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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: Hi Guys! Regarding ex-dividend dates. Do you not have to buy the stock 3 days before the ex-dividend date because it takes 3 days to settle?
Read Answer Asked by Keith on October 23, 2013
Q: Market Question - every morning on the news it says "Dow and S&P futures" are up or down. What are futures? How are they calculated? and are they of any importance? Does the TSX have futures?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Ronald on October 23, 2013
Q: Hi Peter and gang,
I have noticed over time there does not appear to be an easy way to remove old, delisted or defunct firms from one's portfolio in most investment company accounts. Is there anybody out there performing this function?There would appear to be an opportunity for a non-profit to accept them and a donation for transfer out of an investor's account. this could clean up records, provide non-profits with a cash stream and simplify gains and loss declarations.

David
Read Answer Asked by david on October 23, 2013
Q: When evaluating your monthly Summary Reports, can you please clarify the difference between the "2013 P&L" and "Total P&L" values. Many thx.
Read Answer Asked by Ron on October 22, 2013
Q: Hi 5I team,
I'm wondering how much cash I should be holding for the current environment? And is there a minimum cash percentage I should keep all the time?
Currently, I have 25% and that's probably too high.
I consider all my/husband/kids investments as one basket (family RESP, my RSP, husbands RSP, spousal RSP, minor sons RDSP, my TFSA, husbands TFSA and joint margin account) as being able to take moderate risk because I have a DBP through work.
Read Answer Asked by Brenda on October 22, 2013
Q: Hello,

I have a question regarding earnings, why is an increase in EPS more important than revenue/net income growth?

Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Sunita on October 22, 2013
Q: Thanks for your excellent site.
I would like to invest 20% of my RIF into a Balanced (or other low risk alternative)ETF or MF to replace my Bond investment and improve the return of my portfolio.
I do not depend on my RIF for a living and my risk tolerance is average.
Your view and advise please
Read Answer Asked by Raoul on October 22, 2013
Q: Hello Peter!
On 15th.October I started my $100K Portfolio partially based on your Model Portfolio and also on my own ideas as follow|
ACQ-13%
CSU-13%
AD- 13%
BAD-12.5%
AYA-7.7%
STN-7.7%
BYD.un-9.2%
MG-9.3%
ESL-6.5%
RRx-6.5%
Please give me your opinion on my portfolio and what would you change. Thanks Andrew B.
Read Answer Asked by Andrzej on October 22, 2013
Q: Hi Peter,
I realize you are mainly into stocks but I had a call from a company named "Rare Diamond Investor". They sell coloured diamonds as an investment. Just wondering what your thoughts on that are? Is it a risky investment. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Charlie on October 22, 2013
Q: Hi 5i team, we have read Random Walk down the Wall Street. Joy to read it. My question is on the other book Stock Analysis. Would it be similar to Intelligent Investor by the same author? Also, how about Non-random Walk down the Wall Street?
Read Answer Asked by victor on October 22, 2013
Q: I am a conservative investor. Please give me your top picks in the following groups: industry, resources, consumer, finance and utilities. Could you also provide an exit value for each pick. The picks would be for long term holds. Thank you, love the web site.
Read Answer Asked by Richard on October 22, 2013
Q: I am interested in Horizons Active Floating Rate Bond ETF ( HFR ) as part of a fixed income allocation. However, I am hesitant because of what I don't understand ie." The ETF may use derivatives,include interest rate swaps to deliver a floating rate of return." Is ths benign or a red flag?
Read Answer Asked by William on October 22, 2013
Q: I have held a Man AHL hedge fund MCC101 in my RRSP for a number of years. It did well in the market crash. I think it would do well in a market up turn but in an up and down market like we have had it does nothing. Is there any point in holding on to this? I think if I just followed your model portfolio I would do (a lot) better.
Read Answer Asked by Brian on October 21, 2013
Q: Hi Peter and Team

I am a timid do-it-yourselfer Senior and do appreciate the service that you and your team provide.

My question is about the treatment of an ETF, by the CRA, that is sold on both the TSX and NY, under different symbols. My example is the Vanguard ETF VIG and VGG, and there are others. They are both the same fund since VGG holds VIG as its sole holding. However VGG is sold on the TSX in Cdn dollars while VIG is sold on the NY exchange in US $. VGG is not hedged. Is VGG treated as a Canadian ETF and if so what implications does that hold for tax purposes since it has US holdings. They each pay a dividend in US$ and I would assume there would be a 15% withholding tax on each of them. Perhaps you might also comment on the requirement by the CRA to state whether or not one has $100 000 in foreign assets on one's tax return and what implications if any there are with purchasing either of these type of twin ETF's into one's portfolio. I would appreciate any clarification that you might provide.

Many thanks

Bill
Read Answer Asked by William on October 21, 2013
Q: Is now a good time to buy preferred shares
Read Answer Asked by PATRICIA on October 21, 2013
Q: Hi

I am following your model portfolio in my RRSP and could not be happier. I make regular contributions to my account and I am wondering if there should be any strategy involved in adding to my current positions. My regular contributions are not large enough to be able to maintain the current balance across all stocks but I did not want to sit on cash unnecessarily.

Thanks and please keep up the great work.
Read Answer Asked by Chris on October 21, 2013
Q: I manage between 25-30 individual stocks in 4 portfolios - 2 for each of my wife & I in RSP, CASH & TFSA accts. I would appreciate your advise as to where I could obtain "software" that would mimic your "Model Portfolio" as well as allow for the production or graphs & bar charts to monitor trends, etc.
Thanks again for your superb service!
Read Answer Asked by Robert on October 21, 2013
Q: What was the start date of your model portfolio?
Read Answer Asked by Linda on October 20, 2013
Q: I would appreciate an independent opinion: I will be retiring soon and am thinking of taking the commuted value of my pension. Is it better to invest in your model portfolio or place the funds in Sunlife My Money for |Life Plan for Income and capital appreciation
Read Answer Asked by Jerry on October 20, 2013