Opening Notes
Welcome to summer everyone! Our family has been trying to come up with an idea for summer vacation this year that would take us anywhere away from our house. I think we have completely exhausted every conceivable activity that we can accomplish here - both leisure and work. Under the heading of work, we have painted much of the main floor in the house, tore down the kids' old clubhouse, built a raised vegetable garden and revamped the stone around the flower gardens. Under the heading of leisure, we have spent countless hours biking, running, playing basketball and tennis, and watching a continuous flow of old "Survivor" seasons. I highly recommend watching the old seasons of shows as the cost is very modest for the volume of entertainment we have enjoyed. Like everyone else I'm sure, we just need to find some different scenery...without going too far away due to the unique situation that we still find ourselves in. We have settled on renting a travel trailer in Kincardine, having it delivered to the campground later in July. Kincardine is an area that we have always enjoyed as the kids were growing up and we are thankful to have something different to look forward to. Hopefully all of you can find an idea as well.
Similar to our comments from last month, the markets have continued to be surprisingly resilient despite the significant shock to the global economy that is still unfolding. Craig and I discuss this regularly and tend to fall into the camp that believes we may have moved a bit too far, too fast. I would not be surprised to see the market trade in more of a sideways trend through the summer and reconcile itself one way or the other this Fall once we start to see more results come in regarding progress on fighting this pandemic. Another wildcard this year is the U.S. presidential election in November. Considering the significant unrest over there already, I am sure a contentious election will be just what the world doesn't need right now. The heavy and early intervention, both fiscal and monetary, by world governments has likely accomplished what they intended. It will be interesting to see if this government intervention can continue to support the world economy as we move forward through these unchartered waters. We hope everyone enjoys the start of the summer season. Contact any of us if you need anything.
Reaching Team Members
Just a reminder that each of us - Craig, Michelle and myself - are all working from home right now. Each of our office phone numbers are forwarded to our homes so you can still easily reach us. We have also added both Craig and Michelle's phone numbers to the monthly statements to make them easier to locate for you.
Webex Meetings
A completely novel concept to us only a few months ago, these virtual meetings are now a regular part of our day. If you would like to "meet" with Craig or myself to discuss anything, please take advantage of this tool. We can easily email you an invitation that will provide a link to the Webex platform on any day/time that works best for you.
New RBC DS Online 
We have had a few calls on the changes to the RBC DS Online platform. Whenever something new comes out, it does take some time to find your way around. I think you will like the changes, as they have provided significantly more functionality to the platform. There are some online guides and FAQs right in the program. If you look near the top right of the homepage you will see two large, yellow buttons like these: 
The <View My positions> tab will immediately link you to your portfolio positions. The <Show Me How> tab will provide a step-by-step guide to help you find information that you are looking for. Please call us if you have any difficulties as we can log in with you and walk through it together. We are glad to help.
Our Local Branch in the Community
Since Scott took over management of our local Sarnia office, he has prioritized our branch involvement in local charities. Since March, we have been able to donate over $22,000 to local organizations. To see what local charities these funds have benefited, click on this link (press the back button to return to the blog): Sarnia RBC DS charity involvement
David Chilton Virtual Presentation June 29th @ 12:00pm
David Chilton, author of 'The Wealthy Barber' and former dragon on CBC's The Dragon Den, has been a good partner with RBC and is hosting a special virtual presentation next Monday, June 29th at 12:00 pm. Michelle sent out an invitation to everyone earlier this week with a link to press if you wanted to join in. David will share his unique views on investment markets, the economy, and the business environment in the current pandemic environment we are now in. They had set June 25th as the deadline to RSVP, so please indicate your interest as soon as possible.