A strong U.S. employment report ignited a stock market rally on Friday, but it wasn’t enough to entirely recoup losses sustained during a lackluster week. Most of the big indexes ended Friday with losses overall for the week, highlighting the Jekyll-and-Hyde nature of recent investor sentiment, in which rising concern about Fed tapering trumps signs of improving economic growth, including Friday’s employment reports along with a strengthening manufacturing sector.

International stock markets outpaced Canada’s through 2013, while interest rates remained low. This has presented some unique challenges for Canadian investors, particularly retirees. But with a little patience, perseverance, and planning, we can still meet our financial goals. So here’s a review of 2013 and some planning tips to help you get a head start in 2014.

It’s getting near to year-end, which means it’s forecast time. Every economist, analyst, and investment columnist worth his or her salt is going to say something about what they think will unfold next year. For do-it-yourselfers, it’s kind of fun to see how your own prognostications stack up. So here’s a simple three-step process for making your own personal forecast for the markets in 2014. Follow it through, and see how it stacks up against the “experts.” You might be surprised how well you really do!