Q: I am looking to establish a 10-year bond ladder within my RRSP as part of a broader effort to balance my portfolio. At present, I’m finding that my brokerage platform (BMO InvestorLine) does not consistently provide all of the details I need to make well-informed bond purchase decisions.
Question 1:
Can you recommend reliable sources or tools that provide key bond information such as credit rating, yield to maturity, seniority, and call features for Canadian bonds?
Question 2:
Is there a bond ETF you would recommend that closely replicates the structure and cash-flow characteristics of a bond ladder, as a DIY alternative to purchasing individual bonds?
Thank you for your guidance.
Question 1:
Can you recommend reliable sources or tools that provide key bond information such as credit rating, yield to maturity, seniority, and call features for Canadian bonds?
Question 2:
Is there a bond ETF you would recommend that closely replicates the structure and cash-flow characteristics of a bond ladder, as a DIY alternative to purchasing individual bonds?
Thank you for your guidance.
5i Research Answer:
There is not a great, free source for info. CIRO offers some good data. Morningstar and Blackrock as well. The Bank of Canada site is good for government yield info. DBRS has some free information. For a 10 year government bond laddered fund, we think CLG matches the requests in the question quite well.