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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: Under the heading miscellaneous there are questions about a particular stock but the stock's name does not appear. On April 7th the following question was asked “Q: Our financial advisor has exposure to other countries with this mutual fund (3%). This is in my RRSP. Your thoughts please.” Your answer refers to the stock but never mentions its name. Could you please explain why that is. Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by cal on April 11, 2017
Q: I am retired. I have a small locked-in RIF (100k) and I will start to withdraw the maximum amount permitted this year. So far, the money was invested in 3 Gics of an equal amount. That approach suited me when the interest rates were higher . But, since the interest rates remain low it does not work anymore.
I need a higher return and i want to protect the capital and keep things simple.
I am willing to put 50% in fix income and 50% in equity with dividends.

1) what will be the most efficient way to invest that money?
2) For the fix income ,should I use monthly income fund like Pimco or Sentry NCE 1032?
3) Which Etf or fund can I use for the equity portion and in which proportion?

The balanced portfolio was launched in March. In your report, does the annual return refers to the calender year or the 12-month period ending on March of each year?

Thank you
Read Answer Asked by Monique on April 10, 2017
Q: Hi,
I currently own 8 of Mawers Funds (MAW-102,104,105,108,120,130 & 150) to provide broad diversification to the individual stocks I own. I just noticed that they have a new Emerging Markets Fund MAW160. As this is a relatively new fund I know that information is limited on it but can you comment if you think this would be a suitable fund that would add further diversification to the funds I currently own and if I were to purchase it which account would it best suit i.e.- non-registered-TFSA-RRSP?
Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Alan on April 10, 2017
Q: Lester Asset Management is a small wealth management Company. They have made numerous appearances on BNN. For someone who wants a "No Fuss" Canadian portfolio of One or two ETFs like VCN & XHT and a small/medium fund like Lester Canadian Equity Fund, how would you rate the Fund & the company? Would you recommend another fund in the small/Medium class instead?


Thanks Team
Read Answer Asked by Warren on April 03, 2017
Q: Hello Peter, Ryan and 5i team. I am a long time holder of Mawer New Canada Fund. I purchased a substantial (for me) position in the fund for my RRSP many years ago before it closed to new investors. While I understand you are not fans of mutual funds in part due to the fees they charge - the fee on MAW107 is 1.4%) - this fund has consistently performed extremely well. This single fund currently makes up 14% of my self-managed RRSP portfolio, a 50/50 mix split between no-load low MER funds and individual North American small and large cap stocks. Is the 14% that this single fund occupies in my RRSP excessive in your opinions, or should I stay the course?
Read Answer Asked by Asher on April 03, 2017
Q: Good afternoon 5i,
I am comfortable with the individual stocks in my RRSP...thanks to you.
When I cannot complete a full DRIP share, cash accumulates. I like the idea of sliding that in to a mutual fund . I am considering the Royal SERIES D. Canadian Dividend or O'Shaughnessy U.S. Value or Life Science & Technology. What do you think of this strategy? Are the MER's of 1.23% or 1.39% too high? Any other recommendations? Long term holder. Thanks for the advice. Paul
Read Answer Asked by Paul on March 31, 2017
Q: Hi 5i Team,
Could I have your opinion on my last remaining mutual fund, Sentry all cap income fund (NCE1032). I hold positions in most of the companies in both your model and income portfolios and was thinking of maybe selling this last mutual fund. With the proceeds I was thinking of adding VGG but would miss the larger distribution offered by Sentry all cap fund. I am retired and rely on my dividend stream to supplement my company pension. Your advice would be appreciated. If not VGG maybe you could recommend something else(I also have a large position in CDZ). Thanks. Mario.
Read Answer Asked by Mario on March 31, 2017
Q: Recently we were surprised to see that my 86 year old mother in law sold an etf and purchased Manulife simplicity portfolio FE (568). I say surprised as the broker is well aware to discuss financial changes to her account with my husband and ETFs were specifically chosen to avoid buying mutual funds. What can you tell me about this fund and does it generate monthly income. It looks like the broker is selling shares every month and sending her a cheque. I do not see any info around fees (which I thought had to be disclosed under the new rules) on her monthly statement. My husband is meeting with the broker so any info you can provide or questions he should ask would be appreciated.
Read Answer Asked by Maggie on March 28, 2017
Q: Hi Team,
This question is about investing in a gold ETF. Sprott Physical Gold Trust (PHYS) I believe is a closed-end fund. I read this affects its ability to issue new shares so it cannot effectively track the price of gold. This means shares could trade at a premium to net asset value and not truly track the price of gold. Is that true and if so, is it a concern? Thank you. Michael
Read Answer Asked by Michael on March 08, 2017
Q: The children and I have been debating what a reasonable long-term rate of return is if an investor held a prudently diversified portfolio and was looking at total returns with dividends reinvested, annualized over a period of 20-30 years.

My suggestion was that 10% net of fees would be exceptional and worth every rain dance.


What say you wise sages on this matter?

Thank you
Read Answer Asked by malcolm on March 08, 2017
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