Investment Q&A

Q: I am 83 years old and thinking of reducing my portfolio of stocks and putting the monies in Dimensional Funds in my RRIF. Returns seem to be excellent and I would like to get your opinion on these funds. I have no pension so I rely solely on the income generated by these Funds
Second question: The other option is trading my stocks for ETF's therefore what 5/6 ETF's would you recommend that would make a nice balanced income producing portfolio

Wayne

Q: Hi Gang
What are your 5 top Canadian income ETFs

Thanks Mike B

Q: Which would you suggest is the better to hold for the long term ZWB or ZWK? Or should I hold both?

Q: Retired, dividend-income investor. I have spent a bit of time using your chart feature, which I think is excellent. I like the feature of it being total return (CG plus dividends).

Comparing total return for ZEB vs ZWB over various timeframes is easy, since they both have adequate history. The complication arises when adding HMAX to the comparison, due to it's very short history and therefore not being through a full cycle. It is apparent to me that the covered call ETFs do indeed give up total return for higher steady income.

To my amateur eyes, it appears that ZEB is the clear winner over 1-3-5 year timeframes, with HMAX taking over 2nd place in the 1 year timeframe.

However without the benefit of a full economic cycle, I can not come to a final decision. I have started building a position in HMAX, but I am now wondering if I should have been building a ZEB-ZWC position. I know that ZEB is banks, whereas HMAX is financials (banks, ins, etc).

Any thoughts you could throw in the mix would be helpful. Any indication of how it might perform over the longer term, based on the history so far....thanks...Steve

Q: Between the 3 which would be your preference for someone who's looking for a long-term income holding.

TY

Q: In your opinion, pls. recommend the best covered call, Cdn. bank ETF.

Thank You

Q: Can I have your opinion on the best Cdn. bank ETF'S that write call options. Low fees & decent history of good yield.
Thank You

Q: Is ZWB.U purchased in Canadian or US dollars?
In which currency is the dividend paid?
Thanks.

Q: Interested in your thoughts on this one .... Global X Russell 2000 Covered Call ETF (RYLD). What is the ROC level and any thoughts on the reason for the steady decline over the last 3 years. Also, would you consider it relatively "safe" for a retired investor ... maybe @ 5-7% of total portfolio value.

Q: Hello,

My mother, who is 72 years old, recently received an inheritance. She is looking to invest this money in her TFSA and would like to use it to generate monthly income while also aiming for some growth. Could you please suggest a few ETFs that would be suitable for achieving these goals?

Thank you,

Derek

Q: If TD gets overly fined and drops the stock price will that have an effect on ZWB's price,? When that one American Bank died ZWK has still not recovered.

Q: In your answer to me on the BMO and Hamilton covered call ETF's regarding " return of capital " you refer to ZWB having a return of capital of 75% and HMAX as 84% .... Your answer basically addressed taxation which in my case is inside a RRIF account...... And in a follow up question from Bruce you give a brief explanation. I don't think I understand what the term means as to me it sounds like I am getting my own money back which strikes me as a bad thing. Could 5i explain just what exactly the term means ? And whether or not it is a good thing, bad thing , or nothing to be concerned about ..... Thank you as always for your sound advice .....

Q: Regarding both BMO { ZWB, ZWU,ZWT, etc. } and Hamilton { HMAX, UMAX, FMAX, etc. } covered call ETFs, do either use a return "of" capital as part of their distributed yield ? ..... If so how much and would it be a deterrent from buying them ? I have put the word "of" in quotation marks as I think it means I am getting my own money back ? ..... Thanks for your always sound advice .....

Q: All different holdings, but what would be your order of preference (based on expected total return) with the next 12 months in mind. Thanks as always, great service.

Q: Which do you prefer and why?

Q: ZWB or ZEB Which would be the preferred etf to hold in a TFSA account?

Q: Just finished reading the Money Saver's email warning " Avoiding The Yield Trap " on covered call ETF's . Where it mentions ETF's yielding in excess of 10% yet uses a BMO banking covered call as an example . I believe all the Hamilton ETF covered call products yield in that 10% or better area and in the case of the banking ETF ZWB used as an example, HMAX yields 15% which beats ZEB's 10 year return by over 5% . And that doesn't take into account the 50% of the HMAX portfolio that contains the underlying stock which should return 50% of the return on ZEB .....If ZEB over 10 years returns 9.6% then HMAX should return the annual yield of 15% plus 4.8% reflecting the 50% of the portfolio containing the underlying stock .... There will also be a small capital gain/loss reflecting the covered call side of their holdings which I have no idea how to calculate so have ignored .... Please explain how I would be missing out growth in the banking sector using the example the Money Saver used were I to purchase HMAX instead of ZWB ? 15% + 4.8% = 19.8% which doubles ZEB's return ...... Please explain the flaws in my logic. { I suspect they are there I just don't know what they are }

Also could 5i give me a list of all the Hamilton ETF products that operate like HMAX { 50% of the portfolio with the underlying securities } with an explanation of what sector they represent, their current yield in percent , and annual dividend amount { I'd like this number so I can calculate the yield on any given day while I follow them and make my decisions on whether and when to purchase }

Thanks for your great service in helping us DIY investors ......

Q: I am down $3,800.00 on ZWB (15% of portfolio) and down $9,600.00 on ZWK (2% of portfolio).
What is your view on the banking sector. Do you see a full recovery or is it going to take a while? Should I hold or cut back?

Q: For a long term hold (15 years) in a RESP, would you prefer ZEB or ZWB and provide reasons why. Also any other suggestions would be appreciated.

Q: Your thoughts about purchasing the above in my TFSA and/or RRIF accounts . Do you see any major downsides?