Investment Q&A

Q: What is your "park and hold" list?

Would you consider instituting a members' forum (monitored) so members could exchange information as a two-way street?

Thanks for your marvelous service. Especially appreciate that you cover companies not assessed by many analysts.

Q: Would you include BNS, HCG and BAD in your park and hold list? Thanks.

Q: Hi,
In a recent question/answer exchange you cautioned about short term growth for BEP.UN but considered it one of your favorites for a park and hold investment. Could you provide a list of perhaps 10 of your favorite park and hold investments? Thanks

Q: Hi team:
On Berman's call, he mentioned a BMO EFT called the tactical dividend ETF, relatively low risks in terms of dividends portfolio and is well diversified

The BMO tactical dividend ETF is fairly small in size (of assets under management); just started in Oct
I am looking for abit of diversification outside Canadian Banks
and Life co, for dividends and yield and some safety
Please let me know what you think, no hurry

Also, is it true that starting in Jan, each member is only allowed to ask so many questions a year ? I always keep my questions to one or 2 stocks per time, it would be frustrating to stack the questions, thanks!

Q: Hi Peter and 5iResearch Team,
What is your opinion of Horizon S&P/TSX60? Or, do you prefer another ETF for Cdn. large caps.
Thank you.
Linda

Q: Dear 5i team,
What are you thoughts on the Canadian dollar, short term and long term?

Q: Would you consider splitting the income and dividend category into two or more categories to distinguish between mainly slow growth income only stocks vs. higher growth dividend stocks. Thanks, Gary

Q: Good morning Peter and Team,

Is there a "rule of thumb" regarding re-balancing a portfolio? With the great performance of stocks like STN and BAD, as an example, are their weightings perhaps getting too high? OTOH, as another example, I'm reluctant at this time to add to Goldcorp,which is down substantially. Your advice, as always, is greatly valued.

Q: Potentially weird question - Do institutional investors participate in tax loss selling differently than individuals approach it? Maybe the same question could be posed for realizing profits too. I mean in the last few weeks I have observed some pretty big swings and odd volumes on stocks that have been typically stable throughout the year. Do institutional portfolio managers use now as a major time to rearrange their funds in anticipation of their big 2 month sell period to future investors (RRSP season)? Just trying to understand if there is an opportunity as an individual investor I should be looking to potentially capitalize on. - Cheers.

Q: A trading question: G/ Goldcorp as an example and in the context of your model portfolio, would you buy more, sell or hold, and why?

A suggestion: I am having a difficult time properly identifying the correct sector for many stocks in my portfolio in order to be properly diversified. Is there room on the form you use for individual stock reports to indicate the sector you would assign to each stock? Or have I missed this somewhere else?

Feedback: I recently renewed and added Moneysense as well - and would happily subscribe for an additional 2 years now. 5i has done an amazing and superb job of satisfying a large and obviously diverse market. Thank you.
Hopefully you are not being overwhelmed with suggestions for changes, and dont tinker too much - "if it aint broke don't fix it".

A grateful and very happy 5i member ! :)

Q: I found your answer to Andrew's question yesterday re selling to be most interesting. As I took quite a bath in '08 and '09, I have educated myself on technical analysis but my results in market timing have been somewhat less than satisfactory. But I am afraid of another loss like that of '08 and '09.

My question is, do you ever foresee the day when you might consider going to 100% cash in your model portfolio?

Q: Regarding your price increase notice in the Dec 2nd issue
I joined in April 5, 2013. I think I read in your notice that I do not have to do anything about renewal at the old price until April 2014.
Is that correct ???

Keep up the good work

Q: Hi Peter & 5i: Just a comment regarding Andrew’s question (12/3/13) about switching between VUS and VUN and the possibility of not triggering a capital gain. I agree with you that his contemplated switch would crystallize a taxable gain, if executed, but I think he may have had something else in mind when mentioning what he had heard about. I think in some cases mutual fund companies are able to allow investor’s holdings to be switched between their various funds “in house,” without creating a taxable transaction for the investor. That may have been the idea. As you point out though, it doesn’t work with ETFs, even if the ETFs are both products of the same investment company.

Q: Comment on the acr.un questions. The reason for them today might be BNN

JF Tardiff was on headline last night on Howard Green's show and mentioned that this was the largest position in his fund--sees both growth and safe distribution.

On another unrelated matter.
In Edit Profile section there is no way to change your email address which I can find--how do I do it?

Q: Hello:
I am thinking about selling VUS and buying VUN to take advantage of the weakening CAD.
I have a capital gain on VUS of 15000. If I buy VUN immediately will I have to pay capital gains tax on the sale of VUS? I have heard that if you are selling a fund to immediately buy a similar fund you don't get hit with the capital gains tax.
Thanks for the awesome service

Q: Hey guys, at any point will you guys suggest, due to market conditions, that equities might not be the place to be? I've been scaling back big time the past little bit with the thinking that this market is very unstable. One bad wind from the central bank can turn the lights out on this party. I guess what I am asking is how would protect yourself if you felt that the coming year was not going to be so pleasant?

Q: hello, 5I
A copy /paste from zero hedge just in case it would interest anyone:
“The correlation between stock prices and margin debt continues to rise (to new records of exuberant “Fed’s got our backs” hope) as NYSE member margin balances surge to new record highs. Relative to the NYSE Composite,this is the most “leveraged’ investors have been since the absolute peak in Feb 2000. What is more worrisome, or perhaps not, is the ongoing collapse in investor net worth - defined as total free credit in margin accounts less total margin debt – which has hit what appears to be all-time lows (i.e. there’s less left than ever before) which as we noted previously raised a “red flag” with Deutsche Bank. Relative to the ‘economy’ margin debt has only been higher at the very peak in 2000 and 2007 and was never sustained at this level for more than 2 months.”
No comments, although, yours would be most appreciated.
Thanks and as usual, publish only if it represent any interest for the community.

Q: You just responded to another user on BIF.UN. I am unable get a quotation for this through my discount broker. Is it available via some other symbol? Thanks

Q: Hi Peter, If you were putting together a list of 5-10 stocks to invest in starting now, and primarily your reported companies, what would it look like? Market balance is not important.
Thanks Tom

Q: I have the sensibility that the falling dollar will provide some stimulus to our export oriented manufacturing base. Additionally , takeover activity will pick up as American companies go bargain shopping north of the 49th. I am unclear as to potential winners/losers with the EU free trade proposition.

Which industries/companies would you recommend as ~5 year holds for growth given a 90 cent dollar for the next few years.

Kind Regards
Rod