Investment Q&A

Q: Your recommended etf list has xwd. It has a higher mer than xaw and is somewhat smaller. The return of xwd is better. What would you consider the more conservative etf?

I will pair one of the above with xic for my total equity exposure. I want to keep things simple. Can you buy into this strategy?

Q: Do know of an ETF that covers all the big Canadian Banks. Thanks

Q: Hello 5i,
I would like to add a comment regarding Richard's post about his friend's LIF. My wife also had her entire LIF in RBF 461 and we finally chose to move it to RBC Direct Investing and put it all in XTR. This immediately reduced the MER significantly and increased the distribution income as well. In terms of holdings, I believe XTR is about as close as you can get to RBF 461 in one holding, although there may some others out there as well.
While making this move we also took the opportunity to tweak some other aspects of the LIF such as payout amount and frequency, withholding tax amount and added our children as Contingent Beneficiaries. While we could have done some of this without making the move, it was very easy and quick to do with the change. This, along with some recent experience as an Executor, motivated us to add our children as Contingent Beneficiaries to all of our other Direct Investing accounts that we could.
Please note, this is not meant to be a recommendation of any kind, merely a personal anecdote for what it is worth. I hope it is of some help.
Cheers,
Mike

Q: I have a index fund that covers the s&p 500
And looking to diversify a little
What other index fund that you would recommend
Thanks

Q: I have invested 14% ($107k) of my total portfolio in the Outcome Oriented Model: Enhanced Equity Income ETF Portfolio. Do you see any changes that need to be made with the portfolio holdings? I have an additional $20k to invest, would MFT be a good addition or just add to the existing holdings? I am 70 years old and my goal is to augment my retirement pensions.
Thanks for the great service.

Q: Which would you consider buying for a U.S. Mid-Cap ETF, XMH or XMC or would have another recommendation?

thanks

Kim

Q: Do you now of an ETF which covers medical supplies/equipment/ devices and not drugs? Thanks

Q: Can you offer investment ideas regarding: 1) $5,000 in an RESP (5 month old child) and 2). $5,000 in TFSA (30 year old mom)
Thanks

Q: Hi there,
Do you have an opinion on these 2 blockchain ETF's from Reality Shares:
BLCN, BCNA?

Thanks

Q: Is there an ETF that matches the 5iResearch's balanced equity portfolio.

Q: What is best way to purchase stocks/etf`s for my soon to be 18 and 12 year old children . What type of account ? Any Brokerage recommendations ?
Many Thanks
Greg

Q: I purchased XEF about a year ago to secure diversify outside North America. I am up all of about 2.3% and can't help thinking there must be an ETF out there that would provide similar geographic diversity (this is my only holding outside NA), with a better return on investment. Can you suggest one with a comparable risk profile and - preferably - dividend? Thank you.

Q: I am writing in regard to a question posed by John on Jun 25th regarding alternatives to mutual funds that his TD adviser had invested in for he and his wife. We too (my wife and I) WERE invested with a TD adviser up until a year ago. We also had a TD Direct Investing account that we use for investing in stocks. The final straw for remaining with the adviser came in 2017 when TD started charging a yearly fee over and above their MER's when investing in a TFSA. They also stopped allowing us to invest in D series units of mutual funds. We transferred all of our assets to the Direct Investing account and haven't looked back. We are now able to buy any type of mutual fund, ETF, stocks or fixed income product like GIC's that are sold through Direct Investing.
Also, when answering John I believe you may have replied with alternatives to a couple of wrong mutual funds. I believe he was asking about CIF843 (not 842) and FID231 (not2312).

Q: I hold both of the above, MIND I am breaking even on MIND but am down 22% on MJJM. My thought was that once Canada legalizes marijuana it will it should start gaining. I am wondering how you feel about these.

Q: Do you know of any good Canadian listed equal weight US technology ETF's (that are hedged to the Canadian dollar?
I know of ZQQ but its not equal weight and XTF but it writes covered calls.
Thanks

Q: Greetings to Team 5i:

If I am reading the data correctly these ETFs trade on fairly thin volume? It looks like it would not be unusual for them to trade 5k, 30k, and 20k shares respectively on any given day. I am new to direct/on-line investing and trying to figure out the best strategy to buy ETFs (or any equity) like these if the quantity you want to purchase approaches maybe 1/4 or 1/5 of the total shares typically traded in a day. Obviously I'd prefer not to get into a situation of an order getting filled over two days or only partially filled since the returns are meager enough without incurring two commissions or something. Is there a concern here, or a strategy that should be followed as to the type of order entered? Thanks as always for your guidance because I truly do continue to learn something new every day with 5i.

Q: I currently do not have any exposure to commodities in my portfolio. I am looking to add some gold and silver stocks or ETFs. Can you recommend 3 or 4 companies or ETFs in this category and provide your reason for those recommendations.

thanks, appreciate your insight

Q: I am developing an income portfolio which will fund our retirement as we have minimal pension income. We are looking for monthly income that is relatively stable. We have a number of the big Cdn banks and Utilities owned in this portfolio. Which of the 2 monthly income funds would you prefer?
Thanks

Q: Can you please provide a few bond ETF's that may react positively in a market correction to soften the blow to a portfolio? Thanks

Q: Is there any difference / benefit of holding these in a TFSA vs RRSP (tax wise). I understand the favorable tax treatment to US stocks in an RRSP via withholding tax. What about ETFs that trade on the TSX but hold US stocks?

Thank you!