Investment Q&A

Q: Good Morning team, the only thing that’s more of a mystery is the weather

I am thinking of starting my ETF income portfolio with a 5% position in PMIF. With all the interest rate forecasts for 2018, do you think waiting for later in the year is advisable or strike now?

Thanks team and a prosperous New Year to all.

Q: I hold ZEB. The banks have been good since 2009 raising dividends. Would those individual dividend increases be passed on and benefit holders of this etf? Thanks, Bill

Q: Hello 5i team: from what I gather zmi has lower roc than xtr albeit a higher payout. Do you think this a concern and do you like any other names etf or mutual funds that you would prefer for a all in one hands off income provider for a retirement fund?

Q: I am contemplating selling some or all of my position( $17k, 8% weight in my RSP) In XBB in hopes of climbing the ladder a bit in yield & the possibility of some growth, while keeping the risk factor somewhat the same or perhaps a tad higher. My RSP is reasonably well diversified. Could you recommend a couple of ideas, or just stay put?
Thanks,
Ted

Q: Hi, I am looking into a couple of etf's to invest in new technology.I am looking at HACK,ROBO, and BOTZ.In your opinion is there one of these or another one that you would advise if one were to want to invest in Artificial Intelligence stocks only.
Thanks,
Brad.

Q: Dear team,
Thank you for your valuable investment guidance that has helped me to invest prudently so far. I have around $10,000 to invest in my RRSP this year.Which one of the following three stocks/ETFs -BABA, VGT, ZQQ- would you recommend to add to my portfolio? I already own equal weight of stocks FB, NVDA, BRK.A in my RRSP account. Many thanks in advance .

Q: Hi,
Is there a reason why ZWU is down so much last few weeks
My utilities weighting is 20% with ENB at 8%
And vnr,aqn and kWh other 8% and ZWU at 4%
Please can you let me know if I should reduce and if so which one need to go
They are my long term holds and growing though drips

Q: I am setting up an all ETF portfolio for a 20 yr plus holding period and I have a two-part question. The first part concerns the makeup of the Canadian/US component. Is it better to go with a combination of SPY and XIC or would including CDZ and VIG provide stability and perhaps a bit more growth to the mix (keeping in mind that I intend to hold at least 5% of each but don't need income yet)?

Secondly, I am looking for higher risk assets for my TFSA. I was thinking of IWO. I know that there are specialized sectors I could include but I looking for a fairly hands-off approach. Do you think this approach would serve me well - I know that it is only one asset type - or is there a better mix out there that would still be quite manageable?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: Hi,
What would be your choice for Europe, Japan, Emerging Markets ETF’s?
Thx Chris

Q: What are the differences between these two and which do you prefer for overall exposure to emerging markets? Is there a better vehicle than either of these for emerging markets?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: I have US$ in my RIF that I would like to invest defensively given general high valuations and the potential for a correction. Would VIG and VIGI be good choices or would you have other suggestions. Thanks for the help. Doug

Q: Hi Peter and Team,
I have some cash sitting in a US account that I want to leave on the sidelines for now. I was thinking I should put this in something that gives me a bit of return but won't crash with markets if they crash. Is there a good proxy for cash that provides some yield that you can suggest which would be US Dollar denominated?

Thanks,

Marc

Q: Hi.
Looking for ETF exposure to CDN junior and intermediate sized oil weighted producers and wondering what your favourite pick is. I went through the screening process in a couple of my brokerage accounts but did not find anything that stimulated a buy decision. If you could also offer up your top 3-4 individual stock picks that would meet the criteria that would be appreciated- I might just make my own "mini-fund" instead.
Best Regards

Q: Hello Peter and team,
Ishares and Vanguard both have world Ex Canada ETFs that are 50% U.S.and 50% everything else. Is there an advantage to owning US and International ETFS separately that can be rebalanced, or is a product like this a good one as there are less fees incurred to buy and sell? Do the managers of the EX Canada ETFs rebalance their holdings? Thank you.

Q: I am interested in dipping my toe into stocks in the artificial intelligence and internet of things field. Do any stocks with large growth potential jump right out at you? I am prepared to be patient. Thanks
John

Q: Hi & thank you for continued sound advise.

I'm a Balance/Growth Investor with ~ 30% Fixed Income.

- Current Fixed Income: XBB (30%), CBO (40%), CPD (15%), XHY (15%).
- Planned Fixed Income: MMF659 (70%), CPD (15%), XHY (15%).

Reasons for change:
- Tired of poor returns of CBO, XBB.
- Want more diversifies (USA, INT) fixed income securities.
- The ~ 1% MMF659 MER seems worth it based on 6.23% compound return since inception [2005-11-25].

Haven't held a Mutual Fund in 8 years, but... Yours thoughts would be welcomed here. Thank you!

Paul

Q: Hello,
I am in the process of taking over my mother's portfolio and getting her out of mutual funds. She likes the idea of ETF's to reduce risk vs: specific stocks. What would your top 4-6 ETF's be for a sleep at night portfolio that is well diversified globally and covers all sectors, time range 20 years? Starting portfolio value $750,000 cash by the end of January. Also how would you intelligently step into these ETF's as the markets could be positioned for a correction sometime this year?
Thank you

Q: What would your choice be between ZRE and BEP.UN. It would be held in a TFSA for income and growth and stability.

Q: Would you pick CUD or VGG or is there another alternative that you prefer? Would you switch from one to the other?

Q: Thinking of purchasing VGK for my RSP. Is it also exempt from withholding taxes as per US / Canada tax treaty?