Investment Q&A

Q: What is a better investment in the long term - real estate (as a hard asset) or the S&P 500?

Q: This is a question that could apply to the above companies based on recent results but many others throughout a year. When a company you guys like misses earnings but has a reasonable explanation and the release/conf call doesn't turn up anything wild to be concerned about does it ever not make sense to buy or top up when the market overreacts? GC yesterday was another great example. Your thoughts please on when you would and would not be active buyers following a miss by a company you consider to be of high quality.

Q: I have considerable taxable gains that will be realized this year. I will earn less than 20k in self employment income this year (semi-retired). I am considering buying 3000 shares of STLC before the special dividend recognizing the share price will drop after ex-dividend. I will sell the shares shortly after ex-dividend date. I will receive $3690 in dividends and have a similar capital loss (which I will use to reduce my capital gains). Do you consider this a tax efficient strategy? Am I missing something? Thanks for your advice. Rob

Q: I often read the expression "Markets Wrap". What does this mean?

Many thanks, Peter

Q: In 2018, Metro bought Jean Coutu. I would have preferred to convert a part of my PJc shares into Metro shares in order to defer the capital gain as long as possible. However, I have never received the document offering this choice from Disnat.
I contacted Disnat and the customer service told me that the document with which we had to sign our choice had been sent. I then consulted 2 colleagues who use the Disnat platform and they also confirm that they did not receive this document. The tax bill is important.
Are there any recourse or action to take?
Thank you

Q: Hi, are you aware of a source that reports earnings surprises on Canadian stocks? Thanks.

Q: Would you please discuss "take your profits" and "let them run." What's the rule for using either? Many thanks for your advice.

Q: i want to buy BAM, but i keep nipping at stocks at their highs lately with less than cheerful results ( think SQ at it's high, though i still hold it and feel it will make it's way above it's previous high) . I recognize BAM is a very different kettle of fish. As the market is currently shy about moving upwards, do i wait for BAM to pull back?
Also I am planning to take the funds from BNS. Do I wait for it to a show a more positive move, or go now?
I look forward to any direction or guidance you can provide.

Appreciatively,
Mark

Q: Follow up to my previous question re---- pre-arranged market close orders. This seems to happen very often and in very large amounts. Can you explain why they do this? IE--- how does this action affect their performance? Is it managed personally or by a computer model? What is the average size per trade?

Q: Hi,
I would like to read more or get some information on how to
establish strategies to minimize my tax burden and
optimize the disbursement of my investments. Any suggestions on where to start?

Q: Been looking for a reliable accurate system/app or software to accurately calculate a portfolio rate of return - is there any options that you know of and could recommend??
THX
Ralph N.......

Q: Hi Peter,
I really enjoyed your appearance recently on BNN. I like the fact that you appear without notes, printouts, “model” prices or table-pounding buys, unlike some of the other guys.

I read your FP article on the weekend on asset and sector allocation. I agree 100% with getting the sector right - just look at commodities over the past many years. It is the larger asset allocation question (stocks vs. bonds) that puzzles me. For me, I am an equity guy and typically run 90-100% equities for better long run returns. Any remainder is cash looking for new opportunities.

I have never in my life bought a bond (or bond ETF), unless you count CSBs 40 years ago when they were at 12% plus; rates we will never see again in our lifetimes. I understand bonds for reducing volatility in your portfolio. Last fall showed the volatility of an all equity portfolio. Yet today, we are making a nice recovery. My question is if or how do bonds enhance your returns?

In Warren Buffett’s recent interview on CNBC, he said that given a choice of holding a 10 year government bond versus holding the S&P 500 for 10 years, he would buy the S&P in a second. He said the same thing for a 30 year comparison. I just can’t get comfortable with the idea of holding bonds to enhance your returns. If the primary advantage of bonds is to reduce the volatility of your portfolio, then I am fine without bonds.

Thanks again for your insight.
Dave

Q: Hello 5i,
It is now into March 2019. Will the new personal portfolio review option soon be available?
Thank you
Oh, will there be a "Women In Finance" lingerie issue of "Canadian Money Saver"?
Stanley

Q: How can I find the questions I have asked in the past together with the corresponding replies? Thanks

Q: Follow up to your reply from my last question. we will max out our TFSA as you suggest. In the past we used our RRSPs in to invest in our business, so we have zero RRSPs. would you suggest placing any in them? We will continue to have income from our business after "retirement age" we intend to live in and operate the business as long has health allows. My though was that RRSP will at to the income tax load when it becomes mandatory to start withdrawals.

Q: I notice that most stocks end the trading day with very large volume. Can you explain what is going on?

Q: SDX will be delisted from the Venture Exchange and remain on the AIM. When this sort of event occurs what happens to shareholders who want to stay invested? Is there typically a mechanism that transfers their holdings to the remaining exchange or do they have to sell on one exchange and buy on the other?

Q: A person diligently saves and invests, and is now in retirement. He has a diversified portfolio. He has maxed out TFSA contributions every year. He has a few hundred thousand in an RRSP, which holds good solid US dividend paying stocks. He also has a few hundred thousand in a non-registered account containing a diversified mix of good Canadian dividend paying stocks. He doesn't have a company pension. He does receive CPP and OAS.

He decides to open a RRIF account early (before age 71) and begin taking at least the minimum annual RRIF withdrawals. He wants to take the withdrawals as "in kind" transfers. (He may sell some stocks to raise the cash to pay the withholding tax, if necessary.) He doesn't need the withdrawal amounts as cash to live on so he wants to keep the withdrawal amounts invested in the stock market, hence the in-kind transfers.

The question is: what to do with the terrific US companies in the RRSP that will be converted to a RRIF, and will slowly need to be withdrawn? To transfer the US stocks in-kind to the non-registered account, means that the US dividend income will now be classified as ordinary income, which will be taxed at a higher rate, and there will be a US withholding tax of 15% on the US dividend income. Is one of the options to keep only low or no dividend paying growth stocks in the non-registered account?

It doesn’t seem to entirely make sense to sell the US stocks and start buying more Canadian stocks. If this were done, eventually the portfolio would become too concentrated in Canadian stocks.

What is the best and most tax efficient strategy for this senior?

Q: How is the best way to keep track of dividend increases and cuts. When owing quite a few stocks. Is there a site or way of receiving notifications?

Q: When it comes to how liquid a stock or ETF is on a daily basis, what would you suggest is the minimum amount trading you would like to see if you were to buy?. I have a couple of different accounts that I use different strategies and one of my thoughts is if you had a sizeable position in and etf or stock that trades under 10k or 100k a day would this not be of great risk if a person needed to get out of it in a timely fashion due to market conditions or personal need? Some examples of securities I am looking at or own are PBH, XTR, XTC, VFV. I am well diversified with my investments and typically look to buy and hold just wanting some input on this topic. Thanks keep up the great work