Investment Q&A

Q: I am looking at adding a 15 to 20 percent bond component to my portfolio. From the mix of laddered, aggregate, short/long term and high yield ETF’s listed. Which would you recommend and why? Please let me know if you have other possible suggestions? Thank you

Q: Hello Team
I am a retired income investor. I have calculated that my RRIF needs to yield about 4% in order to last until age 93( using my targeted withdrawal rate )I am happy with ZAG which now pays 3.53% and has a yield to maturity of over 4%. Does this gap in yield mean that ZAG unit price is over valued or is that where the the yield is moving towards? Should investors ignore the yield to maturity or just focus on the general trend in rates( I hope to buy more ZAG as rates move further up)thanks Gary

Q: I'd like your assessment of MKB versus aggregate bond etfs like XBB, ZAG, and VAB. Has MKB performed better than the listed etfs? If it has performed better then is it because the etf has taken on additional risk to achieve the higher return? How might one incorporate MKB into the bond portion of their portfolio? Is it worth the higher fees?

Q: Please explain why the yields on these etfs differ so much

Q: Hello 5i,

In your recent update, you are increasing XHY to 6% of the income portfolio. We own quite a bit of ZAG in a non-registered account (about 10% of the total portfolio) that we received this year as part of an inheritance. Given your update, does it make sense to sell some ZAG and replace with XHY? The remainder of investments are in mostly diverse growth stocks and other ETFs on your advice and I'm looking to retire in about 10 years.

Thank you and happy holidays,
John

Q: I didn't have bonds this year and I wish I did even though it lost value it still did better than my portfolio tilted toward growth. If you were to initiate a bonds presence in your portfolio. Would you rather buy these 2 or one or the other. Any other suggestion is welcome.

Thx

Q: hello 5i:
We hold the Pimco Monthly Income Fund as our sole Global Fixed Income contributor. We are not displeased with it, but wonder if you favour another ETF, or mutual fund, that could replace it, or complement it. We would probably expect at least a 4.5% distribution. Ideas?
thanks
Paul L

Q: For price appreciation in the next 12-24 months, would you prefer a long-term ETF like XLB/TLT or an ETF with shorter duration like XBB/ZAG. Or a bit of both?
Thanks.

Q: About a year ago I sold half of my holdings in ZAG and put the proceeds into XSB. I am now thinking of selling XSB and putting the proceeds back into ZAG. Just wanted your thoughts on this move. Thank You!

Q: Great October Market Report. I notice that in the 2008 and 2020 periods, job opening numbers began to decline only after higher rates had plateaued for a period of time. Today, job opening numbers have started to decline before higher rates have begun to plateau. Does this suggest the FED has gone too far to fast...and is poised, or could be forced, to quickly pivot? I'm just looking for a good reason to step into ZAG, or XBB for some decent yields and opportunities for capital growth. Thanks as always.

Q: What are your views on whether we see the FED pivot in the next month or so, and do you believe bonds will move up in price if that occurs. ZAG seems like a safe choice to play this move.

Q: How would you suggest a 70+ participate in this market,if at all?

Q: What are your thoughts on index funds and if you were to buy a few which ones would it be, following the Canadian and US exchanges?

Thanks

Q: I am 80 and I have 85 k in my TFSA . Iam looking to invest in Fix income . What would you suggest ?

Q: Could you kindly give me your view on the above two funds with respect to their yields and capital preservation going forward 1-2 years.
Thank you

Q: Hi team. About a year ago I sold out of ZAG and replaced it with ZST. This has worked well as ZAG dropped about 16% while ZST was relatively flat. I would have thought that with rates still rising, ZST would be a safer place to be but I have heard a number of recommendations on BNN and elsewhere that it is time to get back into longer term bonds. I have noticed that the share price of ZAG has been turning up recently. Is it time to switch back into ZAG?

Q: What would be safe bond ETFs with decent dividends for the next 2 or 3 years.

Q: Have losses on ZAG in a cash account. In your opinion, would selling ZAG and buying XFR (suggest a better one?) be a good move right now and pass the superficial loss test?
Many thanks.

Q: Many months ago, everybody and their brother was predicting interest rate increases, so I sold the bond funds in my RRSP (primarily ZAG) and bought short term bond funds like ZST and XFR. And for some fun /an experiment, I bought some TBF. I try not to time the equity market (as per your sage advice), but I could not resist with bonds (because it seemed like everyone was convinced about the interest rate direction). Good news is that TBF is up 22% YTD; and ZAG is down 13% YTD, but I do not understand why I do not hear anyone promoting TBF as a solution for this rising rate environment. What am I missing? Is there a liquidity risk for sellers when the rates start to flatten out; or is there a significant and quick price plunge risk; or...??? Thanks in advance for your comments.

Q: I am currently managing my TFSA/RRSP funds and some money outside of registered accounts, which are largely individual stocks. With the market volatility, potential recession and war in Ukraine, I am finding it more difficult to keep on top of the individual stocks and am therefore considering going to ETF's. I am a year away from retirement but would be ok with more risk in the TFSA/RRSP's.
Could you please suggest 5 ETF's for the registered accounts and 5 ETF's for the non-registered accounts.
Thank you,
Jacquie