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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: I know that you've answered a lot of questions on HMAX lately and I have read all of the answers but I still have some questions as I don't fully understand the risk of the product. Please take as many credits as you need to answer:

1. Usually high yield means higher risk, but I'm assuming because covered calls are being used to generate this income that this statement doesn't apply? Can you confirm explain?

2. How risky is this compared to an equity ETF? Higher or lower risk?

3. Is there any long term scenario where this would underperform cash?

4. Generally what would be a safe portfolio weight for this type of product?

Read Answer Asked by Pamela on September 25, 2023
Q: I am at a point in my life where I am looking to my investments more for income than growth. My question concerns how you might incorporate a strategy that are includes "dividend" stocks that pay a low yield. eg HD, TRI, CN etc. Assuming you wish to obtain an overall yield of 4% - 5% from your portfolio (in order to satisfy RRIF requirements while maintaining some growth) I would think it best not to load up only on high yield stocks and continue maintain a balanced portfolio. To achieve the necessary income should one invest in low dividend payers and sell a portion of the low yield dividend payers annually in order to achieve the be needed income; go a bit overweight on high yield equities in order to juice the income; or just forget about balancing the portfolio?

Any thought you have would be greatly welcomed.

Appreciate the insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on September 14, 2023
Q: Just noticed that management fee of HDIV is 0.65, but MER is 2.39. Management fee for HMAX and UMAX is 0.65, but MERs are unstated presumably because it's early days. Do you expect that the MERs of HMAX and UMAX will be over 2%?
Read Answer Asked by Roderick on July 19, 2023
Q: A retired colleague in his early 80s is selling his income properties and wishing to invest the proceeds in a manner that will produce solid income with little risk. He is taken with HMAX and its 13% plus dividend. What are your thoughts on HMAX given his circumstances? What is the maximum percentage of his portfolio might you suggest he invest in HMAX? And what other Canadian or US ETFs with would you suggest he consider given his age/need for income? Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Maureen on May 09, 2023
Q: Doing a little research with Google I found that the TSX has had an average annual return of 7.94% over the 50 year period of 1971 to 2021 . { Please confirm or correct that number ? } I know 5I doesn't " like " to give portfolio weightings but I have in the past seen you comfortable up to 15% for some ETF's . Would HMAX be one of them ? It looks to me like I can have my cake and eat it too as it's dividend is superior to that of the average annual return of the TSX . Not quite, but close to double ......

Also I have always wondered just how much difference in performance { percentage } there would be between these three products { ZEB. ZWB out of the money calls, and HMAX in the money calls } . In the case of a 10% correction in the financial sector and also in the case of a 10% rise in the financials. Please speculate on what you would expect the return percentage for each . { you will have to speculate for HMAX because of its short history and supposed lack of volatility due to the use of in the money calls } This will help me grasp what to add or subtract to that 14% dividend for HMAX under the two scenarios ......
Read Answer Asked by Garth on May 03, 2023
Q: Dear 5i team.

There have been a few questions lately on HMAX vs ZWB and all the responses thus far discuss the upside potential and difference in strategy. What are the downside risks of these two aproaches to their covered call strategies? Has the recent volitility in Banks given us any insights into this part of the question, or are we still in speculate on outcomes mode. If the latter, please provide some educated speculation on impact of continued downward draft in Bank equity prices.

Thanks for your insights.

Arthur.
Read Answer Asked by Arthur on March 31, 2023
Q: Thank you for your reply this morning on my question about ZWB and HMAX . In your reply you indicated a preference for ZWB because of the upside potential being greater . Am I right in assuming that if that is the case HMAX would be the less volatile of the two ?

Also in 2018 I asked 5I to crunch the numbers on the big five banks over the 18 years { 2000 to 2018 }... I would assume that is a long enough segment to determine an average annual return of dividend plus capital gain. The answer I got ranged between 11% on the low end { TD } to 14.3% on the high end { RY }...... Please correct my reasoning but to me it looks like HMAX with its' current 15.1% dividend based on today's cost of the ETF is going to slightly beat those numbers annually, have less volatility, and give me diversification as an added bonus ? ..... Please advise if my reasoning is sound .....Thanks Garth .....
Read Answer Asked by Garth on March 29, 2023
Q: My TD Waterhouse account shows ZWB { yielding 8.2% } and HMAX { yielding 15.1% } . Could you please confirm both yield numbers at today's ETF prices ? And why one might buy the lower yielding ETF considering that HMAX has nearly double the yield and a little more diversified { 75% banks } ? ...... { I'm not concerned about the short history of HMAX } ..... Hypothetically, if it were " you " and you wanted a covered call financial ETF which one would you pick and why ? { Of if there is another one you would prefer over both }
Read Answer Asked by Garth on March 28, 2023