Investment Q&A

Q: I recognize this is a timing question so apologies in advance. My portfolio is 100% equities (no bonds). As I approach retirement I am thinking of moving 20-25% of my RSP/LIRA into bond ETF's. With rising rates and high inflation am I best to wait this out until we get closer to the end of the rate hiking cycle? If I was to time it perfectly (I know, I know) would it be to buy the bond funds at the interest rate peak? Please recommend a few ETF's to achieve a balanced bond portfolio and any thoughts you have on timing this.
Thanks
Rob

Q: The general rise in interest rates continued during the first quarter of 2022, continuing its pressure on the price of fixed income securities.
I would like to have your opinion.
Is it a good idea to buy fixed income indices right now like the Canadian Bond Index or the Canadian Real Return Bond Index or the High Yield Bond Index? What kind of return can we expect?

Q: HI,
In a reply to Les on March 21st, you indicated that you like XHY a high yield bond. are high yield bonds like XHY considered junk bonds? how would one know the credit quality (e.g. AAA vs BBB) of this ETF ?
thanks

Q: Hi 5i.
Thanks for your continuing great service.

I am trying to find a way to hold US stocks without being subject to US Estate Tax or the need for T1135 tracking.

Are CDRs on US stocks subject to US Estate Tax?

Are CDRs on US stocks subject to T1135 reporting?

Are there other vehicles, besides selected Canadian- company-managed ETFs, that enable ownership of US stocks without exposure to US Estate Tax or T1135 exposure?

Which Canadian companies managing US stock EFTs are not subject to these issues?

Are the Canadian branches of US companies that manage US stock EFTs deemed by CRA to be US or Canadian?

Any additional comments or suggestions that you may have on these topics would be greatly appreciated.

Please deduct as many question credits as appropriate.

Many thanks !

Q: I would like to add 5 or 6 Canadian companies to my portfolio that pay a decent dividend (3%+) and distribute monthly. I'm hoping that you can suggest some companies that fit the bill and you respect for their high quality, leadership and ability to whether the noise created by events such as we are currently experiecing. Thanks in advance for you continued respected advice.

Q: Have these ETF's in my portfolio for at least 5 years. With the current interest rates environment... keep or swap? If swap which one? What would be a better option?

Thanks for your great service

Kevin

Q: Context: Sold CNQ after a long run up. Funds now to deploy into a locked in RSP about to be unlocked into an income stream. Currently have all blue chip dividend payers and am looking to offset risk by initiating a bond position. Looking for:
-CDN domiciled etf with NA and/or Global focus
-3% minimum yield
-High grade but willing to accept corporates for yield
-Prefer shorter term to maturity, to match future rate increases
-If not CDN domiciled, willing to look at US and willing to look at more than one to match criteria

Thank you!

Q: Following up on my previous question.

Why do people buy bonds when interest rates seem to go up?
Is it still possible to have an interesting return?
If so, can you explain the mechanics?

Q: If one was to initiate a postion in XHY today, what is your best guess the rising rate enviroment we are likely going to be in will effect the unit price say in the next year or two? I'm thinking the drop in unit price could be more than the juicy 4.94% dividend, on the plus side more bond exposure lowers the volitility overall.

Q: Increase iShares US High Yield Bond ETF (XHY) to 5.0%
Trade Rationale - With the equity markets continuing to see volatility, we are adding to XHY for some fixed income diversification and to enhance portfolio yield.
Can you enlighten me a bit more about this buy. XHY has been going down for a while. Thank you.

Q: Hello 5i,

I purchased these four funds in an income account in the summer/fall of last year. To date ZRE and CPD have hung in there, while the other two are slightly down overall including divs. Are these funds behaving the way you would expect for an income investor?

Q: I currently own CLF,CPD,ZAG and HLY in a LIRA account. The weight of these 4 ETFs are all 2 %. each. I would like to sell 2 and then use the cash to increase the weight of the other 2 that I will keep. Which 2 ETFs would you sell?

Thanks

Q: My wife has set up a small non registered account. She has chosen the above ETF's. She would like to add an ETF that covers the Dow Jones. Long term hold. Your suggestions. Thanks

Q: I have the following bond ETF's: HFR,VSC, ZAG and XHY. They total 22% of my portfolio. My question is do I move out, reduce or shift into different bond investments. I am 70 and they are split evenly in registered and non registered accounts.
Cheers and thanks for your great work. Bob

Q: I have had RBF7280 for a long time, since it was a PH&N Fund. Its MER is 1.43 and yield is 3.43. Would XHY be a proxy for it at a higher yield and lower MER?
If not, is there a different ETF that I could replace 7280 with?
Thanks for all you do. I sleep better during the downs now, and even better on up days.
John

Q: What ETFs do you recommend for a retired senior with a company pension age 79. I am a conservative investor. How should covid developments affect my selection?

Q: I have about 10% of my portfolio in these bond ETFs XBB 2%, CLF 4%, XSB 2%, XSH 1%, PMIF 1%. They have shown a negative performance recently with CLF down 7%. The coupon reduces the losses. Will increased interest rates improve their performance? An alternative is to reduce my exposure and buy something like BCE with a low beta and a better yield (5% +). I am 79 years old and have pension income. My portfolio is conservative holding a large proportion in banks, telecoms and utilities. I am looking for stocks, ETFs with a low beta and good yield..

Q: Good morning. I have had RBF7280 for decades. It yields 3.43% and has an MER of 1.43. Would it be comparable to XHY which has a higher yield and a lower MER? Is there another alternative that you can suggest?
I don't trade or worry very much since I started with 5i a few years ago. Thank. John

Q: HI
i understand that high yield bonds do better than the other types of bonds in an increasing interest rate environment. Do you agree? Can you recommend some high yield bond ETFS?
thanks

Q: Good morning 5i,
I need some fixed income. And I am paralyzed by the low rates I see. when I think of fixed income i tend to think of security and not growth. I know there are a number of people who put all kinds of things in fixed income, from high risk bonds to preferred shares. Where would 5i fall on this question? I was wondering what you thought a suitable fixed income component might look like for a retired person? as you can see by the symbol I added in the title, I am thinking short term bonds. But, i am open to suggestion. Could you suggest some bond etf's for the US and for Canada that would be appropriate for our current situation?
thanks