Investment Q&A

Q: Question and suggestion: Diversification/ sector allocation/Portfolio Rebalancing is such a frequent topic that I wonder if there should be a seperate category heading for it.

I am one of those who is still trying to get "diversification" right (read burnt by being overweight Energy) and have been combing through "Market Strategy" and "Market Outlook" for guidance.

Should I be looking elsewhere on your site?

It seems clear to me that your advice currently is: 10% Energy, up to 10% Telcos, 10-15% Financials. Beyond that I am not sure.

No doubt how a question was phrased would affect your answer, but on October 8 Utility weighting was 10% and on December 24th (a Q from Ray) Utilities were 0%.

Any help you can provide here would be greatly appreciated.

Q: Hi Peter,

The previous question was more about market sentiment than anything company specific. I hold a very diversified list of 40 stocks but the list I provided were the worst offenders.

Maybe I should find a new hobby like stamp collecting or better yet get a gym membership until the market uncertainty passes which I suspect will take a few more months.

Thanks

Q: Hi Peter,

What are my rights, if any, to ask and expect honest answer from a company where I am a shareholder? For example, am I permitted to call a person in charge of investor relations of a corporation and ask specific questions about their balance sheet or strategy or lack thereof? If I'm not satisfied with the answers in that I am rebuffed, do I have an avenue to seek assistance from a regulatory agency to discuss my experience and hence improve transparency. Thank you for your time.

Q: I thought you were offering a portfolio analysis for a fee but cannot find a link or any info. CSU is getting to be a bigger part of my investments and should maybe be trimmed. Is the analysis still available? Thank you. (I'm not sure if this question was accidently submitted already)

Harvey

Q: Greetings:
How do I find out when you are holding a webinar? I see
a question about a webinar which supposedly held today.

THANKS,
BEN

Q: Is there some trick to hearing the seminar? I've registered, clicked on the appropriate link in the email that was sent, tested my speaker with the webinar program, but hear nothing, see nothing, and have no sense that the seminar is actually happening. anyone else confused?

Q: Just a further comment on short term parking rates. CIBC is offering 2% for deposits into a high interest (LOL!)account,regularly paying only 1.05% or so, but payable only until the end of March. Only worth the transfer if you have a substantial amount (i.e hundreds of thousands).

Q: I can't seem to find any info about the "dividend seminar". Could you please tell me where I can find out more?

Thanks

Q: Member's question on rates. I use Peoples Trust daily interest savings account for the short term. The rate has been at 1.8% for many months. I also use their DI savings TFSA at 3%, again, in effect for a over a year.
They have had a special 2.45% rate on a one year GIC for a few weeks.

Q: Good morning Peter and the 5i Team,

Just a suggestion to Peter who recently asked a question about parking some cash for 6 months plus. He quoted an interest rate of 1.25% for "a high interest (LOL) investment account". Oaken Financial (a division of Home Capital (HCG) which is in 5i's Model Portfolio is offering 1.75% on their savings account. I have found dealing with Oaken to be very pleasant and they are certainly efficient.

Q: In responding to Scott's Jan. 7 question about CRH Medical, you mention that "names like PHM are 'roll-up' companies. What is a roll-up company?

Q: I read in the news that EXFO, an opto-electronics instrumentation company in Quebec City, wants to buy itself back (translating from the Journal LesAffaires). It says that the stock is jumping. Can you explain to me why it is that the stock jumps in that case? Why wouldn't the company buy my shares back close to the current price? I bought my shares around 4.80 so I've been 15% under water for the last while.

Q: This is a response to Dave's question about Globeinvestor Gold. I too have been using this service for many years and was very satisfied with the Portfolio and especially the Screener. It no longer works with any level of accuracy, so I've spent some considerable time looking for alternatives. For the Portfolio management part, I've bought a three year subscription to StockMarket Eye ( I think it cost $74 cdn for three years. It can be down loaded for a free 30 day trial before buying. It is a very good Portfolio manager and allows you to report in numerous ways. I also subscribe to Finviz.com for an exceptional screener. Although it is a global screener, it handles the Canadian market info very well.(the subscription is free).

Q: i constantly read about a 20yr recession about to happen due to the debt of the usa federal government or is this just fear mongering. thanku

Q: A general question. I have been using globe investor gold for information and especially liked the portfolio feature. Recently I have had difficulty with the service and want to switch to a user friendly model. Are there any you or your readers would recommend as an alternative?

Q: will u have a mobile app for apple anytime soon

Q: What is the criteria for choosing a stock for a DRIP portfolio ? Assuming the company I consider has a 5i Research report, What attributes should I be looking for (low debt, clear growth plans etc. )

Thanks!

Q: I want to feel comfortable with my holdings when interest rates eventually begin to rise. Could you simply categorize the following industries into one of three categories. 1) Greatly affected negatively. 2) Affected moderately negatively 3) Not much effect 4) Will affect positively.

Financial - Banks, Insurance, Investment co's

Utilities - Gas/electrical , Pipelines, telcos

Manufacturing ( includes technology )

Consumer - Durables & discretion

Resources - Gold + Materials + Oil & gas.

Pref shares

Any general comments also welcome.

Many thanks

Paul C

Q: Hi guys, Happy New year. I just have a quick question. Whenever I sell a US security in any account (CA, US, TFSA, RRSP), I get charged US tax. The tax is next to nothing, for example I sold $10,800 of a security and they charged me 24 cents. Out of sheer curiosity, what is this tax?

Also, I thought the only US tax charged or withheld was when a Canadian received a dividend in a non-RRSP account. Does the US government also withhold/charge tax when a Canadian sells a security?

Q: Hi 5i team,

For a high growth investor with a long-term investing horizon what would be your recommended portfolio allocation between micro, small, medium and large cap stocks?

Thanks as always,

Jon