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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: I have been keeping a lot of money out of the market for most of this year waiting for stability to return. Bonds seemed to be pretty much a pointless investment to me for the last few years but I've reconsidered. Putting a chunk of cash into a bond etf seems better than just leaving it in my account where it earns next to nothing. On the other hand, it's safe where it is. How safe are bond ETFs? I'm particularly thinking of bond ETFs which don't seem to bounce around much like BLV, VLB, and XLB, but which seem to have done well YTD.
Read Answer Asked by John on June 29, 2020
Q: Hi Team
I am looking for a long term trend, not short term trade
I looked at the XEG (etf for oil & gas) for a 10 year period, it has lost money
and all the way back at 2001/2002 (18 years) ; it has lost money
given the current govt policy to discourage building pipelines to enable Canada to sell oil to other countries at the World market price and the general trend of attacking Alberta to have dirty oil, is there any scenario that could change the long term trend for an index etf like XEG ? I do hold some pipelines to generate dividends but I could sell the position of XEG and put them in pipelines to generate some dividends (primary goal)with hopes of some capital appreciation (secondary) instead of losing my capital
Thanks
Michael
Read Answer Asked by Michael on June 29, 2020
Q: I am well past retirement and trying to consolidate my stock holdings into ETFs. I. may not last long enough to complete this transition, but I'm moving in that direction! My latest thought on this is to divide my Canadian equity between ZLB and CDZ the first for stability, the 2nd for dividends, and for US equity ZSP. I'm staying away from other International stocks at this stage. Does this seem reasonable?

thanks
Read Answer Asked by M.S. on June 25, 2020
Q: Hey 5i team!

RESP 10-15 yr hold.
Current HXQ, ZSP, XIT, XIC. ZRE.
BAM.A, CAE, BPY.UN.
ETF's are core holdings in that order been riding the recovery. BAM looking longterm. BPY.UN AND CAE are recovery plays. Bonds not needed until later on. Intl and emerging is looking to be terrible for a year or so. Possibly adding IWO.

What would be your major changes and or additions to this grouping? What would you recommend? With a shorter timeframe then some we need some solid and secure growth plays.

Thank you. Looking forward to your reply.

Read Answer Asked by John on June 25, 2020
Q: Would like your opinion om this fund for my US account, its performance is excellent five star morningstar rating. MER at 2% is high. Is there a similar ETF with similar performance? Or should I just be contented paying this fee considering its return? Do you see this sector continuing to outperform?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Saad on June 25, 2020
Q: My husband and I are in our mid 60's and were hoping to retire in the next 2-3 yrs (however we may need to postpone depending on how 2020/2021 goes). At the moment our asset allocation is 67% equities and 33% fixed income and we feel we need to shift toward fixed income.
2 questions:
1. Undercurrent conditions, would you suggest a 60/40 split,a 50/50 split or do nothing for next 6 months?
2. If it make sense to make some adjustments now, which of the following fixed assets would you add to and which equities would you recommend trimming: current fixed positions are 10% each in XBB, PMO005, ZIC; equities over 5% are TD(6%), ZUT(8%) and XIC (7%).
Read Answer Asked by Rosemin on June 25, 2020
Q: Hi, what are your views on CYH please? Do you feel it’s underlying holdings are secure enough and that the existing distribution can be maintained? Also, do you feel the underlying holdings are earning the amount of the distribution or is it possible the fund is paying above the collective distributions of the underlying securities as in other Blackrock funds? Are there other global Dividend C$ hedged alternatives that could also be considered? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Gary on June 24, 2020
Q: Can I get your assessment on investing in ishares ETF US High Dividend (XHD) in my RRSP? If your opinion is unfavourable, do you have specifc stocks to recommend in its place?

thanks -John
Read Answer Asked by john on June 24, 2020
Q: Luckily I have SHOP in my Roth IRA and need to dramatically trim.
I am currently transitioning into retirement within 6 months and want to set the Roth up as a consistent 5 to 7% income yield. I am looking at VIG and NOBL although they maybe higher risk. Would you please offer some other lower risk alternatives?

Regards,

Steve
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on June 24, 2020
Q: Hello 5i, I’ve invested a portion of my grandmother’s TFSA in CDZ looking for a decent diversified relatively low risk dividend (to be reinvested) payer, which I’ve seen recommended on here a few times. I was on morning star and I came across those two funds which seems to have outperformed despite their similarities and higher MER. Could you please explain the fundamental differences between the three and rank them from best to worst for a 5 year horizon according to your opinion? I wasn’t able to access the complete funds’ holding details. Thank you!!
Read Answer Asked by Michael on June 24, 2020
Q: I am underweight in US in my portfolio - for example in my communication sector AT+T represents only 2% -of a 17% weighting. What are some US communication funds that have performed well and appear to continue to do so - please list in order on rating. What are your thoughts on AT+T? Thank you for your excellent service.
Read Answer Asked by Lorraine on June 23, 2020
Q: Tony Dwyer from Cannacord likes to refer to "banks and tanks" as good areas to be in when the economy eventually turns positive. I believe he's referring to the more cyclicals. Can you suggest both Cdn and US ETF's that would fit the bill. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Darcy on June 22, 2020
Q: Hi 5i Team,
I do not have any international exposure and I am wondering if you would recommend a dividend ETF with some upside potential. What account would it be best held in? Do you think this is a good time to enter? Thanks so much.
Read Answer Asked by Pat on June 22, 2020