. Time will tell. For more information listen to our Making Money Podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - Incomes Need To Catch Up

The government has put the brakes on record numbers of people immigrating into Canada. Fewer bodies have lowered demand for everything from health care to groceries. Slower population growth has the effect of reducing inflation and increasing affordability. The good news, is this decision has helped Canadian rents fall 5 months in a row, bringing them down 5.4% over the last two years. The bad news is they are still 14.1% higher than they were in 2019. We need lower inflation and stable prices to continue for a while, so wages and incomes can eventually catch up. For more information listen to our Making Money Podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.

Making Money Minute with Ron Hiebert - Silver Demand

Silvers dramatic price moves are a classic example of supply exceeding demand. Silver has few peers when it comes to conducting electricity. Its use in electric cars, solar panels and data centres, means that industrial products are now by far the biggest driver of demand. On the supply side there has been little incentive to produce more, because 72% of silver inventories come as a byproduct of zinc and copper mining not from primary producers. As a result, even when you include recycling, the demand for silver has outstripped its production for the last five years. For more information listen to our Making Money Podcast with Ron Hiebert and Graham Hicks at letsmakemoney.ca or CFCW.com.