Investment Q&A

Q: Preferred Shares

Upon reviewing the holdings of the four (4) largest preferred share etf, I have noticed the majority of preferred shares are issued by the banks, insurance companies, electrical utilities and pipeline companies. I am a holder of the common shares of the same companies (as they are stable long term dividend payers).
The first question I have is am I increasing my "company" risk by holding both common and preferred shares of the same companies? Should I continue to buy the common shares, which are paying very close to the available preferred share yield and gain long term from dividend increases.
The second question is of the four etf listed, which is your preferred etf. Are there other Canadian Dividend eft I should look at?

Thanks in advance for your excellent service.

Stephen

Q: Dear 5i
When i look over the summary page for an ETF at Yahoo finance and Morningstar i see many stats on the ETF including but not limited to 12 month yield and expense ratio .
Firstly is the stated yield on that summary page generally net or gross of the expense ratio ?
Secondly whether its Yahoo finance , Morningstar or the free version of Bloomberg the yields and expense ratio numbers largely vary . Whats your recommendation for which site to use to more accurately reflect the real numbers ?
Thanks
Bill C

Q: ARKK / ARKW how are they different?

Q: What are the best ETF options to invest in the UK FTSE 100?

Q: Hello,
Looking to invest for new born kid(less than 6 months), putting aside 2000 to start and will invest every year. Please provide etf that would be focused on growth.. dont need this money for 20 years.
Thx

Q: Good Afternoon,
Is there a copper only ETF or just the blended base metal exposure like ZMT and XBM?
Thanks

Q: These ETF's have done well in the recovery. Too bad I missed it! Do you think they can keep going or should one wait for a pull back? Or would it be better to buy 2 or 3 specific reits? Wife's RRSP 5-10 year hold. Thanks

Q: I recently sold some Apple shares and want to invest about 10,000.00 in the US market. Stan Wong on BNN was quite high on ARKK. What are your thoughts?
Thanks, Lesley

Q: Recently a number of firms, including iShares, Templeton, BMO and Vanguard, have come out with asset allocation ETFs. These ETFs appear to be well diversified both geographically and sectorally. You can purchase these ETFs with various bond/equity ratios depending on your risk tolerance. What is your view about these ETFs? Would it make sense for a conservative, retired, investor to purchase one of these ETFs as their entire investment (and to sell their individual equities)? If you like these asset allocation ETFs, which one do you think is best for an RRSP, TFSA and a non-registered account?

Thank-you again for your excellent advice.

Q: The MSCI announced today that it was quadrupling the proportion of mainland shares in its global benchmarks. Do you feel that now is a good time to invest in a China ETF? If yes, what ETF would you recommend for a TFSA, and for a non-registered account?

Thank you as always for your excellent advice.

Q: Do you know a vanguard value ETF in the us that could be a good buy at present Thanks for your help Bob

Q: Hello,
I'd like to know your opinion on this newly launched ETF. It seems a better alternative to a bond ETF if held in a non-registered account. I couldn't find what the implied yield is likely to be. Do you have any idea? What are the main drawbacks to such an ETF?

Thanks

Q: I'm looking for a conservative etf to get US exposure. What do you think of RWU? Would you prefer it's hedged version?

Q: I own 5 I income stocks that more than cover my expenses in retirement and hold about 75% of the balanced portfolio. But, I have msft, mu, fdx and nvda in u.s exposure and am thinking of using zlu to complete the u.s. ...would you endorse this strategy or use something else ...thanks for the great service...gene

Q: Good day 5i team:1. Would you consider ZDB as the safest way to beat a high interest savings account for money that may or may not be needed for a uncertain time frame?thus is it the surest to have my capital back? and 2.any thoughts on xdg being the best option available for global diversification outside of Canada with a decent yield for monthly income for retirement? 3.any thoughts on why PBH did not give any downside protection in the recent correction and seems to be not getting any traction since I am down 5% would you advise to hold?TksLarry

Q: hello 5i:
my question pertains to US medium term bond etfs. Do you have a preferance between IEF and VGIT, and if so, why?
thanks
Paul L

Q: further to question by Terry Feb 27/19
voo vs voog with timeline now rather than the 25 years Terry referenced

Q: What are your thoughts on Vietnamese market in the next five years? Are you aware of any ETFs focusing on that market?

Thanks.

Liping

Q: Hi 5i team,
With reference to your response on Feb 26 to my question on VGRO for TFSA, you stated “The tax efficiency referred to is usually regarding taxes on dividends received. Some Canadian ETFs are not considered as tax-efficient because they may gain international exposure through a US-listed ETF which can cause an extra layer of taxes on dividend. However, we do not see that to be an issue with VGRO, as it holds most securities directly.” I am confused. VGRO does not hold any stocks directly but indirectly through other Vanguard ETFs. Please clarify and its suitability for TFSA. Thanks.

Q: Hi Peter
the above stock hit bottom sometime in late or mid Dec
It has been on the rise since then

I had some money invested in it, happy to get the dividend but disappointed at the lack of capital appreciation
I am now at break even point
is SLF or the banks a better choice (I could use ZEB eft), goal is dividend plus some growth, thanks

Michael