skip to content
  1. Home
  2. >
  3. Investment Q&A
You can view 3 more answers this month. Sign up for a free trial for unlimited access.

Investment Q&A

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

Q: On January 27th, I receive a notice from TD Direct Investing dated from January 16th. In that notice, I was proposed to choose between two options: option 1 to transfer my Intertain stocks to Intertain Exchange (ITX) or option 2 (default) to transfer my IT stocks to JackPotJoy (JPJ) on the London Stock Exchange (LSE).

I called TD on the day I received the notice. After arguing with the clerk and his coordinator, they said that the delay was expired to choose any other option than the default and that TD was not responsible for the 10 days' delay. It was either Canada Post's or the transfer agent's fault. At some point, the clerk said that I was not the first client to complain.

The alternative given is to trade the JPJ stocks after they will appear on my account and TD would wave the commission.

Please give me your opinion on this situation, what are the possible consequences and what can be done.

I think that
- Canada Post is the usual suspect in any delay but 10 days is too much and TD and the transfer agent should take some blame in the matter.
- The default option to transfer Canadian securities to a foreign exchange is borderline incompetent decision.
- What if there is an impact of the FX from GBP to CAD with the sale of JPJ stocks on the LSE.
- Is there anything that can be done or compensation that I can claim in that situation?

I started a blog on 5iR on this subject, because there could be a class action case, in my opinion.

Thank you for your support in that matter.
Read Answer Asked by Jean on January 30, 2017
Q: Middlefield is proposing to make Aeu.un a mutual fund company. Is it best to sell now or to go with the change?
Read Answer Asked by Philip on January 30, 2017
Q: Based on your previous answers you seem to have a luke-warm response to Visa as a stock and appear to favor U.S. banks for example over Visa. Can you expand on that preference and what your thoughts are on Visa alone. Folding Visa Europe into the company seems to offer a lot of potential. Do you think the risk of different payment alternatives becoming available puts Visa at too much risk given its relatively expensive multiple. Thanks for your input.
Read Answer Asked by Christopher on January 30, 2017
Q: Lately there’s been a profusion of articles warning about the deeply negative effect Trump’s policies might have on Canada, with respect to trade agreements, taxes on imports, foreign investment shifting from Canada to the USA, etc. To the extent an investor should be influenced by this new outlook, I was wondering if you could list the sectors and associated companies in Canada which you think would be hurt the most if the dire warnings come true, and which ones would be the most resilient. Also, are there any particular foreign investments Canadians should be considering at this time? Let’s assume a time horizon of at least four, and possibly eight, years. Thanks for your insights.
Read Answer Asked by Brian on January 30, 2017
Q: Hello!

I am mirroring your model portfolios and I currently have 50% of my holdings invested in Balanced, 25% Income and 10% Growth. I also have 10% of my portfolio equally split between VEF and VSP.

I have the opportunity to increase my holdings by about 30% and I'd appreciate your help in deploying those additional dollars.

Should I allocate across the board based on the same percentages? Should I up my percentage in VEF/VSP? Or is there something other investment(s) you would recommend?

I foresee a 6-8 year horizon before needing to draw down on any of these investments.

Thank you for all that you do. I really appreciate all your effort.

Best regards
M
Read Answer Asked by Michael on January 30, 2017
Q: Hello Peter and Co.:
I have never had any kind precious metals in my portfolio but I'm thinking with the way things are going and possibly inflation coming around in the next few years it might not be a bad idea to have some. I recently became aware of a company called Goldmoney. Is that a good way to hold gold? I really don't know anything about all of this so am looking for your advice and opinion. cheers
Read Answer Asked by Andrew on January 30, 2017
Q: I have a question about USD corporate bond ETFs

I have some funds in USD that I want to use to buy a US corporate bond ETF with.

Can you give me your opinion on HYG? ishares

Also can you tell me if HYG is considered a <Junk Bond ETF> ?

Lastly if you could also suggest another USD corporate bond ETF that has slightly lower yield than HYG.

Thank you

Regards
Stephane
Read Answer Asked by Stephane on January 30, 2017
Q: For covered calls, can you see a reasonable risk adjusted return profile if you can only write 1 or 2 contracts? Or do you think the friction will be a setup for failure (based on typical CDN bank commission structure of 9.99 + 1.25/contract). I've been wanting to dip my toes (maybe with something like Loblaws) but the healthy chunk coming from my payout has me wary. Also, do you happen to know of a good beginner resource for understanding if the contract price is at least reasonable for the option writer (I know it is fairly speculative but don't want to get completely fleeced). Thanks for everything.http://www.5iresearch.ca/questions/category/miscellaneous-misc
Read Answer Asked by Andrew on January 30, 2017