Investment Q&A

Q: Am I correct in assuming pmif is 100% bonds and would it be a good fit for the fixed income portion of a retirement portfolio along with a GIC ladder with vbal to pick up enough equity for the balance.other thoughts appreciated. Thanks

Q: Friends given the higher price to earnings ratio of the growth stocks in the Russell as held in IWO what is your opinion of IWD the holdings of which have a substantially lower p e ratio from both a safety and a growth perspective (does a lower growth tilt in IWD get offset by these holdings' enhanced safety in your view). Do you think a half position in both makes some sense this late in the cycle or would you stick with the growth provided by IWO. What concerns if any do you have re IWD and do you have a different recommendation for a Russell value etf. Many thanks as always.

Q: I have owned HXS for some time and intend to keep it for a while. Can you advise on a similar ETF that encompasses US small cap stocks and would you recommend it in view of everything that’s happening - US economy, US/Cdn $ etc.

Q: I look after my daughter’s TFSA and Investment accts. Her weight in technology is 10% with one stock (KXS 5% weight) plus QQQ with tec portion about 5% of her portfolio. Looking for one more CDN tec stock plus preferably a non hedged ETF for additional US Tec exposure. Her holding period should be about 10 years. Help.

Q: Is this a good time to a initial a position.My understanding is that the tax reform is good for US small cap & tariffs wars has limited negative impact as mainly domestic.Thanks for u usual great services & insights.

Q: Can you recommend a small group of companies in Canada that are principally involved in Artificial Intelligence. I think you advised in the past; however, I can’t find your response.
Thanks, Jerry

Q: if interest rates were to rise 1% next year what would happen to clf it now pays 2.7%.has the low bonds in the portfolio now been discounted by the price. thanks as always brian w

Q: Hi Peter, Ryan, and Team,
What is your opinion of a recent suggestion by Larry Berman that "If you want to replace it (BCE), he would look at ZWU-T because it gives you all the Telco's. It gives you a couple in the US as well as pipelines and utilities. He is not looking for a lot more downside. It pays north of 6%".
We own BCE in my RRIF (up slightly) and my wife's RRSP (down quite a bit) and am wondering about Berman's strategy. As always, your advice is valued immensely.

Q: Is there any downside to buying ZWE for very long-term income purposes, i.e., would you anticipate a nasty price drop to this particular ETF?. Thank you.

Q: I have 25% in fixed income in the above ETFs. In my TD account they are all showing a small negative return. Wouldn't cash be better or a GIC. I would really like to understand the logic of holding these rather than say a GIC. Thanks so much.

Q: I very much appreciate 5i along with your ETF site. From your ETF site, I have been playing with the ETF sector balancer and have found it quite useful to see the % of the sectors my postions occupy .
My questions
1. I am considering a 1/2 position of XHC, XGI, and XCD and a 1/4 postion of VUN and XQQ. Is now the time to buy these or should I sit on my cash for a while or should I be considering some alternatives to these within their sectors?
2. If I execute #1 above, my overall holdings will be 57% CDA, 29% USA, 14% INTL and my portfolio will consist of 2% materials, 13% consumer cyclical, 5% financial, 3% communication, 10% energy, 10% industrials, 6% technology, 17% consumer defensive, 13% healthcare and 18% utilities.
I would very much appreciate your critique and observations.

John

Q: Hi 5i,

I need to create a fixed income allocation in my LIRA. Would you recommend an equal allocation to the following ETF's: CBO, XBB, ZEF, CPD and ZHY? If not what would you recommend for a fixed income etf position.

Thanks,

Q: ATCO is down 14% from my avg cost in my non-registered account. I am thinking do a tax loss selling and buy FTS or AQN or both. Do you think it’s a good idea?

Thanks.

Q: Hi 5i,

Need to create a new fixed income/bond position in my portfolio. Looking to allocate holdings (equally?) across the following ETF's: CBO, XBB, ZEF, CPD, and ZHY. Would you recommend this as a good long term strategy or would there be a better ETF combination you'd recommend.

BTW loved your May issue in ETF Fund Update (etffundupdate.ca) on balancing sector allocation.

Q: I have about 7 years before i will need to withdraw and money from my RSP's. With $100K to invest how much would you recommend to put in each of the above managed ETF's. Just want to invest and not look at them until the 7 years are up. I am open to other suggestions?

Q: Good morning,
What are your thoughts on the relatively new VUG ETF, and is there a Canadian equivalent that holds the same or similar stocks as that held in the VUG ETF? Thank you.

Q: Thanks to Lloyd (5ier) and 5i, I purchased this etf for my mom’’s rrif. I purchased it for the 2020 dec 31 maturity date, low(ish) mer, and ok yield. Since purchasing, the etf has changed names twice and may have new owners- Guggenheim-power shares-, invesco. I have noticed that her monthly payments are never the same but not so bothered by that. Will the mer change? Will the maturity date change? What normally happens when paper is shuffled around like this? Is it a bad sign? If I hold to maturity will there be a capital loss?

Q: I am interested in the purchasing Horizon Benchmark ETFs, such as HXS because of the tax advantages. The MER is reasonable at .11% but they charge a swap fee of .30%. I assume that the swap fee added to the MER makes the total fee .41%. This would mean that from a fee perspective VFV is more attractive with an MER of .08%. Given the importance of low fees on total returns will VFV outperform HXS over the long run?

Q: My son was very disappointed with his financial advisor so I have been asked to assist in the setup of a retirement fund that will consist solely of a RRSP for now. He is very hands off right now, but I hope to change that.

I like Vgro for the diversification, automatic rebalancing and low mer. Can you suggest a companion multi factor or rafi global etf for further diversification. I am having difficulty finding something with reasonable daily volume. Thank you.

Q: Hi team, I am looking to add some international diversification to my monthly income portfolio. I am looking for monthly income with some potential for capital appreciation. Do any of these funds overlap with each other? Which of these funds or combination of funds would be best for a non-registered account?
Thanks