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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: With stock performance possibly to be flat or down for a year or more, could you provide a list of EFTs that could capture extra upside in such a market using options
In particular I’m looking for US small/mid cap ETFs with covered calls/put options for the next couple of years in the event the market is flat to down

Also, is it possible to access a “search tool” for such an inquiry as follows:
US mid cap
CC options
In CDN dollars hedged
Defensive sectors like utilities
Read Answer Asked by Greg on January 28, 2025
Q: Trading volume is good. Yield is similar to other cash savings etf but this has an advantage when held in a taxable account because it does not pay distributions. However it is trading for approx 1.5% premium. If there was no premium, I would buy it for a 9 month hold but the premium is more than half the yield I can expect for 9 months. Am I right that in my situation, pick another cash savings etf? To pay a premium is not a good idea for a cash etf no matter how good it is? What do you think? Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Tony on January 27, 2025
Q: I'm looking for an ETF in the US Markets for a US Dollar Money Market Fund or equivalent with low fees. Could you recommend one or two very reputable ones?

Broadly, I came into some US dollars, and before I invest them, I'd like to put them into treasury equivalents for security until I invest into the broader market.
Read Answer Asked by Ian on January 27, 2025
Q: Looking for investing suggestions for someone in there mid twenties that has a very good job and are just starting out investing, I was thinking buying a few ETFs that auto buy every paycheck through a big bank brokerage arm kind of set it and forget till they figure out if they want to learn more about investing. Also what would be a good basic investing book that teaches how RRSPs and TFSAs work? Is Gordon Pape still around, lol.
Read Answer Asked by Mark on January 27, 2025
Q: Hello
I have been a moneysaver customer for many years. I noticed that the model portfolio has an inception date of 2013. Can you maybe work on another more current basket of stocks bonds given that the investing environment has changed. For example the Canadian preferred index used to be quite popular, however given that rate resets are diminishing and that we are in a low interest rate environment, there may be better alternatives
Read Answer Asked by Tim on January 27, 2025
Q: Would Canadian funds such as ENCC, BANK, HMAX which hold Canadian stocks be taxed as dividend income or as capital gains income by the CRA ?
I believe that similar funds holding US stocks would be taxed as capital gains.
Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Catherine Ann on January 24, 2025
Q: Good Morning

I would like to increase my US position in my RRSP. I currently cover this US exposure through VBAL(core position) VFV approx 4.5%, Legacy positions of ZLU and ZWH approx, 3%, totaling approx. 31% US. My thoughts were to replace ZLU/ZWH and increase VFV and add EQL to gain broader exposure to US market. Would this give me a good exposure without over duplication? I am retired and 65 and would like a balanced plus approach. Your thoughts or other ideas would be appreciated.

Thank you,
Mike
Read Answer Asked by Mike on January 24, 2025
Q: Hello 5i,

I have been retired for 4 years and i am now am about to turn 65. i have a DB pension from my previous employer with a bridge benefit that carries until my 65th birthday in a few months.

I have done some projections on maximizing both income over the course of my retirement. I have determined that in my case it appears that these results are optimized if i defer OAS and CPP until age 70...and i am fortunate that i can afford to do this.

At this point i am in the process of converting a enough of my investments to fixed income products to cover income requirements until age 70 (to avoid short term market volatility and help me sleep better at night). One of the products i am looking at is using laddered USD GICs as they have better returns than CAD GICs at this point. I understand you don't give personal advice but i am wondering if there are other options i should consider? Bonds for example? Other?

Thanks!!

Peter

Read Answer Asked by Peter on January 24, 2025
Q: Can you recommend some global ETF's in both USD and CAD?
Read Answer Asked by Wes on January 24, 2025
Q: Are these Canadian income ETFs a good place to sidestep potential Trump tariffs? Do you have other recommendations?
Read Answer Asked by Jean on January 24, 2025
Q: Hi 5i,

Currently have a large portion of my investments in equities and I am looking to invest in Bonds for the sake of diversification.

Could you provide your best ideas for Bond ETFs or any similar investment products that I should consider? This is for non-registered account.

Thank you.

Greg C.
Read Answer Asked by GREGORY on January 23, 2025
Q: In the last 12 months, the canadian dollar has fallen on average about 72 cents to now under 70 cents approximately, therefore if I understood the hedge vs unhedged issue correctly, VSP should have outperformed VFV. it looks like the complete opposite in 1 year returns. Why is that ?
Read Answer Asked by Ernest on January 23, 2025
Q: I currently own the above ETFs in my unregistered account and they have performed well. I have funds to be invested in my LIF account and am considering purchasing one or more ETFs. How would you rank these ETFs for a LIF account? Would you suggest equal contributions to these ETFs? Are there other ETFs that you would recommend for a LIF account? Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Don on January 23, 2025