Investment Q&A

Q: just a comment and suggestion. In looking at being accountable,I look at past results only superficially.Your past results in 2013 were great. What I am subscribing for is for the future performance of your recommendations, whether inside the samply portfolio or in your answer to subscribers, questions. I want to receive your prediction on stocks for the future, at the current point in time. I am not interested in what a stock did last year, last month, only what it will do next month, or within the next year or so. Timing is important as price is truth about that point in time. I pay for research which should make me more money than I would be able to do, without it. many thanks. just my opinion of course.

Q: CSU

Noted with surprise the comment earlier today about the CSU AGM being tomorrow. This time of year I am flooded with invites and proxies for other stocks that I hold. For the one I am most interested in, CSU, I received nothing. I am in Toronto so attending is easy. My question: is it mandatory for companies to make their AGMs open to shareholders? I assume not given this example. I called the company number on their website, got an answering machine, and left a message which has not been returned as yet. Any insight is appreciated and thanks.

Q: Does it make any sense to buy 5 year GIC's as part of a balanced portfolio given that interests rates are at all time lows and rates are forecast to rise over this time frame? Thanks. Michael

Q: I have approx $600,000 to invest over a number of accounts. For example RESP's, RRSP's, TFSA, Investment acounts.

Currently I invest a Maximum of $5000 in each stock that I own.

Would you suggest I only own 25 stocks total for all the accounts.

Thanks for your great service.

John

Q: Could you explain how investors in western Canada buy stocks after the TSX closes at 4:00 EST (which is only 1:00pm to them)?

Q: Hello 5i
I am trying to re-balance my 25 stocks in a combined portfolio, at 4% for each position. I have not included ETFs. Should ETFs, such as XIU and XIC, be included in the number of positions, or treated separately? For instance, I hold BNS and TD as part of the stock portfolio, but they are also included in the ETFs. Your advice is greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Q: I have a question about diversification. My understanding is you should not have more than 20% of your stocks in any one sector. Right now I own HWO, POU, BXE, WCP, TOG, RMP, RE, RRX, TOU in the oil and gas sector, with a portfolio weighting of 13.5%. However, if I include BAD, ENB and BDI that takes my weighting to 28%. Would you include the last three in the oil and gas sector even though they're not producers?

Q: Could someone point in in the right direction to find a spread sheet template for keeping track of my stock purchases and sales, and dividends earned. I am doing my taxes, and I don't want to go through this ever again. Thanks for any help offered!

Q: I received a mailout of a class action lawsuit form for Swisher (swi). I remember a past question being asked about participating in these things for another company. I unfortunately still hold the shares. Would it hurt to be part of it, mail it out, and see what comes out after all the expenses are paid out? Are there taxes involved in these? A mail out cheque? Have you ever been part of these situations before and what has come out of it? Good? Bad? If this company is bleeding cash still, is it even possible they can settle? Thx.

Q: Further to Steve's question and your response about when the dividend is paid to a shareholder, and particularly with reference to your comment “The easiest way to look at it is to only consider the ex dividend date. For Teck, this is June 12. If you have bought the stock prior to this date on the market, you will get the dividend. If you buy it after this date, you will not get the dividend on July 2. If you buy on June 11 and sell on June 12 you will still get the dividend.”
In my Direct Investing account, if I buy shares on the open market on a given day, they don’t actually appear on my ledger until about 3 days afterwards. Does this time lag have to be taken into account with reference to receiving the dividend? In your quoted example, if I bought the shares on June 11, I wouldn’t see them in my account until about June 14 or later. Would I therefore need to buy the shares on June 8 to make sure they were in my account prior to the ex-dividend date?

Q: good morning. I was wondering when a company announces that they are paying a dividend, for example; tck.b will be paying a dividend on July 2, for shareholders of record on June 16, my question is: Do I only need to own the stock on June 16 and can I sell it on the 17th or do I need to hold on to it until the pay out date to get the dividend?

Q: Hello Peter
What is your opinion about "SELL IN MAY AND GO AWAY" as a investment strategy for stocks in portfolio.Is this valid strategy and have you ever applied it in your practice.
Regards Andrew

Q: Hello 5i
Can you tell me where I can find the current P/E Ratio of TSX?
Would it be reasonable to compare current stock holding P/E to TSX current P/E Ratio.

Thank you as alway
Craig

Q: Some of your members write about having a full or half position in a stock.
What is a full position?
Thanks
Carlo

Q: There has been a lot of chatter lately about the move to value over growth in stock selection. I am afraid that I don't feel this urge but as I've known myself to be regularly late to the best parties I could use some help ion reasoning this out. Where do stand on the idea and if in the growth camp could you outline the value camp reasoning?

TIA

Q: Could you tell me why utility and pipeline stocks don't like higher interest rate situations. Every thing I hear on BNN etc. seems to be under the impression that when higher interest rates start these stocks will do poorly. Why?

Thank you

Q: This is in response to Kyle's question.
Go to Financialpost.com and click on Market Data. Then on the left
click on Highs and Lows. Here you will see the list for the previous
business day.

Check the list of highs (noting volume) regularly. You will get a
feel of what is moving, especially on "up" days.

I note the ones that interest me, then check the iYr. charts on
Globeinvestor.com using 50 and 200day moving averages. (Check the
5Yr. charts also.)

I then go to 5i under "Member Questions" for their opinion.
Keep a list of your likes on the Globe's "Stockwatch".

Listening to MarketCall on BNN is also helpful, and over time you
will find which Manager's style of investing you like.

Please post this only if you agree.

Q: Good morning 5 I!

This is just a comment, and a note of thanks. There's an excellent article on the Motley Fool website, by Morgan Housel, on The Wrong Way to Pay for Financial Advice (April 23).

It occurred to me that all 5I subscribers should be smiling all the way to the bank, given the fees that are potentially charged, against 5I subscriber fees. As a noted interest, there is also no comparison between 5 I and the Big Money Managers: quite simply, 5 I is better!

Here's the link: I think people might find it interesting

http://www.fool.ca/2014/04/23/the-wrong-way-to-pay-for-financial-advice/

Thanks for being there.

Q: For someone retired, age 60, no debt, no pension other than Gov't, and capital of 1.5 million, what would be your recommended asset allocation between cash, bonds, stocks etc and which, if any, of your recommended portfolios (or both as the case may be) would be appropriate in the equation. Thanks as always.

Q: Where to park cash in my trading accounts? I find myself holding large amounts of cash in my trading accounts waiting for a market pull back that hasn't really happened! This cash sits "not invested" Do you have any suggestions on where I could park this cash inside my trading accounts that's flexible for trading while earning income? I love the 5I concept and I have done very well following the 5I recommendations, thanks.