Investment Q&A

Q: Hi 5i Team,

I am in the process of setting up an investment account for my nephew and would like to stick to indexes for the time being until he is comfortable with individual equities.

Given the current market climate and your best guess, what % would you attribute in a portfolio (out of 100%) to the following indices: VFV, XQQ, XIC, IWO, XGRO. Please feel free to suggest any other index that was not mentioned in the list above.

Thank you!

Q: Could you give me your opinion of the above three ETFs for a long term, "sleep at night" portfolio? The YTD return has not been good, but I feel it should turn around in the long term. Thanks!

Q: These are my holding inside my TFSA. I am 25 years old and would like to know your opinion on this Portfolio and if you think these are good longterm holdings or if they could be replaced with a better investment (please indicate what company you would replace with). Also witch companies would you consider a Buy in 2023 from these holdings for my 6,500$ contribution room.

Thanks

Q: Can you give me the symbols of ETF's that matches the movement of the tsx 60 , SP 500 and the NASDAQ. With the lower mer or fees. Thanks .. Borrowing money to invest on the stock market was something that was getting very popular. With interest rates now at normal rates in my view I believe this will end. Our economist drop the key interest rate at the beginning of covid to reduce the risk of a recession. In 2022 these same people are raising the interest rates to prevent inflation. I believe they will not succeed. I wish I had a company that could right out checks and not needing any funds to pay them. Only or government can do this.The same people that are raising and lowering or interest rates. Imagine that. Thanks for the great service but with 122 credit questions I guess I'm not using your services to the max. You guys are great happy new year.

Q: Is there an equivalent to XLG in Canadian dollars?

Q: My son is in a position now where he can start to make regular annual contributions to his RRSP. I want to help him set up a basic ETF portfolio that he can just add to every year for the foreseeable future.
He already owns small amounts of XIC and VFV. Would these be appropriate for this purpose? Would you add any others?

Thank you for your invaluable advice, as always!

Q: I want to invest in the S&P 500 in my unregistered accounts with HXS. Are you comfortable holding this total return ETF? Are there any known government issues with total return ETFs - I recall the Fed Government challenged these in the past? In registered family accounts I plan to use VFV and/or ZSP - do you prefer one over the other? For safety, would it be a good idea to use both?
Thanks!

Q: Given the current market, what are some S&P 500 Index Funds you see looking at long term growth and opportunities for 5-10+ years?

Q: My Daughter has about 300K to invest. She is thinking of Vanguard Etfs.
Which ones would you suggest - in Canadian dollars and low Mers and in what proportion ?
They will be in registered accounts.

What would you suggest for an unregistered account?
And many thanks for all your helpful advice.
Connie

Q: Hello Peter,
Is VFV and XSP about the same except one is hedged? I have held Sienna and Chartwell for a long time and I thought from a demographic point , they would be great long term holds.. I am down alot but the dividend is great. Are these two good long term holds or since covid, the recovery maybe too long of a time given the high interests that we see. Thanks very much

Q: I would like to begin investing for my grandchild, and looking for a safe, steady grower.

Is there a stock(s) you would recommend?

Thank you

Q: You mentioned in one reply that VFV was CAD hedged. I can't find any reference to it being CAD hedged and I thought it was not hedged. Can you please confirm because I prefer the unhedged fund.

Q: Hello 5i,
Looking at the top ten holdings of XQQ and SPY there appears to be a lot of overlap.
Do you agree? Is it advisable to own both?
Thanks
Dave

Q: I am looking to start a RESP for my one-year-old grandson. Can you please suggest a suitable investment portfolio for an initial $5000 investment. Could you also recommend a strategy for investing future deposits to the plan.

Thanks.

Q: My Son has $12,000.00 to open a new TFSA. He has selected the following stocks
XIU(50)-ZNQ(50)- VFV(25)- ZUT(100)-ZRE(100)- ZPR(200)
He plans to add $6000.00 plus Dividends each year and buy more of same, for next twenty -five years. Will he get a good return on his choice. or does he need to diversify more or only buy the first three. Welcome your direction to maximum total return or close to it. Can accept risk. Many Thanks---Cec

Q: Dear 5i
For an RRSP , TFSA and cash account which ETF would be your preference , ZSP or VFV ?
Also do you expect the recently announced OPEC cuts to have a long lasting affect on oil prices ?
I`m reading that the price per barrel could reach $105 again within a few months . That being said do you believe there is going to be another leg up in oil stocks ? Gas stocks ?
Thanks
Bill C

Q: Hi, looking to invest long term in one etf for income first , growth second. Would it really matter which one I pick ? I’m thinking zcn for lower mer and higher dividend.
What etf do you like for retired investors (include any other you might consider) Thanks,

Q: Hi Guys,

My son is opening his first RRSP and is looking for a basket of ETF's with a bit of a longer term horizon. What would you recommend?

Thanks,

Q: Hi there, I'm building a portfolio based on the 4% withdrawal rule. I read a study where based on country specific stock market data, the 4% withdrawal rule only worked in Canada, US and maybe 3 other countries. Based on this study and using history as a guide - if one were to build a portfolio with 50/50 Canada and US exposure, would it be best to use VCE and VFV or VCE and XSP? Also, if VCE is not the most appropriate Canadian ETF, what would be the most suitable? I've seen XIU, XIC and VCN often mentioned, but it appears like VCE has a slight outperformance?

Thanks!

Q: I own an Ishares all in one ETF to round things out. I just found out they hedge the currency on the non Canadian holdings. I tried to find out the cost to hedge but was unsuccessful. After doing more research I found the costs to hedge can be 1-2% a year. When doing a back test between IVV and XSP the hedged EFT lagged by 1-3% a year over 20 years. From 2002-2012 the lag averaged 2.1% a year but in the last 10 years the average lag was 1.1% a year. Do you know any all in one Canadian ETF's that don't hedge the currency?

Thank you.