Investment Q&A

Q: Peter, the 1/4 & FY looked good to us, your thoughts ? How has it compared to benchmarks over the past 5, 10, 20 yrs ? Is it a 1 stop shop vs S&P 500 ? Thank you as its our biggest holding.

Q: Greetings 5i
I have a couple of follow up questions to yesterday’s question regarding a US replacement for vbal. You suggested a combination of spy and a bond fund. What would be an appropriate bond etf for this strategy? I imagine you would be indifferent between spy and voo for stocks? Is there any way to calculate the tax hit in a non registered account. Currently I have non dividend paying stocks in this account to avoid withholding tax. But, i guess if you follow this strategy you have to take the tax bite as part of the package.
With appreciation

Q: Good morning 5i
I sent in a question but it must have gotten lost over te weekend. A member recently said that if he should become incapacitated he left instructions for his wife to sell all stocks and buy vbal, as she was not interested in stocks and this would be a solution.
There are probably many of us in this situation. But,i wonder if one would not be better to sell gradually while alive and capable. After all, you will bot get the big tax hit. Also, in case of the death of one partner, it maybe better to start selling earl, even though it involves capital gains. Because the tax on the one remaining spouse , without the benefit of income splitting will be very high.

One problem i have with this plan is that i have a lot in US dollars. And i want to keep them. One solution i thought woul be to put much more in berkshire. But I don’t know of any US etf that works like vbal. Would you have suggestions on this?
Thanks

Q: Do you have a preference between these two etf’s or is there another name you would recommend? Will become a 5percent holding in a non registered account. Thanks for your input.. Lesley

Q: Can you you rate from best to worst spy.us, vti.us, spgp.us, vus.ca and recommend a good entry price.
And is there a non hedge version of vus.ca.

Thanks

Q: I was surprised you suggested a maximum SPY weighting of 10% in response to Jim’s question on April 10.

Warren buffet recommends the SP 500 index as a one stop shop for instant diversification and long term inversting, notwithstanding its geographical concentration risk.

Can you please expand on the suggested 10% maximum weighting?

Thank you

Q: Hi guys,

I have BRK.B, SPY & I2I as my only etfs in my U.S. portfolio, all around 2%. I know you can't provide personal advice, however, inside a normal balance portfolio what would be the range for each (bottom 2% to high10%)?
Thanks,

Jim

Q: Warren Buffett says " buy index funds" preferably Vanguard.

What would you buy in Canada & the USA?

Thank you.

Q: Is there any ETF without covered call you would recommend that holds similar stocks as SMAX. Either in USA or CDN dollars. I prefer CDN dollars.

Thanks for the great service

Q: Hi, I'm thinking of gradually reducing my individual stocks and moving into etfs for an all around set it and forget it roughly $3 million portfolio for someone retiring in the next few months. Can you give me your suggested etfs and percentages to hold to accomplish this balance? A chunk of these funds are not invested yet so I'd also like to know how you would suggest deploying these funds? Would you edge in gradually over a period of time or just get the money working? I'd really appreciate any advice you could give me in this format.
Thank you as always!

Q: If someone had to purchase 1 etf in their portfolio, would you say that this is the best one even though it is pricey. Thank you

Q: Hello Peter,
I know you have answered this about Topicus special dividend. I find it odd that in the early stages of the company's existence , it is paying out a special dividend. Could this be a sign that the company sees little appetite for acquiring companies and will focus on organic growth? What is a good etf that excludes the magnificent 7 , SPY minus magnificent 7.. Appreciate it and thanks for the service.

Q: My wife and I would like to convert our diversified portfolio of 20 active companies to a portfolio of ETFs. We are in our 70s and would like to simplify our portfolio.

We picture 5 to 10 ETFs.
One or two ETFs for all Canadian stocks, same for the USA and one or two for indexes outside North America.
As I say, we’re currently pretty well diversified and earning dividend income of around 5% and would like to continue around that level of yield and diversification.

What ETFs would you include? Is this a dream or can it really be done?
Many thanks for your research and opinion.
Frank

Q: Thanks to Peter, Ryan and the 5i Team, my portfolio has recovered from the Tech Wreck of 2022. Much of this is due to my holdings in Nvidia and SMCI. I have been trimming some along the way up, but Nvidia is now over 12% and SMCI is over 6% of my portfolio. This time around, I'd like to hold on to my gains (unlike in 2022).

My questions are: What "sleep at night" ETF or stock might you suggest to put some of my profits into (sector doesn't matter)? Also, what percentage of your holdings would you be comfortable with SMCI going to?

My pension covers my living expenses, so I am able to take a little more risk.

Thanks,

Brad

Q: just wondering what etf in the u.s. you like best for the long term [10 years or more] that has a low mer [eg. spy , voo, vanguard,etc] and pays a reasonable dividend.

Q: Can you please suggest a few ETF's for a young investor who has recently opened a brokerage account.
My 30 y/o son will be transferring funds currently held at his bank. (TSFA , RESP, RRSP accounts) He is looking for long term investments options.

We as grand parents have started a RESP for each of the grandchildren. Looking after their first year RESP contributions. Currently invested in HXS and a small VFV position.
Can you please give some options for :
RRSP
RESP
TSFA
Thank you
Gord

Q: There are a number of Canadian based NASDAQ100 and S&P500 ETF's. Which NASDAQ100 and S&P500 ETF would you prefer, or would be "best", for a TFSA account, and why? Would investing within an RRSP or in a non-registered account alter your selections and if so, why would that be? Thanks.

Q: Further to my question regarding my 22 year old son. Do you think the approach to buy just the SPY is ok or would you recommend a diverse group of ETF's and maybe a few stocks? If so which ones?

Q: My 22 year old son received a $100,000 gift from his grandfather on his birthday. His TFSA and FHSA are fully funded so this money will go to funding his first unregistered account. The S&P 500 has shown an average annual return in excess of 13% over the past 15 years and over 20% in 2023. As such, it is tempting to just put the full amount in an S&P ETF, but having come off a 20% year gives one pause. What is your recommendation in this case?

Q: Hi Folks,
I am looking suggestions for my non reg account,
I currently have 7% weighting in HHL and 7% in ZWE. I am close to retirement age.
Also is there a website that indicates whether the income from etfs/ stocks are dividends or interest.
Cheers

Cheers