Investment Q&A

Q: I have some $ in zwh and I am looking to add either sphd or zlh for more u.s. exposure with capital preservation and income. Would you please evaluate these 3 etf and make a recommendation. Thank you.

Q: As. Follow up to previous question how much overlap is there in these 2 etf?

Q: I think HXS and ZWH have similar assets.
Do you agree ? Because I carry forward capital losses, I think I should buy HXS because it pays no dividend, and I can apply future capital gains against losses accumulated. Looking at the performance of both funds, I should do better buying HXS, does this make sense. Also please comment if one or both of these funds are worth buying at this time .
Thanks

Q: Good day 5i.
The only US position I now hold in my RRSP is ZWH.
I like this ETF, just leave it alone and let it spit money out.
I'm looking for another US ETF that will fit nicely with ZWH and t pays monthly. The new ETF position would be half the size of ZWH if that helps.

Thanks for you help.

Q: Hello Crew
I am nearly retired and I like a total growth approach (dividends plus capital appreciation). During a down market however I don't wish to sell my capital appreciation funds for living expenses. Therefore, my question is what ETF's can I pair -dividends vs capital appreciation that that might serve that end. Examples ZLB/ZDV, XMI/VIGI/ZWE, VGG/XMU/ZWH..your suggestions are appreciated
regards gary

Q: Hi. What are your current favorite Canadian high-yield dividend etf's? thanks, JR

Q: I am retired and hold the above ETFs in my RIF, TFSA accounts. Please advise which ETFs you would hold in this environment and which are duplicated. I am looking for stability and safe dividends. Thanks for your input.

Q: Greetings,
I currently own ZWH, XQQ, and VUN as part of my US focus in my portfolio. I am looking to add another name or two. Time frame 5+ years. I prefer to remain with Canadian ETFs investing in the US. First of all, do you see too much overlap here? I have room to add to all 3. Can you provide 3 stable dividend ETFs you might suggest to add and a couple of growth ETFs that might complement my current holdings? Thanks in advance. KEN

Q: Could you please recommend 3 or 4 Monthly income ETF’s for a portfolio amount of $100,000 for a retired couple. We would divide the etf’s equally. Thank you
Sharron

Q: I am sure your recent article regarding foreign content was aimed specifically at me...haha. You nailed it! My method (illustrated in your article) resulted in 35% foreign content. The Domiciled method was 10% It sparked a fair bit of inflection on how I determine my asset allocation and I am still working through some scenarios. Probably another question for another time.

Q#1 = I am a retired, conservative, dividend-income investor. If I wanted a one-stop shop USA ETF that pays a good dividend, I was thinking of ZWH-ZWS. I already own ZWC and ZWE. I like the covered call strategy, especially at this point in the market cycle. Are there others I should consider?

Q#2 = Would you go unhedged...I am guessing yes, based on your previous "hedging" answers?

Q#3 = I understand that if I wanted to buy a USA ETF, like ZWH or ZWS, that the preferred placement would be in my RRSP...due to the withholding tax issue and the "distribution" tax benefits. That, however, would require a major overhaul on a reasonably successful asset allocation already in place.

What about purchasing ZWH-ZWS in my Cash account? I understand the distribution would be comprised of Capital Gains, Interest Income, Dividends and ROC and each would be taxed accordingly....no problem. What about the withholding tax? I thought Canada had an agreement with the USA that there would essentially be no double taxation. So, if the USA withheld tax, then this would become a tax credit against Canadian tax owing...with this being reflected in the T3-T5 issued annually. Please help me to understand.

Thanks for your help...again, great article...Steve

Q: How is the dividend for this ETF taxed?

Q: Hello 5i,
I am not very bullish on the Canadian economy considering the provincial and federal politics and lack of leadership in regards to the Energy and now Agricultural Industry.
So I am thinking of splitting my portfolio up into 3 categories, Growth Stocks, Dividend Paying Stocks and ETF's for global and sector diversification. ZLU & ZWH for US low volatility and Dividend, CDZ for Canadian Dividend and VGRO & XWD for global diversification and growth. Your thoughts or recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks,
SF

Q: Good Morning 5I.

I have the following positions in my RRSP ...
BNS 6.5%
TD 5%
BCE 5%
ENB 4%
BEP.UN 4%
SRU.UN 4%
MFT 3?
CDZ 5%
ZWE 4%
ZWH 9.5%
The list above cover the equity side of my portfolio.
The other 50% is in a GIC ladder yielding over 3.0%
I plan to retired within the next couple years.
Could you please comment on any changes needed that stand out to you?
I think I should add more US exposure and possibly another reit, what would you suggest?

Look forward to your reply.

Q: I have a very good gain this year and my technical are telling me we will be probably in a sideways or slightly down market until the fall and I am looking at a combination of zwh and zlu to put the harvested gains. my question is where they fit in my portfolio either in a registered account or non registered acct. if you could help me with this small problem it would be appreciated. thanks for the great service...gene-

Q: Hi 5I,
I own the following stocks (approx 1K shares of each).
AQN,BCE,ENB(2K),BEP.UN,RY,SLF,CPG,IPL,NGD - U.S. - TD, BT & GE. My ETF's are anywhere from $1k-3K shares of each of the following:
ZEF,ZWE (3K),ZWU,CYH,REEM (2K),ZMI(3K),CYH,MFT (3K),XTR,ZWP,ZDM.ZPW,ZWH. - Also holding approximately 40% cash. I feel my portfolio is lacking U.S Exposure. Which of one HEA or ZDY would you recommend and what kind of weighting? I am retired and as you can see my portfolio is heavily weighted for monthly income. Looking at a 5-7 year hold. Any other suggestion would be greatly appreciated.

Q: I hold both ZWH and TXF - both "covered calls". I would like to switch out of "covered call". Do you know the equivalent ETF for these two that have no "covered call"?

Carl

Q: Folks can you recommend one or a few ETFs that trade in US dollars that would compare with the ETFs listed. I want to put some US cash into lower beta equities and strategies and am thinking that the ETF fees may be worthwhile to gain the covered call approach and enhanced income that results at the additional cost of sacrificing upside in rising markets. Also any comments on this intended approach for an equity investor who is transitioning from a balanced to an income tilt is appreciated - all the best.

Q: Good morning, my US equity is entirely in ZWH, VGG, and VIG. Each about 5% of total portfolio. Monthly income from ZWH is convenient for RRIF withdrawals (over 80) but both VIG and VGG have significantly outperformed ZWH over at least the last 2 years. I am thinking of disposing of the ZWH (covered call ETF) and using equal amounts of VGG and VIG to total 15% of portfolio. I have available $US cash to do so. Any other ideas for US equity exposure are welcome.

Regards Ted

Q: In order to get us exposure, I currently hold a number of individual canadian companies with us operations, e.g. aqn, td, bpy.un and etfs txf and zwu. In addition, I hold about 10% of my portfolio in zwh. I am not unhappy with the latter, but am considering reducing the 10% exposure with something other than a covered call approach. What would you consider appropriate, preferably hedged, to pair with zwh to achieve a more balanced approach to the us portion of my portfolio.

Thanks for the great service.
David

Q: Hello 5I,

My Question.
I would like to buy ZWH for income.
Do you think todays price at $19.75 is reasonable?
Or do you expect more down days for ZWH?

Thanks