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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: 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
Q: I understand your negative opinion of (most) mutual funds due to
high fees and human factors. I've found a few actively-managed funds that appear to "earn" their high fees by delivering superior returns over time periods up to 10 years.

Two examples: Fidelity Special Situations-FID1298 and Sentry Small/Mid-Cap Income-NCE721. Morningstar gives both 5 stars.

Comments please on these two funds and on the broader idea of willingly paying higher fees for higher returns.

Cheers, IslandJohn
Read Answer Asked by John on March 02, 2017
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