Investment Q&A

Q: My 35 year old daughter would like to start investing 150$ a month in an ETF. She would like to set up an automatic monthly transfer to an institution , any suggestions? thanks, JEan

Q: Could I get your suggestions for some $CDN ETFs to invest for a toddler's RESP. I was thinking maybe a split between a tech-based ETF and a general North American-based ETF, but am open to any other ideas. There is not too much in the RESP at the moment, but it does have years to go, so growth is the main goal.
Thank-you

Q: As of today, what would be your top 10 most stable Canadian companies, or ETF's, to invest in. Stable meaning those best able to ride out any market or economic downturn. Dividends are always nice but not essential. Thanks as always.

Q: I currently have all 4 of these etf's in my tfsa. Would you think that some of these etf's are holding the same companies, if so which one would you suggest i keep and which ones would you say i sell. And if there any other ones would you suggest i replace them with. THANKS GUYS

Q: My 50 year young daughter is adding $100,000 to a balanced $1m conservative portfolio. Which 2 or 3 etfs (your suggestion or ours) would you suggest that fit a post pandemic world.

Q: Good morning,
Although a big fan and long time holder of all Mawer equity funds in my family portfolio, I'm now looking for the second time at dumping the MAW106 as a core holding given its inability to beat its benchmark index in the last few years probably due in part to its increasing popularity and size.
Would you kindly suggest a suitable ETF and/or a mutual fund replacement for MAW 106 or should I simply add to some my other existing core ETF holdings. I currently hold XIU, XIC, XDV and XEI.

Q: Can you suggest a few good ETF’s which should form the basis of one’s portfolio.

Also please suggest ETF’s for specific applications like..... high risk/ growth, dividend, US equities, Canadian equities, dividend stocks, tech stocks, emerging markets ..... and your choice of basket of ETF’s which a person could use to build a portfolio ( with % allocations)

Q: Hi gang, have $200,000.00 canadian to invest for 2-3 years. Just want to invest 50-50 Canada-USA. Would like to be as safe as possible. Some stocks and some ETF. If possible dividend paying one. Thanks
Alnoor.

Q: I'm helping a friend set up a "couch potato portfolio". I noticed a while back that you commented on such a portfolio. I am suggesting the following to my friend. What do you think? Is there any of the ETFs that you would swap out? And why?

XIU S&P/TSX60 total return for Canada 25%
ZSP BMO S&P 500 Index ETF for USA 25%
XEF ishares Core MSCI EAFE for Europe/Japan 25%
ZEM BMO MSCI Emerging Markets Index ETF for emerging markets 5%
XGD iShares S&P/TSX Global Gold for gold exposure 5%
ZAG BMO Aggregate Bond ETF 15%

It appears that both ZSP and XEF offer USD versions. What are the pros and cons?
Thanks

Q: Good afternoon 5i,
I have a RRIF payment coming due and prefer to hold on to my individual stocks at this time. I have XIU, XSP, and XSU with lovely gains over the long term. Which would you consider selling at this point?

Q: Would you prefer XIC or XIU or a combination of both for a purchase at this time, and why? Long term hold . Thankyou for your knowledge

Q: Hello,
2 part question regarding the above companies for a 30 year old investor with a 10+ year hold horizon:

1. In a TFSA account I currently own BNS and BUS. Would you swap these 2 out for LSPD, KXS and DND today? If so, would you please rank the 5 companies in order of preference in a TFSA account?

2. I have some cash to deploy in my RRSP account. I was wondering if you could also rank the following companies to buy today once again for a 30 year old with a minimum holding period of 10 years: BAM, BIP.UN, BIPC (in case you think that one is better than the other in an RRSP), BNS, XIU and VEQT. I would be able to purchase 3 of the 6 mentioned so what would be your preferred mix in this case?

Thanks for your help!

Q: Hi,

I want to get my investments into more manageable ETFS. If you had to invest in only 3 ETFs for the Canadian market in the next few years, what would they be? Could you give me a list of some top contenders?

Q: A few questions re best index ETFs for safety, total return and tax efficiency:
(1) S&P/TSX 60 (unregistered account): Is XIU, XIC or another ETF better?
(2) S&P 500 (RRSP/TFSA): What CAN listed ETF is best for long hold: ZSP, XSP or other ETF? If held in an RRSP (ie US dividend tax except), can you recommend the best US listed ETF for the S&P 500?
(3) NASDAQ 100 (RRSP/TFSA): What CAN listed ETF is best: ZNQ, ZQQ or another ETF? Is QQQ the best US listed?
(4) Ex-North America index (RRSP): Can you list the best CAN listed ETF index fund? Would you stick with large caps or all? XEF? VIU?
(5) Emerging market index ETFs (RRSP): ZEM, VEE or other?
(6) MISC: Has HXT, HXS and HXQ permanently resolved gov't issues and are these ETFs safe for long term hold?
Thank you!!

Q: Hi,

I'm looking for an ETF that holds a small number of high quality Canadian stocks - say about 25 holdings. A yield similar to XIC or XIU would be nice but not critical.

HBF and DXG are a couple of ETF examples that I use for US and international companies. So something similar to these but holding Canadian companies. I don't mind paying a slightly higher MER for a somewhat more active portfolio management style.

Thanks,

Gord

Q: Words you hear often -"You can't beat the Index" . If one was to follow this theory - what would you invest in?

Q: If I wanted to add a single ETF for each of the following what would be your suggested ETF: S&P 500, TSX 60 and Dow 30?

Thanks and Merry Christmas!

Q: Can you please recommend a couple of ETFs for an RESP with a six year time frame? Thank you!

Q: I am helping my niece set up with ETF. She is holding the below funds right now. Can you please advise their fees and which ETF would you suggest replacing them with? Is there a site where you can check the mutual fund fees and performance?

PH&N LifeTime 2045 Fund
RBC Canadian Equity Fund
RBC Balanced Fund
BLK Balanced Index
Capital Global Equity
BLK US Equity Index

Thanks for your help
Hector

Q: Which is better for an RESP in terms of growth and returns within the next 2-3 years? Perhaps a ranking?