Investment Q&A

Q: Could I please have your comments on this ETF.
Would there be any other alternatives with similar exposure?
Thanks, Brian

Q: After holding this ETF for about 8 years and riding many waves up and down, I am finally ahead a little (not counting dividends). It makes up about 17% of my total holdings. I do not have any substantive exposure to Technology or Reits. There are two etf's I have my eye on-QMAX and RMAX which pay about 10%. ZWC pays about 6%. I would only switch about 50% of ZWC and split it out evenly to QMAX and RMAX. I already hold a bank ETF and a Utility ETF so I think doing his would give me some additional diversification. Your thoughts please?
As a side note, many people ask about these covered call ETF's. When I bought ZWC the TSX was around 16,000. Now I am just slightly above what I paid 8 years ago and the TSX is almost double. Don't expect big growth with these vehicles however the dividends are nice.

Q: Question about a safer monthly-dividend ETF for my TFSA

To whom it may concern,

Hi, it’s Mark again. I’m a 5i Research member and I have a question similar to ones I’ve asked in the past.

I currently hold a large position in Whitecap Resources for the monthly dividend, but I’m looking for something that is likely a bit safer. You have provided some ETF recommendations to me before, but when I look at the long-term charts (10–15 years), many of those dividend-paying ETFs are trading below where they were back then, which is a bit concerning.

Could you please suggest what you consider to be the safest ETF—either American or Canadian—that I could hold in my TFSA, which pays a monthly dividend roughly comparable to Whitecap?

Thank you very much for your help and your consideration.

Sincerely,
Mark

Q: hello 5i
your analytics say that i need to increase my holdings in basic materials and the utilities sectors. I have avoided these in the past because I wanted to avoid dividends, favouring capital gains instead. but i am wondering whether i should top up a bit here and how to go about it.
can you advise me on whether i would be wiser to buy a handful of individual stocks rather than an etf for conservative| sectors like this/ if so, how many stocks would i need and can you suggest a few of the best
thanks

Q: Hello, what do you think of something like VCSH to add to a fixed income portfolio that already owns US treasuries ? I am looking for stability with a bit of yield that will stabilize things. I am almost 60 and would like to take some risk off the table ? I am open to alternatives that are not specifically tied to the US govt.

Q: Hello to everyone
I am looking to simplify my portfolio. I would like to know your top 4 ETF picks in Canadian dollars for each account type (RRSP, TFSA, NON-REG).
Please included for each account type:
1 ETF for growth
1 ETF for dividends
1 ETF for conservative total returns
1 ETF for international markets
Thank you so much

Q: In your response to my earlier question on Canadian ETFs, you offered to expand your answer to include other Canadian traded asset categories. I would appreciate if you could please do so.

Q: Can you suggest a couple of low risk Cdn. ETF's with good dividend rates and with a low MER?

Q: Our portfolio manager is recommending the PIMCO Monthly Income Fund Series F (PMO205) mutual fund, as part of our fixed income investments. Is this mutual fund worth the high MER of 0.86? Morningstar gives it a 4-star rating and returns appear to be considerably higher than other comparable funds. In the event of a deep world-wide recession, is this fund vulnerable to losses? As a senior, capital preservation is my highest priority.
Thanks!

Q: Hey 5i, I would like your suggestions on portfolio construction for a retired individual. Basically I would like your suggestions for percentage breakdown between Canada, US, and international. My plans for international is just buying VXUS and calling it a day. For Canada I’m buying ETFs XDIV and CDZ. For the US I’m going to buy the 11 sectors (including REITS) through ETFs, either Vanguards or ishares. So I would like your suggestions on percentages put to the 11 sectors in the US for a retired individual. Thanks so much and what a great service you have!

Q: Could you confirm how one should look at the total return for funds that use leverage to enhance yield? For example, I am showing growth of 13.16% on my initial investment in HMAX and it has a current “yield” of 12.48% so does that mean in the one year I have owned it I am up 25.64%? For HDIV, the numbers are 18.86% share growth and a 9.99% yield for total return of 28.85%? In past discussions of these products it doesn’t seem that what you see is always what you get!

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: Other than the yield, is there any significant difference between these 2 cash etfs? I currently have a substantial amount of cash in a money market fund. The return from CMR would be almost a full point higher. Is there any additional risk or downside to holding a cash etf vs a money market fund? Thank you for your help.

Q: Which would you prefer for long term income? Thanks

Q: I'm looking to deploy some funds outside of North America, for perspective my portfolio consists of mostly small, growth companies, I can handle very high volatility, and spend time daily managing my holdings and size positions. Have a couple of etf's that would fit my style?

Q: I get an email from Seeking Alpha every once in a while touting various stocks and ETF's . I recently got one on GPIQ { not in your data base } with a rather glowing assessment . For brevity I will just quote their summary ......

" The Goldman Sachs Nasdaq-100 Premium Income ETF offers a compelling blend of capital appreciation and double-digit yield, amassing $2.12B AUM in just over two years.

GPIQ’s dynamic covered call strategy leaves upside partially uncapped, enabling strong monthly income and market-beating total returns compared to peer ETFs.

The ETF’s monthly distributions remain stable regardless of Fed rate changes, making GPIQ attractive for income investors in a declining rate environment.

While GPIQ carries risks tied to tech sector performance and execution, its
proven strategy positions it as a top choice for income-focused investors seeking growth. "

What is 5i's assessment of this ETF and why ? ..... Thanks for your terrific service ......

Q: Hello,
I am pretty well diversified across sectors, except for Materials, and have missed out on the past year's gains.
I already hold 25 individual positions and am reluctant to add more stocks to follow.
Was thinking of adding iShares Capped Materials XMA as an eventual full long-term position. Thoughts?
How would you approach buying XMA now after the year's gains? All at once? Over 3-6 months? Over the next year?
Thanks as always

Q: Let's say a conservative investor (i) wants to invest US dollars in US ETFs, (ii) wants principal protection above all, for example by investing primarily in BIL.

If this investor wants to move a little bit up the risk ladder with a view to getting more yield, by adding one or two other conservative ETFs (while continuing to hold BIL as the primary holding): what would you suggest?

Q: Hello 5i,

We currently have IEMG and AIA at 2% positions. Would EMM be a complimentary ETF to increase foreign exposure as it also has NDIA (India) and BRAZ (Brazil),

Would you have any concerns if all three were @2% positions?

Thank you
D&J

Q: I am currently shifting some of my assets into ETFs. I’m looking for some low to medium risk Canadian ETFs with low management fees and a five to ten year investment outlook. Could you give me a few suggestions?

Q: If I were to reduce my overweight positions in a few FANGMA stocks and instead use Evolve’s TECH.U ETF for more balanced long-term tech exposure, how would you assess the trade-off? Other than the MER, are there any concerns with TECH.U—such as index methodology, rebalance schedule, liquidity, tracking error, or concentration—that should factor into the decision?”