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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 had a representative from Sun Life approach me with the option of rolling my LIRA/RRIF money into an annuity, providing guaranteed, stable income for life. Would you suggest taking a portion of RRIF funds and putting it into an annuity, or instead relying on a combination of ETFs that provide dividend income and capital appreciation?
Read Answer Asked by Paul on October 28, 2025
Q: Hello,

Looking for the optimal ETF (or combinaison) for income and some growth with 300 k.
80 % VDY with 20% VEQT ? other suggestion ?
Thanks !
Read Answer Asked by Martin on September 23, 2025
Q: High-Dividend yield ETFs.

Could you list 2 in Canada & 2 in the USA?

Are there any European High-Dividend yield ETFs.?

Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Ross on September 10, 2025
Q: I am building a small non-registered portfolio to provide income with modest capital appreciation. Your thought on these 4 ETFs or other suggestion.
Read Answer Asked by Roy on July 21, 2025
Q: Is there any ETF that qualifies for dividend tax credit. If there is please share few of your favourite ETF.


Thanks for your great service
Read Answer Asked by Hector on June 16, 2025
Q: Hello

Just curious to how much overlap is there between CDZ and XEI? Is there a need to own both or can you just hold one. If only one which one do you prefer?

Jimmy
Read Answer Asked by Jimmy on June 04, 2025
Q: hi
I’m trying to build a simple ETF portfolio with TSX & S&P500 exposure so that’s it’s easy to add during dips.
For the S&P500 i’m thinking XSP.
Not sure what to do about the TSX. Undecided on XIU, XEI or XDIV. I realize the composition of each is different. Energy, Financials, Utilities etc. What would you do?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Carlo on April 15, 2025
Q: What do you think of these two etfs looking at the charts hdif has done better then xei and pays double the dividend. With a dividend over 10% is it safe which one would you prefer for a dividend investor.
Read Answer Asked by don on March 18, 2025
Q: I sold my individual dividend stocks and am replacing them with an ETF for simplicity. How would you rate/compare these dividendETFS? Which two do you prefer? I'll put 1 in my rrsp and a another in my TFSA. I am diversified in other countries already. I'm thinking XDIV and XEI might be the safest?
Read Answer Asked by Carla on February 24, 2025
Q: I have $100,000 of cash in an investment account, am looking for some conservative ETF’s with 1/3 going to fixed income, same to Cdn Equity and balance to Global. Any suggestions? Given the trade war with the USA, I might sit on the sidelines for a few weeks so ny thoughts on best way to invest the cash with good liquidity. I was looking at HISA ETF’s but they are very low currently.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on February 06, 2025
Q: Hi Peter and 5i Team,

How would you rank these ETFs, XEI, XEQT, VFV, QDTE, for a 10 year hold?
Read Answer Asked by Marvin on January 30, 2025
Q: It is rare that I ask this question coming from an 84 year old senior, but all the above equal weighted ETF's are presently in my TFSA and can't decide how to invest for the 2025 contribution. Which ETF I should I be adding to the above list or should I be adding a new one that is not in the portfolio?
Also are any of those listed that do not belong in a TFSA?
Thanks for your usual great service.
Read Answer Asked by Terry on January 29, 2025
Q: Would any of these ETF's have year-end distributions?
Is it a good idea to just wait until the new calendar year now, to start a new position in one of these?
Read Answer Asked by Robert on December 10, 2024
Q: I want to keep a portion of my money in safer/ income producing assets. I have a sum of money in a high interest cash account > 4.25%. What is the difference between the 2? Would it not make sense to keep all the money in the cash acct? Or what would the pros and cons of this be?
Read Answer Asked by Danielle on October 23, 2024
Q: I currently own ZEB, ZUT AND ZDV for income. I'm considering to add one of either XEI or XDIV or sell my holdings and consolidate into one of either XEI or XDIV. Please advise whether adding or consolidating is better and which of XEI and XDIV is the better one. Please take as many credits as required.

Thanks 5i !! Ken
Read Answer Asked by Kenneth on October 07, 2024
Q: 20% of my income portfolio is FIE (~6% yield) but I am considering a switch to XEI (~5% yield) for broader diversification. Which ETF is likely to perform better as interest rates decline?
Read Answer Asked by Jean on September 23, 2024
Q: Hey team. I'm a senior, dividend investor and I have been investigating both Ishares XEI (S&P Comp High Div ETF) and Vanguards VDY (Vangaurd FTSE Canadian High Div Yield Index ETF).
They look pretty much the same with slightly different holdings with XEI having a slightly higher dividend. Looking for your advice as to which one has the edge on the other. I own XEI now.
My second question is on the Ishares ETF- FIE (Canadian Financial Monthly Income) Yield of 6.49% when I looked. I'm not real happy with the high MER of .80 Would you know of an equivalent ETF with a lower MER that I could research? Cheers and thanks for your expertise and advice. Bill
Read Answer Asked by William on September 18, 2024
Q: Hello Peter & Team,

I know (looking at previous questions) 5i likes XEI as do I with the good dividend I continue to enjoy. But it has languished since Aug 2022 when I took up a position to the tune of (as of today) a tad over -8%. Considering market conditions since that time and the fact the Blackrock index is made up of some 50+ S&P/TSX composite index stock, shouldn't I be enjoying a little bit better performance on the capital gains side of things? My goal with this ETF was to enjoy the dividend and appreciate a 4 or 5% per year return or at least stay close to par. Is there something I'm missing? Are my expectations unreasonable? What is your interpretation of what drives this ETF?

Thanks for all you do

gm
Read Answer Asked by Gord on July 18, 2024
Q: Looking for an ETF that you feel would be a good candidate for growth plus a fairly high dividend (5% or more).
Thank you for your good service, looking forward to your answer.
Earl
Read Answer Asked by Earl on July 10, 2024
Q: Hi Group i am 74 with a 500k portfolio. I do not need to use this money for another 5 yrs. I would like to slowly convert to dividend / growth / value ETFs. I am looking for yield of 5% or higher along with a 10% growth/value profile. Can yo give me your top 2 picks in the 6 main sectors that fir this criteria along with a few words explaining your selections. Thanks with your help with this
Read Answer Asked by Terence on May 15, 2024
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