skip to content
  1. Home
  2. >
  3. Investment Q&A
You can view 3 more answers this month. Sign up for a free trial for unlimited access.

Investment Q&A

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

Q: Hi, I have a goodly amount of my savings in HYLD for income, and now Hamilton has come out with SMAX. I like the idea of SMAX, as it is not leveraged, and only writes covered calls on 30% of it's holdings. I realize that it is brand new, SMAX, and not very big, but would you consider it to be a better choice down the road, as I am considering switching out of HYLD into SMAX in the future.
Thanks for your patience with these high yield covered call questions.
Read Answer Asked by Greg on November 01, 2023
Q: Please give me your comments/suggestions about my fixed income portfolio and weightings.


BMO AGGREGATE BOND INDEX .ZAG 9%
CI INVESTMENT GRADE BOND .FIG 9%
FIDELITY TACTICAL CREDIT .FID7573 9%
HORIZONS CDN SELECT .HBB 9%
LIBERTY ALL STAR EQUITY FUND USA 9%
PENDER CORPORATE BOND FUND .PGF550 9%
PICTON MAHONEY FORTIFIED .PIC8501 9%
PIMCO MONTHLY INCOME FD CDA .PMIF 9%
RP INVESTMENT ADVISORS .RPD210 9%
RP STRATEGIC INCOME .RPD110 9%
DYNAMIC PREMIUM .DYN3361 10%
Read Answer Asked by Gregory on October 30, 2023
Q: RE purchasing US treasuries

Hello 5i,
Once or twice I have tried to purchase bonds from my discount broker RBC direct investing. The process to purchase is fairly easy (you will face a hit up front on the bond price compared to the open market). However, when selling a bond or treasury that's when a DIY investor is really at a loss. You call up RBC and then the agent will consult the "manager in the bond department" and they will decide on a price they will give you for the asset you wish to sell. Kind of like a car dealership! It truly is a grey market where your discount broker has all the control of the sale of that fixed asset. Also, if looking at treasuries, you must commit to $10k USD and can't buy, for example in smaller increments, like I wish to do for a family member in a conservative TFSA.

IS there an ETF suggestion for a 10, 20 30 year treasury in USD? Not what i really want, but will mirror the moves in this market, I suppose? TLT is the 20 year. What is the 10 year, 30 year?

Also, can you confirm that the interest paid on the treasury would be tax exempt if held in a TFSA? If tax on interest is exempt in a TFSA, would it still be exempt if one holds the ETF and not the treasury itself?
Read Answer Asked by Kat on October 30, 2023
Q: I need to sell 1/3 of my portfolio and park the cash for 3-6 months. TD will not allow me to buy PSA, CASH, HISA, or HSAV. Can you recommend a few other good options.
Thank you,
Derek
Read Answer Asked by Derek on October 27, 2023
Q: 5i has been very clear regarding COVERED CALL etf’s vs related sector etf’s. More specifically 5i has said covered call etf’s provide some cushioning on the downside with the offset of underperforming on the upside.

.My questions:

1. Are there any rule of thumb metrics for estimating the magnitude of the difference?

Cases in point ….admittedly these are snap shots and probably not statistically reliable…. but I do wonder if there are reliable metrics.

This information is from RBC DIRECT INVESTMENT as of today and represents 1 year performance and is an attempt to cover both ends of the risk spectrum.

UTILITY COVERED CALL ETF:ZWU -7%
NO COVERED CALL ETF:ZUT -18% / XUT -15%


TECHNOLOGY COVERED CALLS: JEPQ + 27%

NO COVERED CALLS: XLK +39%/. VGT +36%

2. Are dividends included in the performance numbers?

The data seems to reinforce the 5i information. No doubt about that…. thank you.

How about metrics to guide the buying decisions.

I am increasingly risk averse…. definitely more risk averse but still with some interest in “ adventure “ .

THANKS .

Read Answer Asked by Donald on October 27, 2023
Q: hi,
according to portfolio tracking and analysis, I am short on basic materials, consumer cyclical, health care, industrials. im also quite short US and international equities. I prefer equities with dividends that are growing, and has some capital appreciation/growth as well. with this in mind, can you provide your top few picks in each sector please. much appreciated. chris
Read Answer Asked by chris on October 26, 2023
Q: I would like to put about 50% of my portfolio into safe, higher yielding (10%+) Canadian focused ETF's or Mutual Funds, and adjust my holdings as needed going forward based on sector performance. I feel that both Banks & Utilities are nearing lows and that a further correction may occur in the general market due to tax loss selling or possibly one more rate hike. Do you feel that the mix of ETF's listed provide a safe way to invest with the goals indicated? What % for each, as part of the 50%, would you recommend as a holding, and how would they be treated for tax purposes? Thanks for the great service and please use as many credits as necessary.
Read Answer Asked by Will on October 25, 2023
Q: I am a retired income investor and I purchased this ETF several months ago for income and some potential growth. It is in a registered account. The payment is reasonable but I now realize that I don't fully understand how this will react to interest rate swings compared to either short or long-term bonds. Should I expect it to have a higher beta than longer-term or shorter-term bonds? Would it usually react fairly quickly to anticipated interest rates move or because there is an equity component does the state of the economy (aside from rates) impact its value, resulting in slower swings? Would you consider it riskier or "safer" than "straightforward" bonds?

Appreciate the insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on October 25, 2023
Q: Could you comment about Ninepoint High interest savings etf
Read Answer Asked by terrance on October 25, 2023