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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Hello Peter and 5i staff,
My wife and I are retired with sufficient pension income to live on with no debt. Our portfolio ( 5 accounts total ) leans toward dividends and I'm not really sure we need (fixed) income in our portfolio.
Our financial advisor has convinced me to buy several issues of convertible debentures in our RSP accounts which I am not totally comfortable with. The issue that really stands out is Atlantic Power 6% due Dec 2019 currently trading?? at $58. Will we ever see the return of our investment or should we attempt to extricate ourselves from this, take the loss, and move on?
Thanks for any suggestions,
Larry
Read Answer Asked by Larry on February 12, 2014
Q: Hi, given the choice between retractable preferred shares and perpetual preferred shares, what would be the better option, in like of today's potentially higher interest rate environment going forward? Thanks, your Q & A section is my must read daily!
Read Answer Asked by ANDY on February 09, 2014
Q: Good Morning! Given the recent issues EIF is facing, would you consider the new EIF convertible debenture with a 6% coupon a safe investement if held to maturity and if so would such investment be best in a TFSA, RRSP or outside. Do you see the debenture possibly sinking bellow par in the near future and would it be better to wait and possibly buy it later at a more favorable valuation.

Thanks for your advice.
Joseph
Read Answer Asked by Joseph on February 04, 2014
Q: You mentioned previously Exchange Income (EIF) convertible debentures as a good buy for in a fixed income portfolio. Did you have any one of the outstanding (or new issue) in mind or one that would fit into my ladder of maturities?
Read Answer Asked by Greg on January 31, 2014
Q: Hi Peter and team, thanks for all your great advise in 2013. I'm looking at several converts to spruce up my fixed income side. I would appreciate your thoughts or ranking of the following debentures: afn.db.a, are.db.b, ahf.db, eif.db.e, fr.db.h, mrt.db.a, weq.db.c, di.db.c and nwh.db.
I'm 70 and plan to hold to maturity and would represent about 10% of my fixed income.

thanks in advance
Read Answer Asked by Cyril on January 22, 2014
Q: Hi Guys,

Everyone seems to love Element Financial (EFN). I was wondering if the reset (5 year bond + 4.71%) preferred share (EFN.PR.A) with a 6.6% dividend due in 2018 would make a good investment for the fixed income portion of my portfolio?

From 1 to 10 (10 very safe), how safe is my capital?

Thanks for the help.
John
Read Answer Asked by John on January 14, 2014
Q: At age 72 the most recent recommendation for income (bonds) in a portfolio is age 72x72= 52%. Would you agree that convertible bonds (less than a 5 year term) should be a significant portion of the total. What % amount would you recommend and could you please provide a few names to include.
Thanks for providing such a necessary service to the small retail investor.
Read Answer Asked by Warren on January 10, 2014
Q: Do you have any update on the IBI group? The last word on them was not good. I own some IBG.DB.B and am severely under water. In trying to clean up dogs before year end I noticed the underlying stock had started to rally and since, if they did not default at the end of December, I was earning 30%+ on the existing value, I decided to wait to see if they defaulted. They did not, the interest arrived in my account and it has been rising every day (up 19% today). Is this rise just because they did not default or are things a bit better at IBI. When do they next declare?
Read Answer Asked by Don on January 09, 2014
Q: BBD.PR.B perpetual, cumulative, floating at Prime, Preferred from Bombardier
Would this preferred share be a good long term holding? With a current yield of ~5.25%, when BOC does finally increase the overnight lending rate, each quarter point increase bumps up the monthly dividend. With $20 billion on the order books, the company looks safe for paying the dividends. Please give me your thoughts.
Read Answer Asked by Terry on January 08, 2014
Q: Happy New Year. I hope it's a good one for everybody. I'm looking for companies with preferred stock with good dividends.
I already have SLF.PR.D and would like some diversity. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Terry on January 06, 2014
Q: I was under the impression that the price of convertible debentures followed that of their common stocks but in reviewing a number of convertible debentures that will mature by the end of 2014, I find that is not always the case. For example, EIF.DB.A, PKI.DB, NPI.DB, and IBG.DB all followed their common stock prices very closely (down); ATP.DB and CHR.DB held their values well while their common stock prices plunged; while PGF.DB.A and AFN.DB remained flat or fell gradually while their common stocks soared. What are the factors that impact this apparently irregular behaviour? I look forward, as always, to your reply. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by richard on January 06, 2014
Q: Dear 5i,

I just did my 2 year renewal with you. I've been a member since the very first day and wanted to thank you for your care of exisiting members!

To celebrate, I was hoping I could ask a question about TRP and TRP.PR.D. I own both the common and preferred stock of TransCanada (about 5% in each) and wanted to sell one of the positions for balancing reasons. The rest of my portfolio is all cash and stocks (no other fixed income). I was planning on holding the preferred "forever" and selling the common but the thought crossed my mind that the preferred my react particularily negatively to rising interest rates (worse than the common). Any thoughts on what should stay and what should go?
Read Answer Asked by Marc on January 03, 2014
Q: Convertible Bond question of Jan 02/14(asked by Lance):

Also check the "Change of Control" sections in the CD prospectus (sedar.com). In such circumstance, often the company must make an offer at par in cash, and somtimes extra shares are available to compensate for the loss of interest to maturity.
Publish at your discretion.
Read Answer Asked by Russ on January 03, 2014
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