Investment Q&A

Q: I have only US$ available and tend to invest only in inter-listed companies (e.g. a Cdn bank, Canadian Oilco, and other large caps). I asked both iTRADE and RBC-DI *NOT* to convert the dividends such companies pay in C$, and instead let me accumulate C$. My understanding is that an investor has the legal right to demand the bank NOT to convert dvidends.

However both brokers I name here claim that to avoid unwanted Forex conversion, I need to ask them to journal the holdings over to the “side” I want.
In your experience, is this normal? Or can one insist the broker leave the holdings in the currency of original purchase? Do the brokers have a legal right to make the above-noted demand?

This issue affects many 5i members:
I had wanted both brokers not to convert because they were applying the worst possible exchange rates. Many of your members will have holdings bought on TSX where the company pays dividend in US$. AQN (inter-listed) is one of several Canadian companies that pays dividends in US$ . I believe you likely have many members who object to the very disadvantageous exchange rates applied by brokers — and certainly many would object to “automatic” conversion, surely.

If brokers are within their rights, are there not laws, rules & regs that require brokers to apply FAIR exchange rates?

Q: Hello 5i Team

I track the NCIB purchases by Imperial Oil and have noticed the following:

Exxon Mobil reports their insider sales to IMO on a weekly basis (shows up on both 5i data feed and SEDI weekly reports).

Imperial Oil purchases on the open market are only reported at month end, showing the daily purchases.

I have noticed with other Canadian companies (CNQ and Suncor) appear to report monthly however they only report the months total purchases and not the daily purchases.

Question

Is Imperial (i.e. Canadian companies) only required to report their NCIB purchases on a monthly basis? This is in contrast to the US SEC requirements which appear to required daily reporting on a delayed basis.

Is there a website that lists the requirements for NCIB purchases or would I have to consult the relevant TSX guidelines or securities legislation?

Thanks

Q: This was your response to my last question about the webinar broadcast a few days ago

"Unfortunately due to securities regulations on offering memorandum fuds we are not being allowed to post it"

Perhaps you can help me. So, its ok to do the original broadcast that people attended live. But it is NOT ok to view a replay of the exact same broadcast?

Please try and help me understand the logic here.

Thanks

Sheldon

Q: I'm looking for somewhere to put my cash for 8-12 months (looking to buy a house at that time) as the savings account rates are too low. What would you suggest? Would GICs be my best option?

Q: Hi...I couldn't make the webinar today. Will it be posted so I can watch it later?
Will I need a code to "get in"?
Thanks...Steve

Q: is it possible to add the intrinsic value of each stock in your portfolios (growth, balanced, income)

Q: Date of Record and Ex-dividend dates….
If planning to sell a stock while qualifying for the dividend, may the stock be sold on the ex-dividend date (given the two days to settle trade) or must it be after the ex-dividend date?
Are there exceptions to the general rule?

Q: Hi 5i,

Is there a straight-forward way of determining the price that management/insiders of a publicly traded corp. purchased their shares? Is there a service you are aware of that quickly provides this information, or does an investor always need to dig through SEDAR filings to do this to find out.

Same question for institutional holders of a co. - is there a straight-forward way of finding out how much they bought into a corp. for?

Thanks in advance,
Tom

Q: According to my discount broker, the Toronto Stock and Venture Exchange made the decision to eliminate "All or None" orders back in 2008. However, the US exchanges still offer the ability to choose this option.

This is a pain when selling low trading volume stocks, resulting in delays in exiting a position and multiple commissions. Are there any strategies you employ when you want to exit thinly traded positions?

Definitely something I will pay better attention to before purchasing stocks in the future!

Many Thanks
Scott

Q: Good morning,
I sell call and put options about a month out. I know I once asked you whether it is wise to hold off if there is an earnings call coming up before expirary. I couldn't find that question and answer, though, and instead of spending the morning I am asking it again. I also look at the dividend dates but i don't think it is a good idea to sell a call if an ex dividend date is coming up.
thanks

Q: Re the webinar later this week. Will there be a facility to ask questions during the webinar or are you looking for questions to be sent in prior?

Sheldon

Q: I want to buy some bonds for capital gain. Looking at a TD bond 1.128% matures Dec 9/25. Buy at 89.0161. Special term " bail-in ". What is bail-in?

Other option is Gov Can 0.25% matures Mar 1/26. Buy at 89.3995 with no special terms.

Is bail-in good or bad? What is the better choice? Thank you

Q: Could I transfer u.s. dollars to cdn dollars using Norbert’s gambit thank you

Q: In answer to Ronnie's question regarding retirement software I have been looking myself for a few years and I must say that is is not that easy to find. May I suggest the following for you to look at: D.R Gobeil and associates' The Canadian Retirement Planner's Software. It is updated annually (for a license fee) for up to date CPP/QPP, income tax tables, etc... Tailored for Financial Planners it is a little raw for the unitiated but still a very good source of information for DIYer.
Quite extensive in coverage, it covers all sources of revenue and if you have a spouse, It is worth looking at.
I have been using it and it is currently my goto reference. It was recommended to me by a financial planner.

Q: Hi
I read the question posed by Ronnie today about retirement software and although I have no recommendation there I am reading Your Retirement Income Blueprint by Daryl Diamond and it is helpful.
If anything else comes up I would not mind knowing. Probably more of a blog thing but I do not know how to direct the subject to that area of your website and help with his question at the same time.

Q: There was a question by Ronnie about cash flow projection for retirement. I have put a suggestion in the Brokerages & Research Tools forum.

Q: Relative to DIY investing, I am in the need of a suite of software (pay per use) that I use to assist with modeling my future retirement. The ability to model different scenarios based on; age, type/source of income, timing, and then to project yearly income and tax implications is necessary. I have recently explored PERC, Canadian Retirement Income Calculator, RazorPlan, and Cascade Financial. Is seems that fee-based advisors RazorPlan, for example, in turn, charge a considerable fee for the reports and/or advice. Might you have a preference or other recommendation?

Q: Hi Peter, Ryan, and 5i Team,

Peter, with your experience in markets such as the situation we're now in:

Is dollar-cost-averaging over the next year or so a good way to accumulate some good but beaten-down companies?

Can you recommend several Canadian and US ETFs that I can use to take advantage of this dollar-cost-averaging approach?

Finally, since one cannot predict the market bottom with any certainty, what frequency would you add to one's position (weekly, monthly, or ??)

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Q: Hello
I am looking for contact information for anyone who could value old stock certificates. The certificates are from the 1940's. I have done some research on the certificate company's and have gone through various iterations and now are part of Franco Nevada. Thanks

Q: I received this note regarding GE Fair Fund $200 mil. civil money penalties. Is it worth the time to claim my piece and to go through all the required documents for the 800 shares I had? My cost was around $18k and $7k in losses. The shares were held in an RRSP account.
Many Thanks.