North American stock indices have opened in the red this morning following a disappointing US 2nd quarter GDP report, and a lower than expected US Personal Consumption number. It was a mixed picture yesterday as US indices posted marginal losses while the TSX Composite managed to post a 32 point gain. The gain was led by the materials sector as fertilizer stocks posted solid gains following a strong quarter of earnings from Potash and gold stocks were helped by Barrick beating expectations and raising its dividend.

Warren Buffet has said it takes two things to succeed in investing - having a plan, and sticking to it. If you're working with an advisor, their job is to not only help you develop the plan, but to also develop strategies to help you stick to the plan. If you're looking for an advisor, make sure he or she has a balanced perspective, with access to a variety of different research. You want to make sure that their recommendations aren't based on only one side of the story. The discussion might be longer, but you'll have more confidence in your advisor's recommendation if he or she can present both sides of the story.

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