Investment Q&A

Q: Is there a way to find out what companies Berkshire has invested in?

Q: Curious to hear your thoughts about CET:NYSE, Central Securities, as a potential 5- to 10-year hold for diversification, some income and capital appreciation. Also, would it make sense to hold this in addition to BRK.B, BX, and a few ETFs (VGRO, VTV, VWO)? Thank you!

Q: Hi
Is there an American stock or 2 that you would consider the same as Bam
I really like Bam but it is starting to take a higher % of my total portfolio.
Thanks Terry

Q: Hello
Could you please rank your top 10 companies from the list above. Ones that you would be happy to own at a full position. Thank you!

Q: Hello 5i Team

In a taxable non-registered account denominated in US$ I hold Berkshire Hathaway (BRK-B) as a proxy for the US market in which no dividends are paid.

I would like to complement 20 % of the account value in US government bonds as a hedge against market corrections.

This account has a time horizon of greater than five years before any funds are withdrawn.

Which ETF (I used iShares as the ETF provider) would be most suitable for this account:

3-7 Year Treasury Bonds (IEI) duration = 4.66 years
7-10 Year Treasury Bonds (IEF) duration = 8.01 years
10-20 Year Treasury Bonds (TLH) duration = 14.89 years
20 Year Treasury Bonds (TLT) duration = 19 years

Or should I use a general US Treasury Bond ETF (GOVT) with a duration of 6.79 years.

If the same question is asked and US Government TIPS are utilized in place of US Government regular bonds which of the ETF below would be suitable:

0-5 Year TIPS (STIP) duration = 2.60 years
General TIPS ETF (TIP) duration =7.68 years

Thank you

Q: In a tax free account, between these two, which would you recommend for a long term hold? Or is it a wash?

Thanks.

Q: In a recent answer you were ok with BAM.A up to 10% of portfolio. Does that mean 10% of total stock holdings or 10% of all investable assets(including bonds , GIC’s). Are there any other Canadian stocks which you have similar conviction? Thx

Q: If you had to pick only ten stocks or ETF's to hold forever which would they be?
Thanks

Q: Why Is Berkshire Hathaway down, since Last Earnings Report? It has been about a month since the last earnings report for Berkshire Hathaway which is underperforming the S&P 500. Any negative reasons, may be due to COVID issue? Kindly advise.

Q: Would like to create a 10-15 stock portfolio out the securities listed above, to meet my retirement income and growth needs, for a long term hold.
CPD is my current, imperfect proxy for the fixed income portion of my portfolio.
CVE, CNQ, SU would be the only opportunistic (and highly correlated) purchases, to take advantage of the current low valuations for the petroleum industry. These would be sold if the oil & gas market's prospects change.
Please rank all the securities on the basis of return potential over 2-3 years as the primary criteria,
Please eliminate any stock which does not have adequate balance sheet strength, from the lineup.
Please add to the lineup all securites that would facilitate the creation of a defensible, well-diversified, long term portfolio - especially if it is in a sector that I have overlooked.

Thank you for your expertise, and willingness to help me sleep a bit more soundly.

Q: Any comments for the Q2 report, do you suggest to buy more for the current price?

Q: Hi !

I am interested in buying brk.b. Would you please tell me the cheapest way to do so. I have a TD trading account. I want to minimize currency conversion losses.

Q: Hi,

My question is of the companies I've listed, which 2 or 3 would you add to for a 5-10 year horizon. I currently own all of these, with no total value exceeding $500.

I am just starting a small portfolio and have $1000 USD to put into my RRSP to add to these exisiting stocks.

How would you rank them?

Thanks!

Q: I'm curious about BRK. Is Berkshire kind of like an etf? Is the value of its stock the equal to its underlying investments minus a management fee? Or does the market arrive at its stock value based on some kind of discounted cash flow analysis. Are all its investments publicly disclosed?

Q: I'm heavy in financial stocks and would like to reduce the number of holdings. In what order from best to least would you rank these companies for a long term hold. I'd like to mention that this question function is a tremendous feature. Thanks for the excellent and speedy answers to my previous questions. I feel very supported.

Q: Good Morning 5i Team,

In your response to a recent question asked about your thoughts on Buffet and Lee-Chin's cash hordes and how much cash to hold in the current environment, part of your response was "Investors are not used to rising rates, and we think some protection is needed. Not necessary in terms of cash but in terms of some portfolio adjustments to companies less susceptible to higher rates (i.e. value stocks over expensive growth stocks). Growth stocks can still do well in a rising economy, but companies with valuations at 15 to 20X sales would see an adjustment with higher rates (of course this has already partially occurred this year). "

I am in the camp needing to make some adjustments, and I'm wondering if you could suggest several U.S. and Canadian stocks that you see as attractive "value" plays at this time.

Thanks very much,
Brad

Q: Hi 5i,

Should we invest into the BRK.B, since now the record high? Do you happy with the Q1 and coming future Q? Kindly advise, I am thinking to exchange some US (since the CAD is high now) to buy this stock for TSFA.

Q: Am I missing any major sectors with these stock investments?
Where should I focus if I would like to ensure a diverse portfolio?
Are there any stocks that I should dump?

Q: I am a retiree with 14% financial sector exposure in banks (TD,BNS,RY) and insurance companies (MFC, SLF, BRK.B). I have been a long term holder (10+) of MFC and currently have a half position. Been happy with the dividend but very disappointed with share appreciation (still underwater). Would it make sense to sell MFC and purchase GSY for share appreciation and dividend growth?

Q: Ignoring risk, please rank these companies based on 5 year hold -potential for returns.