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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: Debt: What is a reasonable and safe amount of debt for a company to have? Does it depend on the type of company? I'm looking for a guideline. I realize telecoms carry higher debt. Also, I noted that you pointed out with Encana (ECA) "debt is still more than 4X cash flow".
Read Answer Asked by Helen on August 29, 2017
Q: Just a comment on the changes to the ex-dividend date due to T+2 settlement in Canada and USA from September 5, 2017. Your members may find it useful.

Starting September 5, the ex-dividend date will move one day ahead (only one day before record date). So for instance in the month of August - record date is Aug 31 - ex dividend date is Aug 29.

In September for record date Sept 29 (Since 30 is a Saturday), the ex-dividend date will be Sept 28.

From the CCMA website:

(Added February 22, 2017) Will there be any T+2 impact on record and payable dates?

In Canada, the ex date on declared events such as dividends or other distributions will become one business day prior to record date instead of two business days prior. The exchange on which a security is listed provides the exdate to CDS, and CDS populates the date into its system. In the U.S., there will likewise be a one-day change.


If you want to read up more there is documentation and Qs at the following websites:

US T+2: http://www.ust2.com/questions/

Canada T+2: http://ccma-acmc.ca/en/faq/
Read Answer Asked by Mayur on August 29, 2017
Q: When you buy an action with a dividende at a given rate, does the dividend payment you receive stay the same indepently from the variations in the price of the action ?
And, when you buy the same action again, but at a different price and at a different dividend rate, how do you calculate the actual dividend you are to receive ? For exemple,if I bought bip.un at 44. with a dividend rate of 4.40% and I buy it again at 54. with a dividend rate of 4.%, what is the effective combined dividend rate after the second purchase ?

Thank you for your kind attention,

Jacques
Read Answer Asked by Jacques on August 29, 2017
Q: John Mauldin wrote a piece this weekend on how to avoid large draw downs in equity investments. He advises to buy and stay invested when a security is above its 200 simple MDA and sell when the security falls below its 200 MDA. I may get whip sawed sometimes, but I will avoid the large draw downs. I am 70 and I don't like losing capital. 50% of my RRIF is a dividend portfolio set up to cover my required minimum withdrawals for the first 5 years. If you agree with the opening strategy would you also agree it could possibly not apply to the RRIF. I am very interested in what you think about this strategy.
Read Answer Asked by Richard on August 28, 2017
Q: I've recently read that FAANG stocks should be avoided because they make up a large portion of the Dow Jones Industrial Index and the S&P 500 Index, meaning every ETF owns them. What you usually end up
with is a reversion to the mean. The more shares that must be bought with each investor purchase of an index fund, the more the performance tends to follow an “average” return. I would appreciate your thoughts on this statement, thank you.

Read Answer Asked by glen on August 28, 2017
Q: the question I keep asking my self is why do I buy recommendations. These three are your picks so bought but all have declined since purchase. I have no problem with volatility but what is the percentage decline that yo u should expect on these kind of stocks, down 12,10, and 15%. My limit is usually 18-20. so should I wait for my target or move on.
Read Answer Asked by Ross on August 25, 2017
Q: Hi Peter
Just went through my portfolio and these are my asset mix results.
Tech - 19.8 %
Basic materials - 17.9%
Consumer Cyclical. - 11.7 %
Consumer Non Cyclical - 9.4 %
Energy - 9.0 %
Financial - 8.0 %
Reits - 4.5 %
Health - 3.4 %
Telecom - 3.8 %
What do you think of my sector waiting? Any thoughts on sector performance going forward... Should I be shifting my percentage on any of the above sectors going forward from here?
Appreciate your advice always!!
Read Answer Asked by Mike on August 25, 2017
Q: Buy the dip. I hear this all the time. I understand and accept the concept of buying a stock which is down temporarily. But as a conservative investor, I look at the long lists of stocks on my watch lists and in a sea of red, my eyes are drawn to the green, to the stocks which keep chugging forward even on a day when the markets are way down. Unless there is some immediate news driving that stock, my inclination is to think "This is a stock with strong demand, and whose owners don't want to sell. I should buy that, not the ones which are dropping like rocks." What do you think?
Read Answer Asked by John on August 23, 2017
Q: Good morning Peter and Team,

I just read about David Driscoll's recent appearance on BNN, where he summarizes his eight steps to a winning "investing recipe":

Here are eight steps to a winning recipe:

Low fees: The lower the fees, the more you make.
Low turnover: By investing in businesses and not trading stock prices, transaction costs stay low and you keep more of your capital for growth.
Invest in companies that consistently grow their free-cash flows: These companies have the financial flexibility to raise dividends, invest in innovation and make strategic acquisitions.
Diversify globally: Long-term returns outside North America have historically been one per cent to two per cent higher.
Re-balance the portfolio when necessary: Having a high concentration in one stock can lead to trouble if that company’s stock price crashes to Earth (i.e. Valeant).
Avoid correlated assets: In 2008, all the Canadian banks fell 40 per cent, not just one of them. Pick one Canadian bank and move on.
Manage your cash prudently: Given that the market has risen for eight years, it’s prudent to hold some cash to take advantage of opportunities if the market corrects.
Choose stocks with above-average annual dividend growth: The average growth rate of stocks globally is about seven per cent. Those that grow their dividends faster provide investors with greater income to use in retirement. Their share prices also tend to grow at a faster rate.

Seems to me that Mr. Driscoll must be a 5i member, since most, if not all, of his points have been mentioned from 5i over the years! In any event, it's always reassuring to see other financial types who share 5i's philosophy!

You may publish at your discretion. Thanks for everything you do to help the small retail investor!
Read Answer Asked by Jerry on August 22, 2017
Q: Convertible bonds are obviously not exactly the same as corporate bonds due to the possibility of converting them into common stock. I was wondering if they are treated exactly the same as the other bonds a company may have issued as long as they are still in the bond form? That is are they they still guaranteed to be paid as long as the company is solvent and are they at the same debt obligation level as other bonds issued? Thanks you.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on August 21, 2017
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