Investment Q&A

Q: My son who is 42 is opening a TFSA. He is getting a late start at investing as he has been emloyed overseas for most of his working life. He has asked me to help him. I am wondering if ETF's would be the best way to start. If so what would you suggest for seomeone his age. Also if he started with equities what would you suggest as well?

Q: hello 5i team
i just read one of the articles you recommended to us stating that the consensus amongst money managers is that European stocks will do better than US stocks in the coming years. they give various reasons for this view. i was wondering what your thoughts were on this thesis. i am a little light on foreign equities but have been a bit hesitant to add any. But now i am rethinking this. if you see this as more or less an accurate perception of the investing reality today would you think that the etf’s mentionned would provide the coverage needed?
as always thanks for your expertise

Q: Hey there,
All of these etfs pay good dividends for a retiree. Can you compare/contrast the risks associated with each and in particular, and is there any compelling reason to switch to VRIF?

Thanks

Q: Hi, if I hold ZDV, VDY or XIC in a TFSA are there any tax implications whatsoever. Do I need to keep track of ACB? Thanks.

Q: Hi 5i team,
The market is seeing a rotation from tech into more value with Dow Jones going up and NASDQ dropping. To capture this sector rotation, which Canadian traded ETFs would you recommend for US companies? Would it be Dow Jones focused ETFs or value focused ETFs that will see the most gain in the next 12 months?
Please list your top picks for each. Thanks.

Q: what are some renewable energy etfs

Q: My 40-year-old daughter has $42K in her RRSPs with Scotia Bank. Her advisor put her in two funds. BSN378 and BSN385. One is 45% invested in basically bonds and 40 Canadian stocks. The other is 12.3 % cash and 47 Canadian stocks. The exception is 2% invested in Microsoft. I assume there is a lot of duplication between the two funds investing in the same Canadian Companies. The MER is close to 2%. Apart from this being a travesty - I would like to move her into a self administered RRSP with a mix of a balanced ETF and three other stocks. She is regularly adding more money. She won't be withdrawing money from this account for at least 25 years.

Would you kindly suggest a suitable balanced ETF.

The three stocks I would suggest for a long term hold would be BAM, SHOP and ENB. Could I have your opinion or options please. Deduct as many questions as you see fit.

THANK YOU!
Bryan

Q: Hi 5i, please advise on the following:
Q1 - What are the pros and cons of purchasing US ETF on the US exchange (VTI) vs buying on TSX (VUN) other than lower fees?
Q2 - Pros and Cons of buying hedged ETF vs. non-hedged.
Q3 - My daughter has her ESPP in a non-registered plan with a large US company. She is wondering if it makes sense to sell the shares and repurchase from her TFSA. The idea is to pay a smaller capital gains tax now and accrue future gains tax free. Going forward, she would sell each addition (2x/yr) and repurchase from her TFSA within days (assuming each sale generates a gain, the shift in price between sell date and repurchase date is minimal and she has complied with the holding period). Your thoughts?

Thanks very much,
Rosemin

Q: Could you share your thoughts on including Van Eck's ETF - China Bonds (CBON) as part of my 40% allocation in a US portfolio.

Q: Dear 5i,

can you please suggest/recommend some Global Equity ETF's available on the Canadian Exchange which have a value focus/tilt. I am very happy to read more about these but, the only one I could think of is VVL by Vanguard. Thanks!

Q: I have about 8 grand of my portfolio allocated for these 2 ETFS. Just wondering how you would weight them. For a 20 year hold. Maybe lean toward Japan as they are more allied with the US, but then again Japan is drowning under Debt.
thanks

XEF = Japan, UK, France, Switzerland, Germany,
XEC = China, Taiwan, Korea, Brazil, India

Q: I need to set up an annual income for my wife, for next 25 years. In TFSA and RRSP, using only ETF's. Dividend growth and HY dividends. Should have 5% yearly and 10% total return. Can you recommend the appropate ETF's. Vanguard/BMO/ I Shares (only)
Please NO EM ETF's One European OK--- Key is 5% annual income. Investment .5M$ It has to be buy and collect for 25 years. No input by my wife.
Thank you
Cec

Q: Hello 5i Team,

I am now managing our Mom's ( 92 y.o. ) self-directed investments and have recently done a crystallization of gains in her Non-Registered account, for estate tax planning purposes.
I've now got to decide where to invest this significant amount of cash that she has.
Considering inflation and yet trying not to have too much risk to the downside because there may not be years left to recover from market corrections. Because of her age, I just don't want to be too long-term thinking here.
Any suggestions you can share here, with specific companies or ETFs, would be appreciated.
Thanks for the great service, and please deduct as many question credits as you see fit here.

Q: Greetings

For 2021, I am thinking of adding FIVG to my TFSA.

To date this ETF has done well.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Sincerely

Mike

Q: I just asked a question about comment/thoughts on an oil/gas stock then I came across your response to a question where you mentioned the 5i couch potato portfolio (is it published elsewhere?). The clean energy ETF has done very well ICLN-Q. Would you recommend it? It has certainly been on a tear. If yes, could it replace the oil/gas component?

Q: Good morning,
I just completed my annual portfolio review to identify potential tax loss harvesting candidates for the 2020 tax year and given that both KEY and ENB are both underwater, I am considering the option of selling both stocks and repurchasing them in 30 days.
My first question is which stock, stocks or ETF would you recommend I purchase to replace KEY and ENB for the next 30 days before repurchasing both KEY and ENB if that is indeed my best course of action.
My second question is whether or not these two pipeline stocks continue to have a place in an income generating non registered account portfolio or should I simply replace them now with some other income generating stock and if so which one or two stocks would you recommend.
I thank you in advance and look forward to hearing your response.
Francesco

Q: The mutual fund of PH&N has many of the shares used by 5I Research . Mawer also uses many of those companies.
Do you know any ETF that would be similar to those funds?
Those 2 funds are not available to individual investor.
Do you know any similar fund that is available in serie D or A?
Thank you.

Q: I do not have any Health Care and am looking for an ETF. What is your opinion of ZUH.CA. How would you rate the BMO ETF's? What other two Health Care ETF's should be considered.
Thank you.

Q: My wife has 75% of her portfolio in laddered GICs and I am looking for a one-stop solution for the remaining 25%. Would XTR be a reasonable substitute for any of the major balanced ETFs such as VBAL, XBAL, ZBAL, or HBAL or would you recommend one of the latter? XTR pays a significantly higher dividend and appears to possess a similar structure, although not quite as globally diversified on the equity side. Your opinion please. Thanks.

Q: Please give an updated opinion on these four balanced ETFs for a retired, conservative investor and indicate order of preference for income and safety. Thanks!