Investment Q&A

Q: I have a portfolio of 25 individual stocks (diversified among most sectors) with no ETFs. Within this portfolio I own companies that trade in CAD and the US but have operations and/or varying degrees of revenue in other countries such as CLBT, AXON, TOI, VHI, UBER, BKNG, WSP, TRI, BN and some of the MAG 7 with their worldwide reach such as GOOG. I often wonder if this is adequate international exposure for a healthy portfolio or should I have a specific international ETF?
I have not been a fan of ETFs due to the often wide exposure that can include "the best along with less than the best" (and they are boring, :), haha). But for long term growth and healthy diversification I often consider opening a position in an international ETF such as VIU.
But then I face my conundrum. In the past 5 years the return on VIU has been 41.4% (Yahoo Finance). Perhaps my expectations are out of line, but I would not be happy (and I would be bored, :), ) with the same return from VIU in the next 5 years. Even a conservative Canadian bank with some international operations such as RY has done 90% in the past 5 years (Yahoo Finance). It seems to me that I must give up too much possible growth in order to achieve a healthy level of international diversification through the instrument of an international ETF.
Perhaps this is a conundrum that need not be solved, but do you have any thoughts that may lead to a wiser investment perspective or a needed tempering of my expectations?
As always, thank you for your excellent service.
Cal

Q: Hi, ‘Physical Uranium’ , not something you buy on the street….Where does Sprott get and hold its uranium ?

Q: Hi Team:
I have some cash sitting in RIF acct. Presently in RBF2010 paying 2.3% interest, with unlimited charge for buy or sells..
Would I be better to spent the $9.95 and buy into something like CASH or PSA? Then I would also have to pay $9.95 to get out.
As a follow-up to that question how about if this was in an 'open account' , Where the interest is taxed at 100% income whereas CASH or PSA would act like a dividend income and therefore taxed at roughly 66% income.
OR do you have a better suggestion for larger amounts of $$
Thank you. :-)

Q: What do you believe as the best buying opportunity in the market these days?
1 small cap stock
1 mid cap stock
1 large cap stock
1 ETF

Thank you

Q: Given what seems to be a market bent on devouring risk assets what are your thought on XRP? I keep a small portion of our portfolio for moon shots and just place a small limit order.

Q: would this be a royalty for silver worth buying. would 5i prefer a ETF in this catedory. Price moved quite a bit with insider buying.

Q: I am trying to understand what I actually own with an ETF. My understanding is that I do not own the actual assets that it tracks but that there is a "fund" created to track the underlying assets that the fund provider does own separately in a much smaller quantity. So it seems that the "fund" may be infinitely expandable since it is not actually comprised of stocks. I am uneasy about things that resemble derivatives so wondered if you could explain more about how this works with index tracking etf's. Mainly, how is my investment secure if I don't actually own anything tangible? Thanks

Q: For a conservative investor, given the volatility expectations for the next few years, would you replace JEPI in the RRSP account with FT Vest Laddered Buffer ETF (BUFR)? As this is RRSP, only the total return (as opposed to income) matters. It appears that BUFR has outperformed JEPI in both bull and bear markets, and JEPI only outperforms when we have non-trending markets with low volatility. Your thoughts?

Q: I am interested in 3 growth ETFs....70 to 80% equities. A second question..what do think about investing some allocation in the military sector. If yes could you suggest 3 top stock picks and 2 etfs ( if available) Thank you

Q: This is a relatively new ETF. Appears well diversified and with an interesting family of stocks. What would your thoughts be? Is there other ETFs with the same target?
Thanks,
Murray

Q: Hi there, I asked a question about this etf and you responded with a link to a previously asked question but that precious question isn’t about the etf I was referring to. Thanks!

Q: I am interested in buying physical silver as a bit of an inflation hedge for the long term. What do think of the future for silver bullion and which source would you recommend in Canada?

Q: Hello,

What are your thoughts on having those ETF/MF in ones portfolio with the purpose of generating a stable monthly dividend? Also, I am interested in your thoughts regarding MSTY (US) ETF which appears to pay a dividend of 127.45%. How sustainable is this rate. Looking forward to your thoughts.

Q: Hello 5i Team,
Looking to add more broad-based U.S. exposure to a non-registered account. With the recent strength of the Canadian loonie to the US dollar, would you recommend buying a Canadian-dollar traded ETF like ZSP, or converting Canadian funds to US dollars and investing in SPY (or something similar)?
Many thanks,
Brian

Q: Good morning. I have a half position in ATD in my RRIF that is the only under performer. I would like to sell it and open a position in gold. I'm not sure whether to buy a producer, a streamer or an ETF. I could add funds and buy 1 full position, or buy 2 of the above categories. Your thoughts and suggestions for tickers would be welcome. Thanks in advance. David

Q: Can you suggest some ETF's that cover the AI space? Thank you for the great service. I have been a subscriber since the beginning. I have never looked back!

Q: Any ETFs that hold a broader basket of agriculture commodities that include cocoa.

Thank you.

Q: Subject: Follow-Up on Monthly Dividend ETF Recommendations

Hi 5i team,

Thank you for your thoughtful response to my question regarding safer monthly income alternatives to Whitecap Resources. I understand the appeal of Canadian ETFs, especially in registered accounts where avoiding the 15% U.S. withholding tax is beneficial.

That said, I was wondering are there any U.S.-listed ETFs that you would feel comfortable recommending which offer monthly dividends, strong diversification, and a yield comparable to or better than Whitecap’s, while maintaining a reasonable level of safety and consistency?

I’d be open to covered call or enhanced income strategies as long as the risk profile isn’t excessive. Would appreciate your perspective on whether there are any U.S. options worth considering despite the tax implication.

Thanks again,

Q: Is there an equivalent for TMF, if sold for tax loss purpose?
Thanks

Q: Good morning 5i,

With your vast experience with ETFs, im looking for 2 US ones?

1) market cap weighted ?

2) Equal weighted ?

thanking you in advance

SG