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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: Hello folks:

Trying to understand the fees and performances for these ETFs. How come the fees for HXE is so low?! 0.27 as opposed to 0.61 for XEG? and ZEO and of course 1.50 for Ninepoints.(Understandable as it is active mgmt ETF and has a lot of turnover) On fees alone HXE ought to be a winner, no? Yet the results according to the websites don't reflect this...HXE only marginally better compared to XEG. ZEO lags so much. Am I missing something here?
Read Answer Asked by Savalai on November 16, 2021
Q: Hi, I'm looking to save and invest $X every week into the market. I could either:

1) Buy etf's as there is really no commission on the purchases
2) Buy individual stocks as the funds accumulate. Commission is only ~$5, what would be the minimum $ amount to invest so that it's worth it?

If I were to choose option 1, what would be your two or three ETF choices for either dividend growth or pure capital gains growth. Same for option 2, what two or three individual dividend growth or growth stocks would you choose to allocate capital to every week or two?

Thanks!

Read Answer Asked by Keith on November 16, 2021
Q: Looking at adding the 3 equities (HMMJ:CA; UL:US; XUSR:CA) to a TFSA. Some questions re: these 3 securities:
(a) is HMMJ:CA a reasonable security for exposure to marijuana sector, or is there another security (preferably, trading in CAD$) that you would recommend?
(b) is UL:US a U.K.-associated security, and hence there would be no tax withholding if held within a TFSA?
(c) is XUSR:CA a reasonable security for ESG exposure (in Canadian dollars) for TFSA, or is there another similar type of security that you would prefer for a TFSA?

Ted
Read Answer Asked by Ted on November 16, 2021
Q: Hi 5i,
For the equity part of my portfolio I'm looking to diversify internationally. As a percentage of my total equity portfolio I'm thinking 4%VXUS 2%DLS and 2%DIM. Is 8% international stocks a reasonable number for a conservative investor and is there maybe a better way to adjust the percentages? The equity portfolio will be rebalanced yearly. The bonds and cash part of the portfolio have not been included this is strictly equity.
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Mark on November 15, 2021
Q: Hi team, I presently hold ZWA @t 8.63%, ZWE @ 4.74% and ZDI@ 2.89% of my portfolio. I am very happy with ZWA (up 46%), happy with ZWE (up 5%), and not impressed with ZDI (under water about 5%).
I'm thinking of selling ZDI and either redistributing funds into ZWA or ZWE or into something better at your recommendation. Conversely, would like your thoughts on ZDI? is better performance just waiting for the international economies to rebound after COVID? I'm looking for distribution with growth. As well, I fully understand that portfolio % holdings are individual risks. Convoluted question here but would appreciate your thoughts and suggestions. Cheers, Bill
Read Answer Asked by William on November 15, 2021
Q: This Nationwide Risk-Managed Income ETF (NUSI) is kind of like a QQQ with downside protection and income from options. Do you think I can use it to protect my investment while the market is in volatility? Or at least I can use it to park some cash while waiting for marketing pullback? Thanks for your excellent service!
Read Answer Asked by David on November 15, 2021
Q: I opened an RESP account for my newborn son this year, my goal is to have ~10% annual return and not have to actively manage and rebalance the portfolio. So I plan to just buy and hold VEQT with available funds for the next 10-15 years, then slowly transition to a more balanced VBAL as it gets closer to withdrawal. What are your thoughts on this strategy, and would you recommend another ETF/stocks as a better alternative for the purpose? Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Best on November 15, 2021
Q: Hello 5i Team. As a dividend income investor, regarding covered call etf's, what percentage of the overall portfolio would be reasonable weighting to this category? Best Regards gary
Read Answer Asked by Gary on November 15, 2021
Q: There seem to be a number of CAD Hedged NASDAQ 100 ETF options. Which one(s) would you recommend for a couple of young investors, both of whom will be making regular, small contributions - one to an unregistered account and one to an RRSP? Was thinking of pairing with XEQT as both are looking for 100% equity exposure (in CAD). Your thoughts on this or other suggestions to pair with the NASDAQ 100 that may be more suitable would be appreciated. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Bruce on November 12, 2021
Q: Could you please give us your opinion of this ETF. It would seem to be a good choice for some exposure to the" Metaverse".
Read Answer Asked by shirley on November 12, 2021
Q: Am looking to invest in a Canadian Dividend ETF.
I have researched the above ETF's, they all have pros & cons.
Am leaning slightly towards VDY at this point.
Criteria: Will be in a non-registered account, am after monthly dividend income with
some moderate growth potential. Am not overly concerned with a high weighting in financials, ideally would have a lower MER but am after solid 3-5 year growth.
If forced to choose one only, which ETF would you recommend?
Thanks for the great service,
Steve
Read Answer Asked by STEVEN on November 11, 2021
Q: Hi 5i Research. I have all the above ETFs in my RRIF. Does it make sense to combine all of these ETFs into one. If so, would XSB be a suitable choice? Thanks very much. Ron
Read Answer Asked by Ronald on November 11, 2021
Q: I presently have QQQ and VIG in a USD TFSA, in roughly equal weightings. I'm looking to add one or possibly two more USD ETFs to this TFSA account to diversify a bit more, resulting in rougly 33% or 25% equal weightings depending on whether I end up with three or four in total. If adding just one I would be willing to sacrifice some growth opportunity in favour of some stability and yield in the roughly 3-4% (+/-) range, if possible. If adding two I would prefer something just as described, plus something growth oriented with little or no yield. I'm hoping to minimize duplication or overlap with the existing QQQ and VIG combination, to the extent possible. These would all be securities purchased in USD for long term term holds, and I am not too concerned about the withholding tax on US dividends in a USD TFSA. Can you offer some suggestions? Thanks.

Read Answer Asked by Brad on November 11, 2021
Q: I'm looking at XAW and VEQT as global index funds that (other than Canada in VEQT) have similar exposure. What puzzles me is that XAW has an average P/E ratio of 24, and VEQT has a ratio of 14. I don't see how the Canada exposure at 25% in VEQT can make this much difference. Can you help me understand this apparent anomaly?
Read Answer Asked by Jim on November 11, 2021
Q: I have these ETF's in a TFSA with a primary goal 8 to 10% annual return. I'd like your opinion if there is overlap in this portfolio and if there would be another ETF to add. This is a smaller portfolio and I don't think it would be efficient to buy the individual stocks in your balanced equity model portfolio.
Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by George on November 11, 2021