Investment Q&A

Q: There is currently a plethora of ways to invest in the US Market without touching sector funds. Would you use any of the above ETFs and if so in what proportion or would you suggest using any other US ETFs as well. High conviction US Mutual funds are also an option; but the fees are somewhat higher. I currently have no US coverage and am looking at establishing a 15-20% position. I know timing is a bit of a quess; but with the recent run up would you please suggest a strategy?

Thanks and
A very Merry Christmas to all

Q: Hi,

What books can you recommend on investing especially who just starting out on investment.

Thanks and happy holidays!

Q: Just as a follow up to the questions on discounted drips vs synthetic drips; a new concept to me. I have checked with my online broker; Bmo investor line, and they automatically enroll in discounted drops when available, so no need to go through each company to take advantage of this. Just wanted to share this for other Bmo users.

Cheers,
KR

Q: Hello,

I was wondering if the search by symbol (which btw it's much better after the site update) can have the higher ranking by, well, symbol. For example searching for TA which is the symbol from TransAlta shows the company way,way down in the list.

Thank you

Q: Hi The stocks I hold in both tsfa generate $7200 annual income combined .In both accounts we hold RPI.UN STB and GH
STB is held in US $.
Hope this helps
Kind Regards
Stan

Q: I don't hold much in the way of fixed income but based on your sage advice, I have decided to take the plunge. The question now becomes the best way to do it. It seems I have three options. One, buy an ETF. This is easy to do, the MER cost is low and it provides diversification. However, there is no maturity so downside risk is greater and although the cost is low, there is still a cost. Two, buy preferreds. I understand that with the rate reset feature, downsize risk is minimized but there is no maturity date so the initial capital may never be regained. But they are easy to buy. Third, purchase individual bonds. The return could be higher (especially if corporate) and capital should be returned at maturity. However, I have no idea how to buy individual bonds. Can they be purchased through most on-line trading accounts? How do you find individual bonds that are for sale and how do you determine if it is good value (I have no particular expertise in this area)?

Is my synopsis fairly accurate? If so, what do you recommend as the best way to proceed in acquiring this class of assets?

Appreciate your insights.

Paul F.

Q: Can Canadian companies that derive revenue from U.S. and European
holdings (eg., MG, ATD.B,BIP.UN, MST.UN,STN,LNR,POW,etc) be regarded as partial foreign equity within a portfolio?

Q: In your recent web address you suggest you look for companies that are able to excell in proving rising dividend rates. Can you suggest a source of this information ?

Q: Some of the questions are overly promotional and this should be discouraged or answered in the tone they are asked !

Q: Last July , you put together a report entitled " Report of Target Price Data" . The report listed stocks that were undervalued . Many were sadly beaten up , but two of the " Strong Buys" from the first 2 pages returned over 300% as of last Friday . I am certain most of the data is outdated and there would be new companies listed .
I am not sure what your source was for this report ... Was your submitting this a one time event ? Thanks for everything ... Tom

Q: What kind of companies best to buy in a tfsa, rrsp and regular account? Thank you rose

Q: I am very overweight banks (short term strategy)with significant gains.Do you feel a rate hike Wed. is most likely? Would it be prudent to buy short term hedging?

Q: Good day, I have a different kind of question. Feel free to not share if you wish. What has been your best personal investment decision you ever made? What was the biggest single return on a stock you ever owned? ( as in % terms )? Just curious. Love your service.
Seamus

Q: What is the best free or cheapest source for insider ownership information for Canadian companies? for US listed companies?
Thanks

Q: I am relatively new to your service, but have search around the site a bit and cannot seem to find anything that addresses what criteria you use in selecting companies on which to report. I wonder if you could elaborate a bit. Perhaps your answer could be added to the FAQ. Thanks....David

Q: Hello,

This is more of a request.

Is it possible to add an option to subscribe to forums and if subscribed to receive an email notification when new topics are created or topics are replayed to?

Thanks

Q: I'm looking for a complete ongoing updated list of shorts URL or website if possible. I believe it was posted before on your site but can't find it.

Many thanks.

Q: I was 10 mins late signing in to the webinar today and unfortunately was not able to partake (full). Will you be re playing sometime? Thank you, Maureen

Q: Can 5i tell me if bond coupons have "ex-payout dates". My transaction records show that the date coupon is posted is always on the nearest weekday to the maturity date of the Bond. I presume there is a posting lag, but I would like to know what date I can sell the bond and still get the coupon

I enjoy the service you provide And wish the team a happy Yearend and many more of them in the future.

Ernie

Q: Looking at building my USD assets and then investing it in Vanguard ETFs. Would you invest in the S&P500 or maybe the specific sectors such as consumer staples? If so, what percentage would you put in each sector? Ultimately I would like to invest in specific companies but there is no 5i US equivalent so this would seem like the next best alternative.