Investment Q&A

Q: What would be a good recovery play for funds in an RESP needed in 4 through 12 years? I sold half of my US based ETFs (VUN and VFV) near the top so I can move into something that hopefully outperforms the index, so to speak.
I am a little nervous about taking on over allocating to energy stocks and I have picked some up in my RRSP and TFSA and wondering about thoughts for the time frame referenced above. ETFs or stocks would be fine.
thanks.

Q: Hi gang, was looking into this ETF . How is the cloud business growth.? Long term. Any other etf to comparison. Or could you suggest something else. Thanks
Alnoor

Q: Are they etfs on the Tsx that give an equal weight to stocks in the Dow or the S and P 500 and do such products reduce the single stock risk in a market cap weighted etf? Thank you, Bill

Q: Hi 5i
Thanks for your sage advice during this pandemic period, I have found it very helpful.
My portfolio is pretty well balanced with a good mix of primarily Canadian stocks ( 5i) plus Cdn & US ETF's. I would like to add some exposure to the global markets, can you suggest a couple of ETF's that I should consider - either Cdn or US...

Q: My son approached me on some advice on investing. He is just starting off. My inclination is to suggest to him to stick to ETFs. Ideally a mix of CDN, US, Bond and International oriented ETFs . I have my preferences, but would like to know what you would suggest? I am guessing he is looking at a year window to start.

Q: With the level of debt monetization, fiat currencies are becoming concerning. I was considering contributing new money into my TFSA, but transferring the funds to a US TFSA, and investing directly into US securities instead of CDN.
Even with getting hit with the currency exchange rate and paying applicable withholding taxes within this account, would you recommend this or see any advantage to this, or would you prefer investing in Canadian hedged funds (i.e XQQ vs QQQ) instead?
Many thanks,
Tom

Q: what are the best companies to buy that will benefit from research and development of robotics? also is there an it there an ETF in this area that you like? thanks Richard

Q: Looking to add more exposure to companies in technology that will help drive growth of the economy not only in the near term but long term. Things like Software, AI, 5G, IOT, Self Driving Cars, etc. With HXQ ETF the pick is more the Nasdaq 100 which will contain a number of these companies. With ARKW and IGV looking at some speciality to help in the overall growth of my technology allocation. What are the thoughts on the 3 selected or do you have others you would recommend. Looking at ETF to get some broad exposure and reduce risk of picking individual stocks. Thanks as always.

Q: I understand that for an ETF such as ZQQ, that's hedged against C$, this fund would not be negatively impacted if C$ rises against its US counterpart. But if C$ loses value against US$, would the hedged ETF benefit from it? Or there will be no + or - impact on the value of the ETF.
As for un-hedged ETFs, I assume then the price of these ETFs are affected by a) the movements of the stocks they are holding; and b) the movements of C$ against the underlying currencies. Is my assumption correction.
Cheers,

Q: Hello 5i!

Appreciate all the great work.
I am looking for a canadian as well as US listed tech ETF. And semi-conductor fund to be held in my RRSP. Diversification and of course hoping for long term growth.
Currently XIT (TFSA). Using the room in RRSP for US listed dividend stocks/ETF's. Or whichever is the most tax and growth efficient.

I'm wondering what your top picks are in that sector and why? One concern of mine is some have a much higher mer. Is that worth the performance in the long run?

Or better bang for your buck on keeping fees low as usual and the most diverse fund. Company and cap wise. Hence holding a primarily large cap and semi conductor. Or just 1 solid all around.

If I'm missing a far better pick please enlighten me.

Thank you for putting together such a great site and program. Info is fantastic.

Q: I am looking at the fixed income side of my portfolio and I am questioning the wisdom of holding CLF. Now I know there can be some sense in holding bonds even when interest rates are low (ie for the yield to maturity (YTM) and for the possible capital appreciation if interest rates go even lower). But for CLF this barely applies: the avg YTM is only 0.56% and the avg duration is 2.66 years (according to the Blackrock website on Apr 27). Thus the potential capital appreciation is very capped as the appreciation would only be in the 1.5% range if interest rates dropped to 0 and yet the potential capital depreciation is much much larger if interest rates rise significantly. So one is risking capital for a very low ytm without much potential upside and if interest rates rise, a potential rather large downside. Wouldn't holding cash make more sense?

Q: Hi 5i team, firstly thanks for all the work you do, I’m a new member and am really enjoying the content.

A family member in her early 30’s would like to start investing with a long term time horizon (25-30 years). She has some risk tolerance and is seeking a passive set it and forget it ETF index type of investment strategy. She would make regular contributions and benefit over the long run from dollar cost averaging. Currently she does not have interest in picking individual equities or monitoring market conditions. She has a stable government job that provides a good pension plan and is starting with $10,000 capital.

What are your thoughts on a portfolio starting with the following ETFs; VOO, XIC, VEU, with a weighting of 50% VOO, 40% XIC and 10% VEU for some international exposure? Are there any other ETF’s you would recommend she start with? Do you think the EFTs mentioned provide enough diversity as a starting point? I like the above mentioned ETF's for their low fees and broad exposure.

My thoughts are being that she has many years of investing ahead that ETFs with 100% exposure to equities would provide greater growth potential when compared to ETFs containing a mix of bonds and equities. And that her stable government employer matched pension could be viewed as a bond proxy.

Thanks again for all the great info!

Q: I have no gold in my Tfsa and am looking to add a small position. Would this be advisable and if so can you recommend the best Canadian etf and give insight for the choice? Thank you.

Q: This one looks interesting if one wants to hold a basket of energy stocks in the US. It even pays a dividend, but the amount paid is not consistent.

Q: What are your top 5 Fixed Income ETFs (Cdn or US / International exposure) to hold long term in a RRIF or RSP in the current environment?
Thank you in advance.

Q: Good Day Team,
Looking for a good solid opportunity to invest in and thought about HBF and possibly HGR. Would you advise me to go this route or are the better routes to take.
I am retired and 70 years of age.
Thank you,
John G.

Q: What are your thoughts on these two etfs for retirement income going forward ?

Q: Can you please recommend what you believe is currently the best Canadian dividend ETF for monthly income and relative stability in this unstable market. You have recommended XEI in the past, but it has about about 11% more Energy stocks compared to ZDV, although XEI does have 5% less financials. I am looking for a long term hold for income in retirement. Thanks, Grant

Q: Taking the following statement at its face value, does that make a case for increasing exposure to covered call ETFs for a retired person looking to income?

"Unfortunately, some of Wall Street’s top forecasters warn that stocks at current prices amid the gloomy economic backdrop are likely to deliver lackluster average returns for years."

Thank you

Q: Looking at these two ETF's what is the major difference besides price? I see the MER is higher on XWD not sure which is bigger and I assume XWD has canada in it as well unlike the XAW. Can you give me your opinion on this and which you think is better long term buy and forget.
Thanks