Investment Q&A

Q: Can you comment on the announced exchange offering.

Q: I read in the Globe and Mail that certain banks are blocking their advisers from buying the HISA ETFs, placing them on “restricted lists” usually reserved for risky, volatile investments.
I take it HISA is referring to Evolve High Interest Savings Account Ticker: HISA  and trades on NEO exchange. At this moment, I have a chunk of cash that I would like to park and earn interest but am uncertain when I will need it.....say 3 to 6 months timeframe.
What is your take on HISA? Or is there some other such account that you would suggest I investigate.
Bottom line, I could also use a GIC at the bank, right?! 
With the timeline being short, what would you suggest I lean towards?........Thanks.....Tom

Q: If, as I believe the market is going to experience another large downturn, would TLT, ZROZ, or in Canada ZTL be a good investment in US Treasury long bonds, due to a possible flight to safety?

Q: Dear 5i
My mother-in-law has a substantial amount of GIC money coming due and was wondering what to do with it re reinvesting . At 93 she is very conservative with her money with all investments being in GICs , Bonds and some mutual funds . She relies on her bank for investing information and investing which concerns me a bit .
She mentioned wanting to get more investment earnings from dividends as opposed to interest income because of the more favourable tax treatment . I did mention to her that she could achieve that with large cap dividend paying stocks or possibly ETFs but at a little greater risk .
I think she would be better off with an ETF rather than a mutual fund but was not sure which ETF might suite her the best . Should she invest in municipal , gov`t bonds or a Bond ETF ? With interest rates not yet peaking i`m concerned that buying bonds now may not be the best time as bond prices go down with rising interest rates as you know . GIC rates are higher now so i`m thinking that may be the way to go for her .
I realize you can`t personalize your answer but a general guideline would be much appreciated . She does not have high income needs as her CPP and OAS covers most of her monthly expenses except maybe for $300-$350 .
Thanks
Bill C

Q: hello 5i:
a follow up to a previous question on ECN.DB: can you explain why there has been a steady erosion in the price of ECN.DB, from a high of 104 a year ago, to $98.50 today? I would think that a 6.1% return (at todays price) would be attractive and would actually result in a higher price, assuming that one believes ECN is worth holding (I do). Is it simply a matter of higher interest rates, present and anticipated?
thanks
Paul L

Q: have you changed your opinion since 2016

Q: I only hold bond positions in these two funds totalling 4.5% of my portfolio. After exiting a couple of equity positions I have a high cash position and was thinking of adding to my bond position. How would you distribute bond investments among
1] less than 5 years
2] 5 to 20 years and
3] over 20 years

Thanks

Q: Was reviewing the 5i Income Portfolio and the type of bond funds in portfolio. Then was looking at the dividend payments on the two ETFs, the convertible bond (which is in the portfolio) is double of the laddered bond (which isn't in portfolio). Are convertible bond funds considered a much higher risk over laddered bond fund?

Q: Hello
Just read the Aug ETF publication. Can you give 5i s thoughts on the above bond position comparison?

Q: I had these shares in a non self directed RRSP account.
Can you please tell me what you know about these shares. I am down about 75% this year.
I have just transferred to a self directed account.
Is it ok for income? Do you think I should sell?
Thank you

Q: Re Gary's question on the 28th re place to park some money. I have a TD Investment Savings Account TDB8150 that has no fees, units are $10. each and the current rate is 2.25 % interest calculated and paid monthly. I opted to reinvvest the monthly interest for more units. Easy access to funds and I also use it for excess cash in my registered accounts. Interest is increased on a reg basis as rates change. I highly recommend it. Hereis a link to the page
https://www.td.com/ca/en/asset-management/additional-solutions/

Q: I've got a 10&% loss in XSH. Is there an alternative ETF I can buy after selling this?

Q: With all the market turmoil I would like to park some funds. I am considering money market or GICs. I invest through TD Waterhouse. What would your recommendation be?

Q: I am 80 and I have 85 k in my TFSA . Iam looking to invest in Fix income . What would you suggest ?

Q: Hi 5i,

Looking for your top 2 or 3 fixed income recommendations for the market we're in, and where you feel we may be headed in the next 12-24 months. Looking for some bond ETFs, preferably Canadian listed.

Criteria is primarily capital preservation with some return to blunt the impact of inflation, and of course liquidity. I want to hold dry powder for buying opportunities I believe will come with recession, but I hate the idea of sitting in cash.

Thanks!

Q: What are your updated thoughts on OBE? I have a partial position and planned to increase to a full position until their news release today. In such a strong oil and gas environment, why does a company need to commit to an 11.95% interest rate on 5 year notes. Am I missing something, OBE scores well on a number of metrics that I monitor so I thought they would be able to negotiate a better interest rate.

Q: Rather than buy TIP directly, I am leaning towards buying XSTP and/or XSTH. Given that they are only 15% correlated (no doubt due to the CAD-hedged aspect of XSTH) I am leaning towards buying both. What is your perspective on this scenario for an income portfolio given the current state of U.S./CAD dollar exchange rates?

Q: Now that i can get a GIC of over 4% what would be the advantage of owning HFR over a GIC ladder.

Q: I like TIP for its dividend and excellent lack of correlation to the rest of my portfolio. However, will its dividend and covered call income potential make up for its immediate seemingly dubious short and intermediate-term growth prospects? Thanks!

Q: Hi 5i, What is your current read on the attractiveness of investing in TLT? I assume it would be best to hold in a registered account but you could please confirm. If acquiring just one bond fund today, would this be your preferred choice, and/or is there a comparable CDN bond fund worth considering? Thanks.