Investment Q&A

Q: 3 grand children and 2 family RESP's. Ages 17 &12 in one RESP and 14 in the other. At present both RESP's invested in VBAL and I am concerned about the higher bond duration vs XSB. Therefore to keep this as simple as possible I am thinking of selling VBAL and putting the entire RESP's into XSB. I would then average into Veqt by reducing the XSB positions. I am still making annual contributions and am ok with the 2% XSB yield. Please give me your comments. Thanks guys.

Q: Hi,
I am currently significantly underweighted in consumer cyclical sector. Can you suggest 2-3 names in U.S.? FTE names in U.S. and International would be great appreciated too. thanks.

Martin

Q: Hi 5i team.
Re ZTL, this long term US Treasury Bonds ETF has been declining since May. With the blue sweep in the US, additional benefit spending to come, possible rate increase and inflation in a year or two, would you recommend to sell this ETF now? What needs to happen to see this ETF reverse the fall? Given the current world economic situation, what other bond etfs would be safer bet? (amount of interest income is not important) Thanks.

Q: I am looking to get some US exposure in my portfolio via an ETF. Both of these ETF’s have similar holdings. Can you please comment on which one you prefer and why.

Thank-you.

Q: Hi there,
I see I have quite a backlog of question credits so, I thought I should put some of that to work. I have a general question about rate reset bonds. I have been thinking about reset bonds in etf form if there is such a thing. This would be for using new money to start a small quarter of a position over the coming year. I am closing in on retirement within the next few years and would be interested in hearing your thoughts when compared to preferred shares or laddered bonds. Maybe resets are similar to taking a laddered bond etf - but I am not sure of the merits given the paltry income for bonds. My concern is this market cannot keep up this parabolic growth much longer and the market appears to be pretty frothy right now. As a survivor of the tech wreck, I am worried about what I see as a significant correction (up to 20%) within the next 24 months or so. I am not afraid of risk but I do want to explore a variety of hedging options out there without exiting some of my growth stock positions. Cake and eat it too I expect. I still have about 6 or 7 years in the market. Thanks as always for your thoughts.

Q: If the hoped-for consumer spending rebound happens in say the second half of 2021, which companies ( us or cdn) should benefit the most? Are there ETF's that would cover the category that you would suggest? Many thanks

al

Q: Good afternoon 5i. At the moment I am invested only in Canada and need some international exposure. Could you suggest a couple of ETF's with a decent dividend, around 5%.
Thank you

Q: To follow up on your answer on GSG and DBC
Would you prefer these to ETF like XBM?

Q: Hello 5i team
As a front line (nearly retired) physician, I recently received a Covid 19 immunization. It's difficult to express the REMARKABLE sense of gratitude and euphoria that I observed among everyone involved . Suddenly, we felt liberated from the danger of this scourge that we face daily. Our next exciting job is to immunize our fellow citizens as fast as humanly possible and as we do, this euphoria will spread to society at large.
After my immunization I bought a new car and we're booking our fall and winter travel plans. This manic behaviour, I believe, represents the tip of the iceberg for pent up demand which will be unleashed upon the world.
At the risk of being labelled a mercenary can you identify some sectors which are still beaten up and likely to surge-I'm thinking energy but other suggestions welcome (prefer etf's with a dividend to keep me invested until the recovery occurs-would supplement with high conviction stocks)
Thank you. As always, I value your opinions, Regards gary

Q: Sorry if this question is being asked again. I am not sure if I hit the send button! My son asked me look at his investments. MAW 106 24%,MAW 150 20%,VUS 21%,VEF 18%,,VEE 8 %,ZJG 6 % and XQQ 3%. He is in mid 30's a bit risk adverse but does realize things go up and down.As you can see in he into ETF's and no stocks. Do we have any overlap ? Or are the holdings sufficiently different. Any thoughts appreciated and a Happy New Year.Paul

Q: In a previous answer you suggested GSG for commodities exposure but when I read the entity description I cannot understand what it actually does. I respect your suggestions and would appreciate an explanation of how GSG works. Thanks. Also, any other ETF suggestions for commodities exposure that is a little more understandable for an old timer like myself. All the best

al

Q: 50-yr old investing for retirement. Have historically been a dividend fiend but open to juicing the growth side a bit more as a result of the excellent advice I can now obtain from 5i. Considering adding to either my consumer defensive/staples allocation or increasing international exposure (the latter via an ETF). Hoping you might help me deploy a half position in an RSP and jump in one direction from a corner of the fence (and understanding you can't personalize such advice) - considering initiating a position in NWC (CA), PBH (CA), or WMT (US) or adding to an existing position in ZWE (European covered call ETF). My current geographical exposure is 34% US; 33% CA; and 32% International (XEF, ZDI and ZWE). My total covered call ETF exposure is around 8% of my equity portion and geographically diversified. Other suggestions for staples and international ETFs will be appreciated. Thanks for the great service!

Q: How would you recommend investing in the oil industry which may have a bounce back in the next year? Are there other ETFs you would recommend? Thanks for your great service, Bryan

Q: Hi was wondering which Canadian etfs you would recommend to Track corn, soybean and wheat futures? Individually would be preferred over a group of all three.

Thanks, appreciate all that you guys do.

Q: Hello 5i. Could you advise if there are US and/or international tax implications for Canadian residents from owning a well-diversified international ETF such as XEQT or VEQT, in a non-registered Canadian account? For example, roughly 47% of XEQT is made up from, in part, an ETF that's traded on the NYSE: ITOT.

Thanks as always for your help and advice.

Q: Sold BCE
I already own 3% ZUT, 3% BLK USD,
should I convert strong CAD to USD and add to BLK or stay in CAD and add to ZUT

Art

Q: Could you comment in general on this ETF please. It has not recovered in the same way other international ETF's have and yet prior to March it seems like it's been pretty stable for the last 5 years, declining somewhat in 2018. I bought a bit a few months ago and am thinking of purchasing more. Do you feel it has upside potential in the recovery and do you feel it's a buy, sell or hold at current levels? Do you think the dividend is fairly safe?
Thanks so much, your input in invaluable!

Q: For international (non-NA) exposure, please provide your current opinion about the IGRO ETF. Would you recommend this ETF? Do you see it as a complement holding for dividend-growing (but not high dividend seeking) investors who already own VIGI? Are there any other international ETFs which you would recommend in lieu of IGRO?

Many thanks for your excellent advice, and this wonderful service.

Q: looks like strong upside momentum will this continue in 2021?

Q: I have some funds in my daughters TFSA which I manage. It is for a two- three year hold. Do you have any recommendations of stocks or ETFs to buy at these current valuation levels irregardless of sector, probably more growth but good for this shorter time period? Thanks!