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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 seem to recall a question quite a while ago (years?) about the maximum % of your portfolio should be by fund company. If I remember correctly, your suggestion was to cap each fund company exposure to 15%. Am I correct and do you still feel the same?

My BMO ETFs are just over 16%.
My iShares ETFs are just over 15%.
I have smaller exposures to the fund companies holding HMAX, HHL, NNRG (around 5% each).

Please remind me again what the dangers are of exceeding your suggested threshold? For the larger fund companies, is the threshold higher?

Thanks for your help....much appreciated....Steve
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on March 13, 2026
Q: Regarding my family RESP I set up for my two kids, it will start to be used next year and they will be in school for six years. I was thinking of moving a portion into CDZ for the next few years because I consider it more stable than keeping it in the single stocks that it's currently in. Do you agree or have a different ETF or a few you could recommend?
Read Answer Asked by Wes on February 24, 2026
Q: I have $ 60000 to invest in my tfsa. I am retired. What 3 etfs would effectively give me a good somewhat conservative diversity especially for these chaotic times. Stability and income would be my main focus
Read Answer Asked by Eric on February 23, 2026
Q: Good morning.
I’m planning on setting up a RESP for my grandkids.
Could you guys please suggest a ETF or two that would be suitable, this would not be used for at least 12 years.

Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on February 18, 2026
Q: I have around 35% cash to deploy in my TFSA, with a long term time frame in mind. I currently have positions in XIC (16%) and VFV (10%). Looking to add and diversify with another 2-3 ETF's. Could you list a few suggestions?
Read Answer Asked by Kolin on February 13, 2026
Q: would it be duplication to own both ZDV and CDZ in the same unregistered account? should I go with the highest yielding one? I note that CDZ holds more financial, could that be a drawback going down the road?
Read Answer Asked by steve on February 11, 2026
Q: Sometime ago, there was a question requesting your suggestions about ETF's for a young person just starting to invest in a TFSA. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it.

Wondering about ZWC and XUS (50/50) for my 19 year old grandson's first investments in his TFSA but any other recommendations would be appreciated.
Thanks as always for your assistance. It is appreciated.
Read Answer Asked by Thomas on February 10, 2026
Q: Have 11 holdings in a Non Reg account, 5 of which are ETFs as above . The other holdings are BAM, CNQ, EIF, ENB, GLXY, PNG, ZDC.
Would like to reduce the # of ETFs and distribute proceeds into ETFs/Equities that are left.
Your thoughts on which you think would be best (if any) to eliminate with a view to a tilt towards growth. Many thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Alexandra on January 21, 2026
Q: I bought VDY, primarily for the dividend, but capital appreciation has been much better than expected. Now I'm looking for a Canadian complement. I note that CDZ also contains financials and energy, but at fairly low percentages, and it seems to cover other sectors well, perhaps a bit better than VDY. Do you think CDZ would be the best complement, or is there another Canadian ETF that would fit nicely beside VDY. Again, the dividend is appreciated, but capital appreciation and low down-side risk would also be very welcome, in addition to sector balance. Thank you for all your great service.
Read Answer Asked by Gordon on January 13, 2026
Q: Would you please recommend some high dividend ETF for low risk. It can be either only Canadian stocks or mixed with US and Canada. May thanks
Read Answer Asked by kwokwai on January 08, 2026
Q: Hi, I’m retired 70 year old , looking at more conservative alternatives to stocks for a portion of my portfolio (30-40%). Could you give your opinion on TIPS I believe it’s US , but I see a Canadian version ZTIP. Interesting that it is inflation protection? Your thoughts and best one to buy. ( like to keep taxes simple).
Also could you give me your favourite dividend aristocrat etf. And do you consider this etf more conservative than a regular dividend etf.
Thanks for your help over the years, Merry Christmas
Read Answer Asked by Brad on December 22, 2025
Q: A follow up question on portfolio construction. I’ve decided to try and get more dividends while I wait for capital appreciation inside my TFSA.

So the portfolio will be 20% International holding FLVI and VIU. 45% Canadian and will hold XDIV and CDZ. The 55% US will hold SPYD, VYM, HVD and all 11 sectors through Vanguard or ishares.

I’m looking to collect some dividends while I wait for capital gains and realize I will not get full dividends on the US ETFs. What are your thoughts on this set up, is there anything to improve either with diversification or higher dividends? Appreciate your service.
Read Answer Asked by Mark on December 12, 2025
Q: Can you suggest a couple of low risk Cdn. ETF's with good dividend rates and with a low MER?
Read Answer Asked by Bill on December 01, 2025
Q: I am currently shifting some of my assets into ETFs. I’m looking for some low to medium risk Canadian ETFs with low management fees and a five to ten year investment outlook. Could you give me a few suggestions?
Read Answer Asked by Rick on November 28, 2025
Q: I want to start drawing some yield income from my TFSA.
What would be your top 5 etf or stocks?Good yield,Low to Moderate risk.
Thankyou
Read Answer Asked by Steve on November 04, 2025
Q: My 31-year-old daughter would like to build a portfolio of income-paying investments within her RRSP, LIRA, and TFSA accounts, with the intention of reinvesting dividends through a DRIP over the years. Which six Canadian dividend-paying stocks would you recommend for this goal or would it be more effective to use dividend-focused ETFs instead? The primary objective is to build a portfolio that generates reliable income. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Ronnie on October 09, 2025
Q: I will be simplifying my RRSP portfolio whereby it will be mainly comprised of ETF's that can give growth as well as income that i can use to draw on when RRSP are converted to RRIF.

Can you provide me ETF's / Index funds suggestions for:
S& P 500 index
Global large cap index ex USA
Dividend appreciation index ( large cap) for Canada and US

Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Mario on September 10, 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: Good morning!
I am a dividend investor, almost totally in higher paying blue chips and sector specific equities. I rely on those payments for my income. However, I am considering an etf as a possibility to lower risk , but am not very familiar with the offerings. A brief look about wasn't encouraging, as it seems that often the dividends paid may decrease over time, and not necessarily in sync with govt interest rates as you might expect. As an example, I thought XRE would be a good one, paying over 5%. Their distribution 10 years ago was 8 cents. The most recent was 6 cents. This does not keep up with inflation, a key part of my requirement.
All that being said, can you suggest Canadian etfs that pay a high dividend, one that increases with inflation? Thanks for your ideas! ... Paul K
Read Answer Asked by Paul on September 04, 2025