Investment Q&A

Q: Would like to create a 2 etf portfolio in the 500k range for my elderly parents, considering VBAL for the TFSA account and VCNS for the unregistered account. They will likely never have a need to access these funds but of course are risk adverse at their age. Thoughts on this approach, better options for ETF's ?

Q: Is black rock XEQT all in one, all stock, ETF a good option for an RESP that would start with a $1000,00 and add $100 a month. Or do you have a better suggestion.

Q: Good morning,
I own a small house in Ottawa that is free and clear with a current market value of approximately $350,000.
A recent discussion with my trusted mortgage broker confirmed that a 5 year term (Closed & Fixed) term mortgage can be obtained at a rate of 2.29%. This mortgage is said to be:
a. insured through CMHC,
b. portable, and
c. transferable.
At that rate of 2.29% and given that the interest paid would be tax deductible if I use the funds for investment purposes, I'm seriously considering borrowing around $200,000 and investing this amount for an initial 5 year period with an expected net rate of return on investment of 4.5% .
Q1. With $200,000, what are your thoughts of splitting this amount in 5 different chunks of $40K in the following instruments:
a. Mawer Tax Effective Balanced Fund,
b. Mawer Global Balanced ETF Fund,
c. Vanguard Balanced ETF Portfolio,
d. IShares Core Balanced ETF Portfolio, and
e. BMO Balanced ETF

Q2. As an alternative to the above and given the 5 year time frame, would your preference be to invest the $200,000 in a selection of best in class individual stocks split between different sectors and if so, would you be so kind as to provide me with ya listing of your best ideas at this time.

I thank you and look forward to hearing your thoughts on both of these investment strategies.
Francesco

Q: Hi Peter/Ryan, my 20 year old son wants to get into Vanguard ETF's. He has a TFSA stock account and now wants to add a Vanguard ETF. What is your opinion of Vanguard and is there one you would recommend. Thanks, Nick

Q: Peter and team
I am looking to re-enter the market in a non registered account with minimal input from myself.
I have considered both VBAL and MAW 105 ( tax effective balance).
Could you please compare these two options.
Thanks
Phil

Q: I sold some VBAL:CA at a loss to realize some tax losses and would like to repurchase this ETF at a lower entry point. Can I purchase a comparable ETF from another company like XBAL prior to 30 days, or would that be considered a superficial loss for tax purposes? Similarly, would purchasing a different asset mix product from the same company e.g. VGRO:CA or VCNS:CA be considered a superficial loss?

Q: Hi guys, thanks for the great commentary. What do you think about Swiss water process at these levels vs just dumping some money into VBAL

Q: Good morning, do you know if there is much overlap regarding the equity portion of these two etf,s, XWD and VBAL, thanks?

Q: Hello 5i,
Interesting times. Thank you for the backup.

I am trying to help my sister rebalance her portfolio and to get it retirement ready. She does not want to watch the portfolio but is open to rebalancing a couple of times a year. She is in the 40:60 to 50:50 bond:equity range for comfort (although this market is a great test about that assertion). She will live 3 - 4 months in the us during retirement.

I’ve been playing with the above mentioned etfs, keeping in mind that USD are already held (25% of portfolio), to find the proper mix of etfs to get to a 40:60 mix of bond to equity, with an equity exposure 25:50:25 Canada, US, International.

Please feel free to suggest other etfs as necessary if the above are not appropriate. Can you suggest an appropriate etf composition/ collection to satisfy the above criteria?

Tia

Q: Looking to simplify my life going with either XBAL or VBAL. They seem very comparable with slight differences regarding how much Canadian content.I also have the following ETF's .. QQQ,XQQ,SPY ,IWO ,XHC and ZAG. Could one still retain these or am I doubling down when really XBAL or VBAL will cover most of the stocks in these ETF's. Are there any that could be sold eg ZAG I don't mind having a bit extra in tech though.Thanks for your sound advice in these crazy times.

Q: What is the one stock you would suggest to go all in with this correction?

Q: Peter and team
I sold off all my equities part way through this recent collapse.
I have followed your BPort, along with some picks from the GPort.
I do not have the time to diligently follow individual stocks anymore, and was thinking of switching to ETFs.
What are your thoughts about splitting some 400k in cash between ZCN,ZDV, and ZUE. Is there too much overlap in the two Canadian ETFs, and what are your thoughts on going with the "hedged" ZUE?
This is a non registered account. I am pretty sure that ZUE is treated as a Canadian Equity with no foreign withholding tax. Correct?
Thanks

Phil

Q: Hi Team, My friend was convinced to buy this fund. What can you tell me about its performance, distribution, cost on closing the position & management fee. What better alternative can she consider as first time investor? Exchange traded funds?
Thank you

Q: I have my registered accounts with a broker RRSP and TFSA. They have suggested Manulife Global Balanced Fund, managed by Mawer. Please give me your opinion on this fund. I am not sure that is what I want, but would like your opinion. Could you suggest something better for both a RRSP and TFSA.
Thank you so much, Shirley

Q: Hi there, I'm new here and joined after hearing great interviews on Build Wealth Canada. I have a question and am really hoping you can help. I have decided to invest in Asset Allocation ETFs. 60% equities, 40% bond. For both the equity and bond portion I would like equal split of Canadian, US and international (no emerging markets, developed markets only). I need one asset allocation ETF with dividends or interest to buy with my TFSA & RRSP accounts. I need another with no dividend/interest to buy in my non registered account. I am new to this and overwhelmed with how to pick the 2 asset allocation ETFs for me. Can you please recommend 2 that meet my needs? Thank you so much!! Deborah

Q: What would you buy for my child's RESP who is 11

Q: Hi 5i, We hold 6% of our portfolio in this fund which has done OK and provides nice monthly income. It's our last remaining mutual fund. Any suggestions on how I could replace it with similar ETF(s) and still achieve a decent yield and some growth. Monthly distributions are not necessary. Thanks for your help.

Q: Hello,
I'm considering buying the Edgepoint Global Growth and Income fund, however the MER is very expensive series A at 2%. This would be a 25% holding in a LIRA account. I like the set-up income distribution with 70% global equities and 30% bonds. Can I please have your opinion on this fund, and could please provide the names of any alternative funds/etf's with a similar structure.

Thank you,

Glen

Q: Re article in today’s National Post re ETF of ETF’s, no ticker symbols were included. Can you provide same and indicate your opinion on general suitability and if favourable your choice?
Thank you for considering my question

Q: Happy New Year 5i,
Is there anywhere I could get a complete list of the holdings in HBAL, VBAL, XBAL? I realize VBAL is 12,595! XBAL 16,000 plus! I am thinking there might be spreadsheets available somewhere. I am just doing a bit of education with my children and grandchildren.
Thanks
Chris