skip to content
  1. Home
  2. >
  3. Investment Q&A
You can view 3 more answers this month. Sign up for a free trial for unlimited access.

Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: I'm building US content into my portfolio, and am looking for medium risk ETFs. Do you have an estimated target and a recommendation for these two ETFs? I'd like both NASDAQ and S&P 500 exposures. Is the content of ZUE and XQQ content too overlapping for the two exposures?
Read Answer Asked by Ron on September 23, 2024
Q: Can you please recommend 3 hedged CDN ETFs that follow the S&P 500, but with less % ownership of the 7 high tech companies such as owned by: ZUE, XSP, and VSP? I'm looking for 10% profit over one year including both dividends and capital appreciation.
Read Answer Asked by Ron on July 23, 2024
Q: These are my wife's holdings in her non-registered account. Held these for very long time. EMP.A I bought for her maybe 5 years ago when down a lot. Sitting on a fair bit of cash. Thinking of adding to banks at some point (recession?) or adding BCE and EIF? T is small holding at 2000 shs. Comments/suggestions please. Oh, own ETF ZUE for quite a while also. RRSP has other banks +++
Read Answer Asked by James on August 29, 2023
Q: First a big thank you for the terrific returns we received in 2020 thanks to your stellar guidance (our largest holdings we first discovered through 5i -hello LSPD,XBC and WELL!). We gifted our kids memberships in December and praise your service to everyone. This is truly an invaluable service.
Now to the question, my brother is tired of paying high fees for his CIBC pension holdings. When I looked into this for him last year, some pools had MER in the 2% range! He’s moved the following into cash and is looking for lower fee/higher return alternatives in the following areas of his pension account:
-Imperial Canadian Dividend Income Pool
-Imperial Canadian Equity High Income Pool
-Imperial US Equity Pool
-Imperial International Equity Pool
-Imperial Short Term Bond Pool
-Imperial Long Term Bond Pool
Please charge as many questions as required.
Read Answer Asked by Warren on January 21, 2021
Q: I am helping my niece set up with ETF. She is holding the below funds right now. Can you please advise their fees and which ETF would you suggest replacing them with? Is there a site where you can check the mutual fund fees and performance?

PH&N LifeTime 2045 Fund
RBC Canadian Equity Fund
RBC Balanced Fund
BLK Balanced Index
Capital Global Equity
BLK US Equity Index

Thanks for your help
Hector
Read Answer Asked by Hector on November 12, 2020
Q: Peter and team
I sold off all my equities part way through this recent collapse.
I have followed your BPort, along with some picks from the GPort.
I do not have the time to diligently follow individual stocks anymore, and was thinking of switching to ETFs.
What are your thoughts about splitting some 400k in cash between ZCN,ZDV, and ZUE. Is there too much overlap in the two Canadian ETFs, and what are your thoughts on going with the "hedged" ZUE?
This is a non registered account. I am pretty sure that ZUE is treated as a Canadian Equity with no foreign withholding tax. Correct?
Thanks

Phil
Read Answer Asked by Phil on March 13, 2020
Q: I am retired and hold the above ETFs in my RIF, TFSA accounts. Please advise which ETFs you would hold in this environment and which are duplicated. I am looking for stability and safe dividends. Thanks for your input.
Read Answer Asked by diane joan on September 25, 2019
Q: Recently read John Bogle, "Common Sense Investing"

What are my choices for purchasing the s & p 500 index, please compare MER, do all offer a canadian hedge? and what are the pros and cons of buying it hedged to canadian dollar?

thanks

Ernie
Read Answer Asked by Ernest on January 03, 2019
Q: My question involves taxation of these two ETFs at death as a Canadian citizen. VSP holds the US domiciled Vanguard S&P 500 ETF whereas the BMO ZUE invests in the Canadian domiciled ZSP which holds the US equities directly. Once a Canadian individual crosses certain net worth thresholds they are subject to double taxation from both the US and Canada on their US holdings at death. Is the structure of VSP put an individual at more risk? Can you or any members comment?
Read Answer Asked by Gary on October 01, 2018
Q: Hello: I currently own ZQQ yield of .52% and ZUE yield of 1.5%. I find that HBF has a much higher yield of 7.1% and will basically mimic the first two etfs, would you agree? Is HBF a reliable etf, if yes should I invest new money into it or use it as a replacement for either one or both of the other two. I’m retired and I am after some growth but mainly income.
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Valdis on February 08, 2018
Q: I currently hold the above etf's, which totals 25% of portfolio. Equities held are US and Canadian and am invested in all sectors with financials@17%,Tech 10% and Utilities 8%. Remaining 40% equally allocated to the other sectors. Am looking at reducing ETF's and would appreciate your thoughts on which ones are good holds and which could be sold due to over diversification! Thanks for your valuable input!
Read Answer Asked by diane joan on December 18, 2017