Investment Q&A

Q: A friend father age 82 recently sold his residence and is looking to invest. Wants to be in the market. Can you suggest 3 to 5 ETF's for him to invest. Thinking Canadian and Us market , as well as a Bond ETF. Has a small registered fund & TFSA.

Q: Hi,

For a long term position ~ 10% of total portfolio, with broad international equity exposure outside North America, currency not really a factor, was considering XIN vs VXUS vs XEF.
1) preference of three or worth it to purchase more than one?
2) other suggestions?
3) any concerns with 10% of portfolio in any of these single ETFs?

Q: Hey Guys,
Would you buy these ETFs today?
Are there other ETFs you prefer today.
This is for a long term hold.
Thank you,
John.

Q: About a month ago I purchased vxus & already it is down 7%. I believe I'm caught in a perfect storm of a rising US dollar & trade war rumblings of Donald Trump. EM countries often owe debt in US dollars which hurts them & causes further drops in stock prices.Your comments on this thesis & suggestions would be appreciated.On the positive side Bloomberg News feels China has hit a bottom.

Q: What are your thoughts on VX.US as a means of further diversifying ones portofolio?

Q: I am thinking of switching a high fee low performing global mutual fund to a lower fee ETF to try to improve performance while maintaining global exposure for the long term.

Do you have any suggestions?

Doug

Q: Could you comment on XEF as the sole holding for non-N.American exposure, and what would you consider the maximum holding as a percent of total portfolio? Are there any other ETFs that you prefer for this purpose?
Thank-you

Q: Thanks for your prompt answer to my question on TPE vs. TD Int Index-e. Love your great service as always! If neither is particular interesting (3 stars), what would you recommend instead for index exposure to international equity ex. North America?

Q: 5i,
I currently have approx $14k cash in RESP. I have a 6 year old and 1 year old. How would you recommend me investing this money? Can you please name me top 3 stocks, and top 3 ETF to Invest in please. Thanks for your valuable input.

Q: For increased international exposure I’m thinking of either VDU or VXUS. To buy VXUS, I would need to convert $C to $US. I currently have approximately 24% of my portfolio in $US, and this conversion would increase that to 28% or so. Which option do you think I should choose?

Q: Good morning.... we are 15 years away before we may need to access our RRSP..
We sold all enegy (although would be okay with one "best of class" or ETF)..
I have a solid mix of similar weightings (BCE,BEP.UN,BNS,PBH,ATD.B,FSZ,SJ,GUD SIS). I would like fixed income/US/International exposure...I will be adding XHY..
I am looking for suggestions for either a few ETF you recommend for US/International exposure...keeping in mind we would not need to withdraw for at least 15 years..and if you think should have a minimum of 5% in energy or alternate AI ETF...

Thanks
Matt

Q: I recently asked a question asking for guidance regarding the need to buy an ETF that would give me exposure to the world outside of the United States. You suggested VXUS but it has to be purchased in U.S. dollars. Is there a similar product I can buy in Can. $?
Also, if I were to buy VXUS, what kind of exposure would I be getting? i.e. how much exposure to the different areas of the world? Asia? Europe? Other areas?
Again, how exceptional I can access your guidance this way. Many thanks.

Q: I've been a member of 5i for about two years and your help has been substantial. Thank-you. I currently own a portfolio that closely mirrors your balanced portfolio.

My question today relates to one asked recently about Warren Buffet's wishes regarding his investments should he die. I believe it was somethink like 10% to short term bonds and 90% to the S&P 500. I'm seeking advice regarding what a kind of portfolio a Canadian should develop in a similar situation. My wife has no interest in day to day stock analysis. Should she inherit our portfolio, I'd like to construct a 'buy and hold' ETF portfolio, in addition to our current portfolio, with exposure to Canada, the United States and the rest of the world. This would comprise the equity part of a more complete portfolio. Hopefully, it would have the potential to show resonable gains with little attention by the owner. My question is: which 3 ETF's would you choose to gain exposure to the 3 markets for a Canadian who simply wants to buy and hold? What % would you put into each ETF?
All the best to you and your families for the holiday season.

Q: We have some u.s money in a RIF acct and would like to compliment our balanced and income portfolio and were thinking of VG - IYJ- XLF and VXUS. Does this make sense as we are also playing the currency and this is profit from 2017 thanks to you and your service....thanks...Eugene

Q: I tend to stay away from holdings that trade on US exchanges to avoid dealing with the withholding/reporting foreign tax rules. My portfolio needs an ETF with global exposure (mostly non-NA) Since there seems to be no good Canadian equivalent to VXUS, what type of trading account would you suggest to buy this ETF with the least/simplest amount of tax implication. Would the RRSP be completely exempt? Thanks.

Q: Most of my international (non-USA) holdings are ETFs that trade in US dollars on US exchanges. This adds a layer of FX (US dollar) into the equation when considering the performance of these holdings. With the quick and drastic FX moves that are becoming more common, I’m starting to loathe the FX volatility and believe that my other US equity holdings already provide sufficient (US) currency diversification. What advantage/disadvantage is there in holding international equities in US dollars, and if I wanted to replace each of the above ETFs with a Canadian dollar equivalent what ETFs would you recommend?

Q: I'm looking to diversify outside of US/Canadian stocks, as this represents the bulk of my portfolio. Can you recommend any international or developing market etfs? Any international etfs with a value investing model? Thanks.

Q: In response to a recent question you said that VXUS is a very attractive possibility for stocks outside the US. I already own VWO and was wondering whether it would be a compliment to that, or whether there would be redundancy? Isuppose I could ask the same question of a European ETF?
thanks for the great help

Q: Although I do not ask many questions I read all your question and answers on a daily basis and have utilized the information often! I would appreciate your thoughts on the best ETF for international exposure. Thanks.

Q: I own pretty much all the stocks in your model portfolio (other than GC, PKI, SJ, and SYZ) and about 1/2 of your growth portfolio. I also own a number of ETFs, including VXC, VCN, VAB, CDZ, SPY, XAW, and VXUS. I was doing a review of my portfolio and noticed that the ETFs above now make up 20% of my portfolio. A couple questions:
1) Are some of these ETFs redundant in my case?
2) What sector allocation would you suggest for 2018?