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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 doing some investing planning.
Objectives are to reduce risks and to capture more dividend income.

Part of this process entails looking for companies that are ( almost) too big to fail - recognizing that nothing is totally safe. bam.a, bro.b, bx

As a category or label would you:
1. Agree that the companies above are “ conglomerates “? ( or something else?)
2. Are they “ almost “ too big to fail?
3. Are there others I missed? .. especially something you like better?

Thanks as a for your helpfulness.
Read Answer Asked by Donald on May 24, 2022
Q: I am considering positions in the attached companies. Are current prices good entry points and are there any of these companies you would not purchase today?
Read Answer Asked by Timothy on March 31, 2022
Q: Hello 5i
I know that it is a good idea to either have a certain number of US stocks that are not represented in Canada, or an etf for the US market, in order to have a balanced portfolio. Fortunatly, or unfortunatly, I have both. And I am wondering whether I should either get rid of my stocks or get rid of my etf's. The above are the US stocks I hold. in pretty good percentages. If i were to hold only stocks what might you suggest to supplement these? I know that I am probably heavy in tech to really represent the US market and will probably have to trim here, maybe in percentages. any other suggestions appreciated. Most of these are held in tax sheltered accounts, so taxes shouldnt matter too much.
thanks as always
Read Answer Asked by joseph on January 30, 2022
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!
Read Answer Asked by Aaron on December 15, 2021
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
Read Answer Asked by Terry on December 03, 2021
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!
Read Answer Asked by Cory on November 08, 2021
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
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on October 28, 2021
Q: If you had to pick only ten stocks or ETF's to hold forever which would they be?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Ben on September 16, 2021
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.
Read Answer Asked by Pradeep on August 13, 2021
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!
Read Answer Asked by David on June 22, 2021