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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: The most current ETF Model Portfolio list is dated Jan 9 /2020 on your site. Is there a more up to date list or is that your current recommends.
Thanks
Gil
Read Answer Asked by Gilbert on June 10, 2020
Q: Are there any recommendations you may have for good alternative investment ETF's or Mutual Funds that a retiree can use to enhance income with some capital appreciation. (note: Stable income is the most important consideration.) Also what percentage allocation do you typically suggest for a portfolio.

Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by RALPH on June 10, 2020
Q: Need income, Like to convert from equity to ETF's with a dividend of 5-7% for the next 10-12 years ...15 Etf's... 5Can.5 US and 5 International. or close to that. Cover call ETF's OK, Dividend Growth always good. Leaning towards income first.
Many thanks for your excellent service.
Cec
Read Answer Asked by Cecil on June 10, 2020
Q: I have owned Russel 2000 Growth, as per your model growth fund for several years and over the long haul it has been a good performer. Thanks so much as usual!

I have recently read a couple of different articles referencing the potential for small cap value to perhaps outperform the market over the coming period of economic growth (ever the optimist). In particular, Simon Consable's article yesterday in the Wall Street Journal "Small ‘Value’ Stocks Are Down but Not Out" These stocks are still amongst the markets biggest losers year to date. What are your thoughts on this hypothesis and would adding the Russell 2000 value be a reasonable way to play this? Are there any individual stocks that you currently like that would fit this thought that are yet to rally?

As always, thanks for the great advise and service,

John
Read Answer Asked by John on June 09, 2020
Q: Goodmorning
Could you suggest 2 ETF for the following
TSX
DJIA
S&P
Nasdaq

Thks
Marse
Read Answer Asked by Marcel on June 09, 2020
Q: What are your thoughts on the online retail space for long term investment? Found a few ETFs: IBUY, ONLN, XBUY

Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Daryl on June 09, 2020
Q: Any reason not to sell xhc and buy life. I want stability but income is very important. Thanks, J
Read Answer Asked by JAMES on June 08, 2020
Q: Looking to add some tax efficient income to an otherwise well diversified portfolio. What do you think of the above mentioned ETFs? Could you suggest a couple of more?
Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Carlos on June 08, 2020
Q: Hi 5i
Hope you can help me. I've managed my and my wife's registered and unregistered accounts for a number of years and I'm satisfied with the results. Those accounts primarily hold equities and I spend quite a bit of time overseeing them and tweaking as I think necessary.
I've now been put in the position of acting as trustee of funds for two minors. The time frames the two trusts will run are 7 and 9 years respectively and the principal amount of each is approx 75K. I want to invest the funds but I don't want to put them in individual equities and manage them as actively as I do our personal accounts. I would prefer to put them into ETF's that I can keep an eye on monthly or quarterly and not worry too much about tweaking.
Being optimistic by nature I'm hoping to arrange to get it all for these two trusts - capital appreciation, income, sensible degree of risk, Canadian, US and international exposure, favourable tax treatment, etc.
There are an awful lot of ETF's out there and I really don't know how best to evaluate them to shake out a reasonable number to look into further - especially considering how difficult it can be to identify individual holdings to effectively avoid overlap and provide diversification.
With all that in mind, could I ask you to list 5 (or so) equity based ETF's for each of CDA, the US and internationally that you think might accomplish the goals I've listed, so that I can then look into those ones further and make some decisions about where to put these funds I'm charged with managing.
Also, if you do have any general or specific advice that you think might be useful to me in the situation I've described, I would certainly appreciate your including it in your answer.
Thanks very much and please deduct credits as you feel appropriate.
Peter
Read Answer Asked by Peter on June 05, 2020
Q: Van Eck Vectors Biotech E.T.F. BBH (Nasdaq)
1. I rarely buy ETFs. When I do, I favor ones with less than 50 holdings. I am under the impression that an ETF with a large number of holdings is so diluted that you tend not to get as much upside/downside. Is this this approach favoring higher beta better or worse than one that ignores the number of holdings?
2. BBH has a relatively concentrated portfolio of 26 biotech businesses.
3. Your insight into BBH please? Substance only please; have already reviewed material including ETF.com, ETF Channel.
4. If you think others are better , please do suggest names. I have not researched IBB or XBB.
Read Answer Asked by Adam on June 05, 2020
Q: Looking for some guidance on my International equity holdings. All of my Int’l holdings are in the above ETFs and are in my RRSP accounts. The Int’l portion represents 10% of my total investment portfolio. Generally I look for a balance between income and growth with dividends used to supplement my pension income. I have 9 years before I have to RIF.
I have only recently added ZEM for its emerging markets exposure and tax friendly structure. While the other holdings have provided good yield I have not been happy with the lack of growth even before the latest correction. I am generally comparing the lack of growth to the US market which may not be a fair comparison.
Could I have your opinion on my holdings and any suggestions for improvements and why. I am looking for good diversification across the world, ex North America, with a view to a balance between income and growth. Would like to keep my holdings in CAD.
Read Answer Asked by Bruce on June 05, 2020
Q: Hello 5i,
Just wondering your solid opinion on EDOG as opposed to some of the other DoD’s out there like IDOG and SDOG?
Cheers,
Rick
Read Answer Asked by Rick on June 05, 2020