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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: For a balanced portfolio with the next 3-5 years in mind, what are your suggested weightings in preferreds, utilities and high yield bonds. Given low interest rates preferreds in particular seem like a place investors will go to seek higher yields with some opportunity for growth.
Read Answer Asked by Curtis on October 15, 2020
Q: Hi Team,

I'm considering reducing my fixed income portfolio allocation in favour of adding some Preferred shares/ ETFs And some Utility stocks. What investments would you make to accomplish this portfolio change?
Read Answer Asked by Ian on October 13, 2020
Q: Hello Peter, I am intrigued after reading that a Canadian can earn about $50,000 per year of dividend income without paying any income tax. I know about your income portfolio of course, but with a view to maximizing just Canadian eligible dividend income, what would you think of the following portfolio of 14 stocks. Equal weighted, the stocks would yield 5.3%. (Disregard lack of market diversification; this can be achieved in one’s registered accounts.) Also, if one wanted to pare down the list to 10, which 4 would you delete?
BCE, CM, ENB, FTS, CNQ, AQN, CPD, FSZ, MG, KBL, POW, ALA, BIPC and NTR. Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by James on August 27, 2020
Q: Good morning 5i. I am considering "parking" about 10% of my portfolio in "cash equivalents". Are CVD and CPD your preferences in this case as I see they pay out roughly 5% which seems a reasonable risk/reward scenario? Are there other options or recommendations that you might consider? Thank you in advance.
Read Answer Asked by Peter on August 25, 2020
Q: Trying to make some 'secure' income of 5% or more. I've heard that Split Corp preferred shares may be a more stable route to go. Any advice in this regard? Could you also recommend a few Split Corp, or regular preferred shares, that meet that criteria of being 'super safe' but yield at least 5%?
Could you also please recommend any websites that cover the preferred space well.
Thank you very much.

PS: I asked a similar question a couple days ago but I don't think it was received.
Read Answer Asked by Toge on August 11, 2020
Q: I cannot fathom why investors would buy rate reset preferreds when the resets will virtually all significantly lower their current dividend. The MINIMUM rate resets, to my mind, are the only preferreds to buy and there are many good companies paying between 5 3/4% and 7% and this rate will not drop. Additionally, if and when rates increase they could be paying an even higher dividend. No one seems to ask about minimum rate resets! Am I missing something?
Thanks
Phillip
Read Answer Asked by Philip on August 04, 2020
Q: Just reading about the new limited resource capital notes (LRCNs) that RBC is issuing to institutional investors at 4.5%. Since these pay interest, they are better for the banks than equity because they can deduct interest payments but not dividends. For investors, dividends are preferable from a tax point of view but I am wondering if banks are going to try and reduce traditional preferrred share offerings and issue more of these LRCNs. This is probably why preferreds have gone up recently. How do you see this playing out?
Read Answer Asked by Maria on July 27, 2020
Q: I have no exposure to fixed income and wanted to know if there are any other that you were preferred over this list? I am looking at buying all of these names each for a 5 % weight.

Thanks
Read Answer Asked on July 23, 2020
Q: I have a LIF consisting of these four. ENB at 15%, AW.UN, CPD and SIS all at around 27%. I will need to trim one or more for my annual withdrawal. Would you have any thoughts on the best candidate for a trim? Thanks as always for your advice.
Read Answer Asked by Frank on July 02, 2020
Q: Hello 5i Team
Is there a website where I can download the CUSIP and/or ISIN for Canadian Preferred Shares and/or other securities?
I am trying to analyse the holdings of CPD/RPF/ZPR and each one presents the holdings with different information (CPD has the CUSIP, RPF has neither, ZPR has the ISIN), none of them indicate the underlying TSE stock symbol and the security description is extremely truncated (mostly company name).
Some of the company websites have the CUSIP and/or ISIN, however the majority do not. Short of emailing the investor relations department do you suggest any other means?
How successful are you in receiving answers from investor relations representatives?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on June 30, 2020
Q: My income portfolio consisting of the above equities has taken quite a beating in the recent market downturn. Except for LB, there has been some recovery in prices, and so far dividends have been maintained. I have some excess cash to deploy, and would like your advice on whether to double down on some on my current investments, or your suggestions for other beaten down income investments. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Jean on June 12, 2020
Q: 5i Hello,
I have these EFTs on my RRSP and not feeling happy with them, can you suggest some possible candidates I could switch to, or just sell them all and with profits buy CSU LSPD SHOP GOOG AMZN.
Thank
F
Read Answer Asked by Fernando on May 21, 2020
Q: I have both these 2 ETF in a RRSP account but at a 3 % weight each.these 2 ETF. I will not need to start withdrawing for 10 years and wondered if I were to buy more for a 5% weight , buying 1 % now and then another 1% in a few month or best to wait longer to see if these 2 ETF start to perform better?
Thanks
Read Answer Asked on May 13, 2020
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