Investment Q&A

Q: Hi Peter, among the many Robo Advisors out there how would you rate them, from best to not so good, regarding performance, fees etc.
Thanks for the great service.
Ivan

Q: Hello 5i,
Not a question, but a response to the question around Estate Planning. I am not a financial planner or tax expert so my suggestions need to be read in that context.
Firstly, for the grandchildren: would RESP's, TFSA's, RRSP's etc, be a viable option to help provide for them on an on-going basis starting now? This would also allow you to craft their portfolios as you wish.
Secondly, as they get older you could provide them with a small non-registered account and work with them on it - some grandchildren (or their parents) might show some interest, some not.
Another consideration would be to name each of your children/grandchildren and other beneficiaries as direct beneficiaries on each of your accounts so that the holdings (or funds) would transfer directly to them upon your passing. Percentages could, I think, be arranged so as to look after a spouse or other loved one on a priority basis. This part I am not clear on. Again, I am not any kind of specialist and know very little (ask my wife & kids, they'll back me up on this).
The direct division of an estate via the beneficiary route will help reduce Probate fees - and in B.C., this is a huge tax as compared to other jurisdictions.
My guess is that this kind of question will become more pressing as we 'Boomers' reach our "Best Before" dates and start to seriously consider Estate Planning and wonder how to best provide for our families, loved ones, favourite charities, etc. while trying to minimize the inevitable tax hit.
Sorry for the length of this post but it is just a collection of random thoughts as I thought about the question.
All the best,
Cheers,
Mike

Q: Just a quick comment on Victor’s frustration with Globe Investor’s watchlist. I agree that the re-design is clumsy and not user-friendly at all. You can delete stocks though. Go to far right and you will see 3 little bullets. Left click on the bullets and you will see a new menu. Highlighted in red is Delete from Watchlist.

I actually don’t use Globe Investor watchlist that much. Sometimes in the evening for a leisurely look. My main watchlist is from my bank brokerage (TD Dashboard). I would assume all brokerages have something similar. It is live data and I probably have 300 stocks on my watchlist or lists. I set up about 10 lists by sector which gives you a much better reading on the ebb and flow of the markets and sectors during the day.

dave

Q: Maple Leaf Foods took a sharp hit at the beginning of trade, but has recovered somewhat, still down 3+% as I write this. How do you feel about them moving forward?

Separately, maybe a way to reduce the sheer volume of questions on the same company on a given day, is when selecting a company from the drop-down box, if 5i already has an answer 'in the works' the member can be prompted to wait to read the new answer before submitting his/her own, could take up to 24 hours, etc.

Q: Can you provide expectations for earnings and expected date release for following companies:
ADW.A
PHO
DWS
SIS

Q: I am wondering if 5i staff or members have any recommendations for accounting software that can track capital gains/losses, dividends, as well as option premiums. The main purpose of the software would be for income tax calculations. The options and premiums are in US dollars and need conversion to the Canadian dollar. Any suggestions would be appreciated!

Q: Hello 5i
In yesterday’s Q&A you replied to a question from Glen that one of your important considerations when assessing a company was “strong management”. I couldn’t agree with you more. Would you consider adding a management rating to the “report card” section of your company reports?
And on that note would you supply 6 companies that have admirable management and board teams.
Many thanks

Q: If one believes that the move to a hydrogen economy is inevitable where should they be investing? My sense is that Shell is one of the better plays from a supplier perspective (c/w 5% dividend on the ADR) and maybe Toyota from a transportation perspective. However, neither offers a particularly inspiring 5 year chart. Do you have any better suggestions (possibly Canadian, though I am looking for a relatively secure name rather than a small start-up)?

Thanks for all your help; all responses on your site seem to contain something I find useful.

Q: WFT has been getting pounded since it reported. Was it that bad? Should I switch to Canfor? Or would Canfor have suffered them same weather issues as West Fraser?

Q: Comments please on TFII recent earnings and purchase of Normandin Transport. What do you see going forward?

Q: Hi all at 5i: Thanks for your great work. You even clarified a tax issue on Brookfield’s Foreign Reporting status. Would you kindly comment on Toromont’s Earnings yesterday?
Thanks Bryan

Q: Hi Everyone at 5i! Could please list for me 5 companies , of any type, with good valuation, that have a niche or moat and are worth investing in at this point in time. Thank you, Tamara

Q: Hi 5i team,
From your 3 portfolios, which are the stocks that interlisted on US exchanges, and which stock pay their dividends in US$? Thanks.

Q: Hello Peter.
What is your opinion on the increasing operations ratio and the labour demands in the context of profitability. Do you think the growth in revenues would absorb the increased costs adequately enough to justify current valuation levels?
Appreciate your opinion as always.

Q: Hello 5i Team,

Wondering if you can give me some direction in finding a watchlist/portfolio tracking tool that shows (near) real-time headlines of press releases and other related news (as it's published) in a column beside the list of stocks.
Globeinvestor used to be configured this way, but they have made many recent "improvements" to their tools. I can find new press releases, but I have to go into a menu for each individual stock. This is very onerous, as there are about 80 different stocks from several countries in my watch list. I have asked the Globe's Help Desk if changes will be made. They replied that other Gloveinvestor subscribers are also asking for this, but they can't say if/when changes will be made to add to or change the current configuration.

I asked for advice through the 5i Forum, and as such, set up a watchlist on Morningstar. However, I find many of the news items/press releases missing, or not published in a timely manner.

I know I am missing out on some important information that is affecting my potential trading decisions. Sometimes this works to my advantage (so that I don't make knee-jerk decisions), but for the most part, I would rather know what's happening with my stocks sooner than later.

Thanks very much,

Brad

Q: Do you think that the significant increase in SHOP on Tuesday was due in whole or in part to AMZN's release of its international shopping app? I own both companies so if this is the case, are SHOP's fortunes so tied to those of AMZN so as to present significant concentration risk?

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.

Q: In a well diversified portfolio which one of these three companies would you choose for a long-term hold and with a view of an increased probability for a recession by the end of 2019? Can you please comment on your investment rationale?
Thanks

Q: Putting new money to work in a diversified portfolio. Buy or pass on the 52 week low? Thanks.

Q: Your thoughts please.
Kind regards

Q: Can I get your thoughts on the finding that it is 13 times more expensive to mine certain metals, copper and gold in this study, from ore than through 'urban mining'. Are there public companies currently doing this in North America? Any that have plans to or are looking into it? Thanks.

https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2018/april/pulling-valuable-metals-from-e-waste-makes-financial-sense.html