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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: Greetings 5i,

Looking to further enhance geographical diversification in my overall portfolio. I have fairly balanced exposure to NA, about 8% Europe, but only 1% Asia so I am looking to bring up my exposure in that region. My question is regarding exposure to India specifically. I wish to dollar cost average into this geographical region therefore I have been looking for a mutual fund rather than an ETF due to cost prohibitive transaction fees of $9.99 with my institution. What are your thoughts on Excel India Series D fund (EXL770)? I have it as No load, Mer 1.75, Min $250 and subsequent $50. Im open to suggestions and or direction keeping in mind the dollar cost averaging is preferred to me over a big initial commitment to a geographical region like this.

Cheers!
Read Answer Asked by Duane on May 01, 2017
Q: I have owned this fund for a very long time and averaged over 8% return through the time I have owned the fund. The fund has a monthly distribution which is reinvested and additional units distributed annually which are also reinvested, a healthy gain in NAV over the years.I'm now 1% over a full position in the portfolio should I continue to let it run, I have not added a dollar to this fund in 10 years or would you trim back to a 5% postion
Read Answer Asked by Thomas on April 26, 2017
Q: Having recently become eligible for the company RRSP matching program, I have a small investment in the Mackenzie Ivy Global Balanced fund.

I am limited in this program to the Mackenzie Funds, so it seems I am stuck with the high MER as a trade off for the company matching.

I have limited experience picking mutual funds and the advisor's picks would have seen me with 55% fixed income at age 35 which I feel is far too conservative given the high MER for this companies funds. As the current value in these funds is insignificant compared with my own funds, I just directed most of the funds to the balanced fund, and skipped the advisors other suggestion with the high bond allocation for the time being.

Is there anything specific I should watch out for when reviewing/selecting funds when my annual meeting with the 'advisor' comes around. If I stay where I am for the long term this will represent the bulk of my RRSP contributions for the foreseeable future.
Read Answer Asked by Jeffrey on April 20, 2017
Q: Dear 5i
What can you tell me about the following in terms of quality , MER and yield .
!-Mutual fund BMO Tact GBL EQ ETF SER F-NL
2-Mutual f. fixed income DYN Active core BD PRIV F-NA
3-Mutual F. fixed income BMO Tact GLB BD ETF SER F-NL.
Are these keepers or can i do better elsewhere ?
These 3 represent approximately 68% of my current portfolio with my financial planner . I`m 62 and plan on retiring in 2 years .The rest of the portfolio is in various growth stock .
Thanks
Bill C.
Read Answer Asked by Bill on April 17, 2017
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
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