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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: I recently borrowed from my HELOC to top up our TFSAs. I'm thinking of potentially keeping it simple and going TEC + XAW (40/60 split). This would give me quite a bit of US exposure but thought of bumping up US exposure. Would it make sense to instead buy VUN + VIU + VEE in a 70/23/7 split instead of XAW which has a lower US allocation? Do you think US equities will continue to outperform world over 10+ year horizon?

Also thinking instead of the 40% allocation in TEC, should I take a small position in ARKK or other ARK funds? Maybe 30% TEC, 10% ARKK? I feel like many of the names in ARKK fund are priced to perfection. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Perry on February 25, 2021
Q: Greetings and perpetual thanks 5i - TEC is approximately 40% concentrated in the FAANGs and trades in Cdn dollars. Is there another Cdn dollar ETF that has an even higher concentration than TEC?
Read Answer Asked by Ken on December 20, 2020
Q: Hi 5i,
I am looking for the best options for gaining CAD-denominated exposure to the major companies in the chips/semis space. What might be the best ETF options and what would be their proportion of exposure to that sub-sector? If not ETFs, might there be a more effective way of obtaining the desired exposure while staying in CAD? I’ll mention that I already have positions in PHO and STC, although obviously they are not quite the order of companies I’d be targeting with this question. Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Lance on December 09, 2020
Q: Hi 5i
Based on my recent review of Portfolio Analytics information, I need to increase my US and International exposure significantly and, also, Consumer Cyclical, Consumer Defensive, Industrials and Tech.
With the thought of killing a number of birds with just a few stones, could you recommend a few ETFs that trade on the TSX that will increase my US and International exposure along with my investment in the listed sectors, while also having the prospect of some reasonable return in the form of either capital appreciation or dividends, or both.
Thanks!
Peter
Read Answer Asked by Peter on November 12, 2020
Q: After scanning 5I questions for the best fit for my daughters LIRA which she will not need for 20 years and will not be contributing to it, we settled on VFV,VEE,and VUN. That leaves room for a tech ETF for the remaining. Considering:
XIT.TO but the MER is high at 0.61% vs. TEC.TO which is a TD ETF
product with an MER 0.35%. Are there any others to consider or which
would you choose and why?
Read Answer Asked by Don on October 30, 2020
Q: I am thinking of purchases of these 6 ETFs (or some of them). Would you see ZPAY, FCIQ, and FCUQ as being defensive? And back to the "where should I hold" issue: where would these 6 best be held for tax or other efficiencies: Cash account? RRSP? TFSA? Corporate account? Many thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Leonard on July 13, 2020
Q: On July 2, 2020 John asks for tech oriented ETF suggestions; you mentioned a couple but not TEC or HXQ. Are these tech oriented? Any particular reason why you would not want to consider them? Also, I am thinking of taking positions in these ETFs as and then selling some of the large US tech names I hold directly and then diversify into other US areas; would these be a good strategy? Last, about ETFs generally, does the price of an ETF depend solely on the values of the underlying securities, or can the price also be affected by the demand for the units? thanks for your excellent service.
Read Answer Asked by Leonard on July 06, 2020
Q: Hope everyone at 5i is doing well in these times!

I have been sitting on mostly cash in my RRSP/LIRA and would like your recommendations on the best ETFs to consider for my full US and International exposure. All of these would need to be listed on the TSX as I am purchasing in CAD $. While I know you prefer non-hedged, I’d greatly appreciate if you could explain benefits/workings of hedged vs. non-hedged considering the current environment. And provide ETF recommendations for each.

I am looking to achieve a balance of diversification, reasonable MER, minimizing any withholding tax while optimizing the potential in market recovery. For US, I would like to have a technology ETF, health care ETF and a broader spectrum ETF – but also open to ideas. Also, looking for recommendations on International – one broad ETF or perhaps that and a mix of ETFs. I recognize there can be overlap (e.g. between a tech and broad sector fund), so if you can give me a sense of the degree of duplication that may be present in your recommendations. Perhaps going heavier on tech right now could be a good thing.

While I started off thinking ETF selections would be relatively simple, in reading various Q&A there seem to be many important considerations - your assistance is appreciated. Again, all of these are being purchased in RRSP/LIRA accounts with the goal of optimizing my returns over a 10 year window.
Read Answer Asked by Loretta on March 30, 2020
Q: Please recommend a CAD unhedged US tech ETF and CAD unhedged US industrial ETF or any ETF which has a combination of both and would you buy at this time? Long term hold (10+ years) and medium to high risk. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by K on March 17, 2020
Q: I HAVE VERY LITTLE EXPOSER TO TECH AND I WOULD LIKE YOUR OPINION AS TO WHICH IS A BETTER BUY AND WHY. THANKS, JAMES
Read Answer Asked by JAMES on January 14, 2020
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