Investment Q&A

Q: Good Day,

My fiancé has recently begun investing. Currently she has:
254 shares of VBAL
16 shares in Royal Bank
27 shares of BCE

She has $1300 available to invest in her TFSA and $500.00 to invest in her RRSP. She is a conservative investor.

We are wondering:
What would you suggest for next steps in terms of shares/etf to purchase in this small portfolio? Or should we just buy more VBAL?

In addition, would it be best to wait a little to see if there is a ‘better deal’ in a few months?

Please take as many of my questions as you see fit.

Regards,

Ryan

Q: Hi guys! Asking for my parents, hope that's okay, your service has been very beneficial for me. They are currently living off their pension and have $60k in a TFSA that they would like to do something with for the next two-three years. Both roughly 65yrs old. They are looking for both a very safe, and also relatively safe recommendation please. Ideally, they are looking for a fairly hands off approach, where the risk of coming out at the end of it with less than they have is low. They are open to equity investing through a low fee brokerage, or looking at a service like one of the roboinvestor platforms, or anything else you'd recommend. Thanks I really appreciate it!

Q: Can you please recommend a couple of ETFs for an RESP with a six year time frame? Thank you!

Q: Hi,
What is your general opinion of investing in segregated funds? I understand that there are some great benefits for estate planning purposes as you get older, i.e. bypassing probate/estate fees, quick transfer of funds to beneficiaries, guaranteed death benefit, etc... but are the high MER fees (>2%) really worth it? I was helping my mom who is retired look into some of her investments in her TFSA and her advisor has her in invested in these two Manulife products, MPS4959 and MPS4980. Thoughts on these two funds? Do these two funds pay dividends or have a distribution yield? Could not find it.
Aside from the benefits I mentioned above where you only get with Seg funds, and looking at just the pure investment return/structure of the funds, could you suggest 4-5 other attractive ETF's that she could invest in that would outperform these over the next 10-20 years? I would like to switch her into some low cost ETF's or an all in one fund that are either comparable(balanced fund) or better than these two expensive products. She is close to 70, won't need to draw any of this money to live on (she has other sources of income) and looking for some steady and stable growth assuming life expectancy for another 15-25 years. Thanks!

Q: Hi,

Does Vanguard or Blackrock offer US listed ETFs similar to VGRO, VBAL etc?

Tks.

Q: Hi
A quick question.
I know BMO/ishares have equivalent ETFs to VBAL/VEQT/VGRO.
Are there any equivalents to these all in one ETFs offered US ETF companies?.
Vanguard's US site doesn't show any.
Any one else in the States offering all in one ETFs?
I am hoping if they do offer, their fees will be lower than the Vanguard's here in Canada.
Thanks.

Q: My 89 year old Mother-in-law has a couple hundred K, half in TFSA and half non registered. She is not in need of use of this money for regular everyday expenses. We are looking for recommendations of an investment in stocks or ETF's that would pay better than any financial institution will offer. Understanding low to medium risk.
Greatly appreciated as always.

Regards,

Q: Could you please recommend a low cost etf for an resp for 3 or 4 years to introduce someone safely to markets. For example a dividend growth, tsx or your ideas. What are the cost for the etfs? Thank you for your assistance.

Q: Having received the above funds shares from a bequest, I am contemplating on selling and replacing the above funds for ETF's which would be complimentary with diversification, possibly reducing fees and improve performance.

Garry

Q: If one is only invested in North America, would now be a good time to buy VEE, or if you have a better idea for emerging markets? Also, if one has built a conservative portfolio for elderly parents using only VBAL and VCNS, would adding VEE be a good compliment, or would it add significant risk ?

Q: First I have to say thank you! My RRIF and TFSA are certainly healthier due to info gained from 5i over the past couple of years.
My questions pertain to my Rif where I have recently inherited 2 mutual funds; Dynamic 1560 Strategic Yield Fund and Dynamic 031 Global Dividend Fund (mers 2.15-2.23%). The remainder of the Rif is comprised of Canadian stocks; old TSX 60 stalwarts and/or stocks from your income or balanced portfolios. The Dynamic funds each account for approximately 20% of the total Rif and around 13% of total investments.
Questions
1. Are there better ETFs/Funds you would suggest for exposure to US and global markets?
2. What is a reasonable weight for an individual ETF/fund within a portfolio?
3. What is a reasonable percent of one's portfolio to allocate to US markets? and to global markets?
TIA
(Good to see Peter on BNN yesterday.)

Q: My 40-year-old daughter has $42K in her RRSPs with Scotia Bank. Her advisor put her in two funds. BSN378 and BSN385. One is 45% invested in basically bonds and 40 Canadian stocks. The other is 12.3 % cash and 47 Canadian stocks. The exception is 2% invested in Microsoft. I assume there is a lot of duplication between the two funds investing in the same Canadian Companies. The MER is close to 2%. Apart from this being a travesty - I would like to move her into a self administered RRSP with a mix of a balanced ETF and three other stocks. She is regularly adding more money. She won't be withdrawing money from this account for at least 25 years.

Would you kindly suggest a suitable balanced ETF.

The three stocks I would suggest for a long term hold would be BAM, SHOP and ENB. Could I have your opinion or options please. Deduct as many questions as you see fit.

THANK YOU!
Bryan

Q: My wife has 75% of her portfolio in laddered GICs and I am looking for a one-stop solution for the remaining 25%. Would XTR be a reasonable substitute for any of the major balanced ETFs such as VBAL, XBAL, ZBAL, or HBAL or would you recommend one of the latter? XTR pays a significantly higher dividend and appears to possess a similar structure, although not quite as globally diversified on the equity side. Your opinion please. Thanks.

Q: Please give an updated opinion on these four balanced ETFs for a retired, conservative investor and indicate order of preference for income and safety. Thanks!

Q: I am helping my niece set up with ETF. She is holding the below funds right now. Can you please advise their fees and which ETF would you suggest replacing them with? Is there a site where you can check the mutual fund fees and performance?

PH&N LifeTime 2045 Fund
RBC Canadian Equity Fund
RBC Balanced Fund
BLK Balanced Index
Capital Global Equity
BLK US Equity Index

Thanks for your help
Hector

Q: To whom it may concern ,
I have some GIC’s maturing but interest rates are so low that it is hardly worth rolling them over. I am looking for some alternatives with high security and better Yield. I am thinking perhaps some bank stocks or Vanguard products and would appreciate your opinion or any other advice you may have.
Thank you for your valuable advice..
Ernie Trosch

Q: My elderly parents are looking to invest $15,000. If you were to buy Canadian banks which two would you buy? Also can you recommend something else that they can put there money into. Low-medium risk.
Thanks

Q: Is vbal a good option to hold entering retirement

Q: In general, what type of strategy would u guys recommend if a person wanted to stay involved in the Stock Market with a four to five year time horizon, but still wanted to preserve his capital mostly, thanks?

Q: Hi 5i,

For a taxable account, which one would be your choice ? Thanks very much!

Leo