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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Good morning!
I am a dividend investor, almost totally in higher paying blue chips and sector specific equities. I rely on those payments for my income. However, I am considering an etf as a possibility to lower risk , but am not very familiar with the offerings. A brief look about wasn't encouraging, as it seems that often the dividends paid may decrease over time, and not necessarily in sync with govt interest rates as you might expect. As an example, I thought XRE would be a good one, paying over 5%. Their distribution 10 years ago was 8 cents. The most recent was 6 cents. This does not keep up with inflation, a key part of my requirement.
All that being said, can you suggest Canadian etfs that pay a high dividend, one that increases with inflation? Thanks for your ideas! ... Paul K
Read Answer Asked by Paul on September 04, 2025
Q: Your thoughts please on this TFSA used by a retired banker that is very simple but has vastly outpermormed the TSX. I realize only 3 sectors are covered but looks to be all quality companies?

Thx
Read Answer Asked by blake on September 04, 2025
Q: I am slowly transition my portfolio from individual stocks to ETFs. I am looking for ETFs that will focus on dividend payers (in the US and Cdn markets trading on the TSX) and Hamilton has recently come out with CMVP and SMVP which are purported to provide good income and growth with less volatility. They also have leveraged versions which I am not opposed to as these would be 10year investments.
Would these be good choices or would you recommend other ETFs with similar objectives.
Read Answer Asked by Bruce on September 04, 2025
Q: I bought a large amount of PSI because it’s listed in a 5i model. I don’t follow Canadian markets, so I buy 5i-recommended Canadian businesses without much checking. PSI shares have only sunk in value. Why is PSI in your model (other than for dividend) ? Is it worth holding ? Is it an attractive takeover target ?

My question (admittedly a leading question from one who is weary of these losses in tax-deferred accounts): is it not better to shoot this thing and be done with it? You are still holding PSI which makes me think I must be wrong. Am I ?

Is PSI's *business model* viable, really sustainable ?

Sometimes a business I hold does nothing for long periods and just sits idle, or still. Then, suddenly it jumps like a rabbit, and the share price jumps and away we go. A forced metaphor perhaps but intended to to illustrate the sell-indecision. BNS is an example of such ‘rabbit’ — but it’s only after years that I am finally now breaking even, showing a small loss. The long wait is often not worth the opportunity costs.
I am baffled why PSI is favored at 5i.
:ao:
Read Answer Asked by Adam on September 04, 2025
Q: Good Morning,

Here's a "What would you do?" question.

Retired income investor, Like to yield at least 4% on any equity. Look forward to dividend increases.

Regarding BCE.

Hold 330 shares in cash account. Down 51%. Effective yield 2.54%.

Hold 1,100 shares in RRIF. Down 39%. Effective yield 3.15%.

May be wrong but I don't see the dividend growing any time soon.

Thinking of booking a loss in my cash account but unsure about RRIF. Do you see appreciation in nearish term

What would you do?

Thanks,

Dave



Read Answer Asked by Dave on September 04, 2025
Q: UMAX = covered call, UTES= covered call + 1,25% leverage. In a downtrend, UTES would probably go down around 25% more than umax (ex -10% vs -12,5%...) and ZUT.Since the markets are presently high +the economics, do you believe that there could be a significant probability of a downtrend in 2025 and in such case ,would it be safer to sell UTES for ZUT now (or another stock), in order to reduce the risk ?
Read Answer Asked by Jean-Yves on September 03, 2025
Q: Good morning,
I was looking to buy some of a Canadian telecom stock and was wondering if you had any preference between Rogers, Telus, and Bell?
Thanks

Good morning,

Follow up to my previous question. Which company do you think would perform best in a higher inflation environment? Also do you think the the Telecom sector could perform well in an inflationary environment and what other sectors besides hard assets would perform well.
Thank you very much.
Read Answer Asked by Aidan on September 02, 2025
Q: I note that this company appears to have stalled, do you have confidence in it returning to past valuations and more? Would proposed rate cuts not help? Is this company a good investment for the foreseeable future?
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on September 02, 2025
Q: Good morning. Retired live off portfolio. Had a GIC with a nice yield just mature. Need to reinvest for "safe" income. Which of the stocks in your income portfolio would you say are the best buys at this time with safety in mind. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by MANFRED on August 29, 2025
Q: HMAX's dividend has been slowly declining since the ETF's inception in 2023. Please offer an explanation for the decline, as well as provide your thoughts on the size of the dividend going forward. This is one of the few investments I hold strictly for the income stream and, if the dividend is likely to continue trending down, I will be moving on. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Maureen on August 28, 2025
Q: Came across this news article about Rio Tinto wanting to sell its stake Iron Ore Company of Canada (IOC).

Rio is also considering an initial public offering on the Toronto Stock Exchange of IOC, on which Royal Bank of Canada has been hired to advise.

https://news.sky.com/story/rio-tinto-approaches-bidders-for-6bn-canadian-iron-ore-stake-11473410

I look forward to your comments and the potential implication of LIF.

Thank you
Read Answer Asked by JACK on August 28, 2025
Q: When looking at portfolio weightings and the Brookfield companies - do you consider each incarnation of the brookfield empire as a different company or do you consider them the same? Trying to figure out if I should trim or not, given their connections.
Read Answer Asked by Judith on August 25, 2025
Q: Hello 5i team; I have recently retired and switching my portfolio to income. I have serious overweight to Canadian dividend payers, ENB,NTR, BNS,ZWU etc. for preferential tax treatment.Is this okay? Risky? Should US be growth to avoid withholding tax.Own VGG, suggestions? Tia Mike
Read Answer Asked by michael on August 25, 2025
Q: Can I get your opinion on BAT…I’ve held it for many years…mainly for the fat dividends paid in US dollars…sort of like a bond proxy. But this year the share price has risen sharply and considering it’s in the tobacco industry, I’m not sure what to make of it…my plan is to hold it for the long haul but I’m awfully tempted to take some profits.
Read Answer Asked by Scott on August 25, 2025