Investment Q&A

Q: As STIP and TIP have ceased to pay their previously excellent distributions, I have been looking for alternatives with similar distribution, diversification and volatility characteristics. XHY seems a valid choice; however, can you comment/provide alternatives? Thanks.

Q: In tuesday's globe and mail, Tom Czitron recommeded buying mid term (5-10 year) federal, provincial government, and corporate bonds because they seem to be in the sweet spot between lower risk and higher opportunity, especially if inflation declines and economic growth wanes.
1. Do you agree?
2. Can you recommend names of bonds that fit this bill?
3. please indicate order of buying (best to worse), if any.
thanks

Q: Hi Everyone at 5i!
I am a new retiree and hold these three ETFs as part of my income portfolio . They have all dropped in value , due to increased interest rates and the market in general. These are my really long term holds unless you foresee a problem with this idea.
Cheers,
Tamara

Q: In the present interest rate environment and going forward 6- 12 months, which ETF is preferable i.e. XHY, PFIA, MFT, ZHY, XSB,XBB OR PYF? Would you choose 1 or a combination?

Thanks for your service!

Q: How would you suggest a 70+ participate in this market,if at all?

Q: I am currently managing my TFSA/RRSP funds and some money outside of registered accounts, which are largely individual stocks. With the market volatility, potential recession and war in Ukraine, I am finding it more difficult to keep on top of the individual stocks and am therefore considering going to ETF's. I am a year away from retirement but would be ok with more risk in the TFSA/RRSP's.
Could you please suggest 5 ETF's for the registered accounts and 5 ETF's for the non-registered accounts.
Thank you,
Jacquie

Q: Hello 5i,
I am a value invester with a mix of equities and ETF's. I have done well with VGT and am up $8,000. As I look for dividends I am looking to sell VGT and buy ZWT. Also exchanging XHYy for ZWH, XTR for ZWC and VE for ZWE. Some are underwater but not by much. $75,000 is involved altogether with these exchanges. Do these changes make sense or should I just leave things as they are. The difference in dividends is nice to have (an extra $300 or more a month) but not really needed.
Stanley

Q: I am wondering about a rebound from the current level with XHY? Do you see it recovering from the loss this year and is it a good time to buy?

Q: Regarding XHY in the 5i Income Portfolio: Is XHY a hold or a buy at this time with a yield of about 4.90%? Is there any US withholding tax in an RRSP holding XHY?
Thanks!

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?