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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 am a 65 year retiree and I have app $22000. in a TFSA and I am looking at adding another $3000. Looking at an income portfolio. Can you make a suggestion as to how to balance my portfolio and add to my portfolio.
Read Answer Asked by Suzanne on January 09, 2019
Q: Please recommend one of the financial companies to be added in my portfolio.
Read Answer Asked by Dev on January 09, 2019
Q: I have to re-evaluate my RRSP holding now that I am converting to a RRIF. Because I am looking for 3.5 to 5 % dividends, capital preservation and some growth. Please provide the 5 best core holdings that can help me achieve this goal. Your reasons for choosing these 5 core stocks would be appreciated.
Thanks and Happy New Year

Read Answer Asked by Jean on January 08, 2019
Q: Good Morning and Happy New Year: I have funds to add to, or start new position in, one of the above companies (I already own a couple of them). If all other factors are not considered, which of these would you recommend with a comment as to why. Also, how would you rate the four mentioned. Thanks, Don
Read Answer Asked by Donald on January 07, 2019
Q: Hello,
i have little exposure to financials in my TFSA. What would be your top 3 ideas in order of preference at this time I could consider? I plan to own for the next 10 to 15 years if possible.
I was looking at GS and FSZ given the yield and they are trading near their lows. I guess the sub-sector they operate in makes me a bit cautious.
I own full positions of BNS and SLF in my RRSP.
Thanks,
Dan
Read Answer Asked by Daniel on January 07, 2019
Q: I have BNS 3% total weight, CCL.B 2.9 % total weight and TOY 1.7 % weight. I have some cash and can add to any of these 3 position. Should I add to all 3 or just add to TOY to bring it up to a 3% weight?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked on January 04, 2019
Q: Hi, the listed shares currently make up my portfolio in relatively equal portions. I was wondering--with the $6000 TFSA amount, do any of these names stick out to top up with the full $6k or partial amounts? Alternatively I have been following Savaria SIS and considering initiating a new position? Thanks so much for your guidance.
Read Answer Asked by Simon on January 03, 2019
Q: Peter,

I am confused. The major banks have a year end of October 31st. I can go to Morningstar and the financial statements are already posted. Are these tentative numbers? It would take a lot longer than two months to have final numbers Taxes are not even due until 180 days after year end. As a general rule, how many months after corporate year end do companies release their final financial statements?

Happy New Year and many thanks for all the work this year !

Paul
Read Answer Asked by paul on December 31, 2018
Q: With Bank of Canada suggesting this week that interest rates will likely not rise, but with the US Fed just suggesting likely two more rate increases, what do you think of buying Canadian Dividend Paying stocks right now? I think they are generally seen as positive when interest rates stabilize, but will Canadian dividend company stocks tend to decline in sympathy with US dividend stocks? For Canadian dividend stocks (3%+) what do you see as attractive next year - i.e. ones less affected by trade wars, lack of oil supply options, possible real estate bubbles, inter-provincial disputes, possible NAFTA turbulence!!!!!
Read Answer Asked by Kel on December 27, 2018
Q: Hi Team,
I hold these 6 lossers and like to trade as the follow to crystallized the "tax loss".
sell ALA buy PXT,
sell BNS buy TD,
sell MFG.PR.G buy MFC.PR.C
sell SOX buy WSP
sell KPT buy PRI.un
I understand my queston have too many companies in one question, please deduct as many as it needed and I sincerely thank you for all these years of your team's best service and help my retirement investment portfolio.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you ALL.
Tak
Read Answer Asked by Tak on December 24, 2018
Q: Hi Peter:
Season greetings to you and your team.
I would like your opinion on the trade(s) I was thinking about.
1) Sell full positions in POW and NFI.
I've had POW for 5 years and it has done nothing during that time except go down about 20%. However, I also think that at $24.00 it has potentially hit a bottom support number. I would be happy collecting the nice dividend it pays.
I also think based on your recent answers to questions that NFI has potential going forward.
2) If I sold POW and NFI, I would add to the positions that I already have of the other companies that are mentioned.
I'm well diversified and this would not interfere with my sector or geographical weightings or the amount of dividends I am receiving.
I think both scenarios have their positive attributes and would appreciate your thoughts. Do the trade or remain the course.
Thank you very much for your valued opinion.
Read Answer Asked by Dennis on December 20, 2018
Q: Charge as many credits as you see fit...at least 4...got lots. Annually, I follow the O'Shaughnessy system and go through the tedious process of ranking over 90 stocks into deciles. I am screening for stocks that are good value, less volatile and have a good + growing dividend. For value, I use P/E, P/B, P/CF, P/S. For volatility, I use Beta. For dividends, this year I have added 5 year growth % into the process. The resultant summary number is the cumulative of the 7 metrics, with roughly 60% value, 15% volatility and 25% dividend weighting. I then marry this up with a technical screening, using charts with a 200 mda, looking for a rising vs rangebound vs declining chart.

Question 1 = your thoughts on my screening system? I thought of adding in other metrics, but I wanted to keep it relatively simple. Factors such as payout % and ROE can always be a looked at in the next phase. Should I drop any of the metrics if they are redundant?

Most of the stocks screened as expected. However, 3 stocks didn't screen well at all and I am trying to figure out why. It may be that my population of stocks is skewed to value stocks, so if any of the other 3 stocks had growth or REIT characteristics, then they might be seen as outliers.

Question 2 = CSH's fundamentals screened horribly = 10th decile. Could it be that REITs may screen out differently, due to their very nature?

Question 3 =Both PBH and WSP screened poorly = 8th decile. Could it be their fundamental metrics exhibit more growth characteristics?

Question 4 = Reading past 5iR questions on these 3 stocks leads me to believe you are still strongly in favor of all 3. Please confirm.

Thanks...Steve
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on December 12, 2018
Q: I am down to 30K in my RSP and no TFSA, looking to have 6 total positions. Thinking SPB, TCL, AQN & DIV. I know Diversified is higher risk but I feel comfortable with that company at today's levels. Would you be okay with those 4 and what 2 would be best to add for Dividend with some growth but overall safety. Should I add a specific bank like BNS or would ZWB be better for me right now?
Same question for AQN, would I be better removing single stock exposure and going with ZWU?
Charge as many q's as necessary.
Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Craig on December 10, 2018
Q: I am planning to realize losses on the above companies to offset capital gains with a plan to repurchase after 30 days. In order to maintain sector exposure in the intervening period I would like identify proxies for each holding. My thinking is as follows:

TECK.B == XMA
BNS == TD
TFII == ZIN
NFI == ZIN
WEF == CFP
VET == XEG
WCP == XEG

Please review my suggested proxies and add / amend as needed. Alternatively, if you think I would simply be better off holding cash until repurchasing please say so. Thank-you very much for your help.

Read Answer Asked by Stephen on December 07, 2018