Investment Q&A

Q: Good morning Peter and company,

In his will, for his wife's benefits, Warren Buffett has instructed the trustee to put 10% of the money in short-term government bonds and 90% in a very low-cost S&P 500 index fund such as Vanguard’s.

Would that be a good practice for all retired individuals living off their stock portfolios by withdrawing 4% annually, if they are prepared to live with the market's fluctuations?

Bond values have nowhere to go but down as central banks raise interest rates. Would 10% cash be better than 10% bonds today?

Thank you for your considerate answers to my questions.

Milan

Q: EIF has been buying back shares quite regularly lately. Do you think it is a good strategy given the current stock price and considering the money likely comes from the debentures issued a few weeks ago ?

Thank you

Q: As a member for many years I asked a couple of questions about MND here and got just a short answer.
Could you please answer all my questions and why did you endorse MND a couple of weeks ago as a tax loss bounce candidate?
MND used to be one of your favorites in the gold sector.

Q: I recall in an answer it best to hold Magna outside of a TFSA because of the consumer cyclical nature of the business. Do I have this right?!
While I think of goeasy as financial, it is classified as consumer cyclical. Should this be held in a trading account rather than a TFSA?

Q: Morning,

Your thoughts on whether legalized cannibas sales will eat into other discretionary revenue streams such as beer and wine? Does the overall revenue pie get bigger or does the liquor industry lose out or a bit of both?

Q: Google Finance is closing down its portfolio feature and I'm wondering if there is another site that has this feature. It charts your portfolio as a whole and provides a chart totalling your market gain daily on the portfolio also with a comparison feature.
Thanks for all your great information.

Q: I am investing the 52000 plus whatever the amount is for 2018 in my wife's TFSA. With a 10-15 year time-frame might I be considering a couple of quality ETF's or would you advise the purchase of 5 or 6 quality stocks? What might you suggest to consider? She does like the Dollarama idea which you recently recommended. Also would you recommend holding off until the new year to get the ball rolling or invest now? Thanks

Q: Can you tell me which of the above companies would, in your opinion, offer more upside potential. Are there any other companies in this sector that would be preferable in your opinion? Thanks in advance.

Q: Hello team,
What is the Net Asset Value for Goldcorp and is production growth expected for the new year?Also is it a"tax loss value buy"for this year in your opinion?

Q: What do you think of these companies.

Q: Hello, would you classify Dollarama in the consumer discretionary sector (cyclical) or in the consumer staples sector (non-cyclical)? I think you put it in the discretionary sector (cyclical) but I am not sure. Regards, Gervais

Q: Hi 5i,

Further to your reply to Clarence's question about indicators for a market correction, could you please provide links or info on where/how to track those indicators?

Also, where can I find info on the debt/cash that a company holds? I see various ratios but no actual numbers, even on 5i.

Thanks as always.

Q: I hold this stock.I have felt uncomfortable about its business and the way it operates. Has a risky looking yield. In spite of this , analysis have strong buy ratings on the stock. Can’t seem to get my head around this one. Help. I’m happy with your recommendation of ECN.Pr.A. Can you suggest another minimum rate reset preferred?

Q: What do you think will be the go to sectors or top sectors for 2018

Q: Would you be a buyer at this time? thank you Jack.

Q: Would the FCC repealing net neutrality affect Shopify's business and the stock price?

Q: I am a member of American Assoc of Independent Investors (AAII) and subscribe to their wonderful database product Stock Investor. AAII is a fantastic place to learn, search using outstanding strategies and collect investment knowledge through osmosis. But alas there is no Canadian equivalent. Various screeners provided by brokers are rudimentary and do not support well known strategies.

I would urge 5i to create a similar service. They use data from Reuters and so could you. Since Canada is primarily resource based market, many screens may not work as they are. Here is a chance to create a Canadian solution tilting towards resources. 5i could do it independently or even with collaboration with AAII. This service will be completely new idea differentiating you from other advisory services. I hope you will explore this opportunity.

Q: In regards to a previous question, FHH from First Trust may be an alternative to ZUH. It appears to be unhedged but note that pharma is underweight and health care providers/services overweight relative to a benchmark like XLV in the US.

Q: There was a typo in my question. I meant UFS not UPS. For simplicities sake I have repeated my question correcting the typo.

Looking over the previous questions on UFS you note debt his a bit too high and little growth has been observed.
1) If we assume online shopping trend strengthens do you think this will increase UFS’s profitability?
2) Does UFS produce the cardboard used to make packaging?
3) Assuming UFS produces newsprint do you think any strengthening in cardboard prices will will be matched with weakness in newsprint prices leading to zero net gain (or worse)?
4) Does UFS own their electricity generation infrastructure and if so is it fully utilized or do they have surplus which could be sold?
5) How vulnerable is UFS to competition from other companies?
I note since the last question in August UFS’s share price has increased by about $8 and set a new high on December 15th on rising volume. Momentum seems to be swinging to the positive.
Thanks,
Jim

Q: First, I have been a member for a number of years and I could not be happier or more impressed (or wealthier) from the service and advice you provide. You have a great business idea and the fact that one can make money and learn at the same time is quite unbelievable. Continue the good work and all the best to 5i staff for the new year.

Accolades aside, I do have a question. I tend to think of my holdings in energy as being my investments in the oil industry. I know that natural gas plays a role too, though, but the price and growth of that industry don't seem to get the play that oil prices do. Should I worry if I have enough gas exposure or is following the oil industry good enough for balancing my portfolio?

Again, thanks so much for your insight and all you do.

Paul F.