Investment Q&A

Q: Hello 5i Research...I have a very elderly family member who needs to re-structure her TFSA . Investment horizon may be under 3 years. GIC's are used in other accounts. We are looking for an ETF solution that will provide a decent level of capital safety and some monthly income (above GIC levels).
We were thinking a combo of XTR , CVD, CPD . XCB and CBO. Is there a one fund solution solution that you might endorse? What percentage split of funds might be appropriate in the current environment?

thanks/art

Q: 5i Team
I currently own PHN Bond Fund (RBF1110), PHN High Yield Bond Fund (RBF1280) and GICs in my RRSP for the fixed income portion of my portfolio
Would adding a convertible debenture ETF complement the PHN High Yield Bond Fund (RBF1280) or would it be a duplication? The convertible debentures would not exceed 5 % of the total fixed income in the RRSP.
Are there any other Canadian convertible debenture ETFs other than CVD and CXF. Of the two ETFs mentioned, which is your preference?
Is it better to use an ETF for convertible debentures or should I purchase individual company debentures.
Where can I obtain the credit ratings (Moodys/S&P/DBRS) for individual company's convertible debentures.

Thank you for great service.

Q: Hi, I have 500k in my RRSP with 10% in cash, the rest is in individual gov’nt bonds. I am looking at buying CVD with this cash. Is this a good idea in terms of diversification? What is the difference with straight corporate bonds ETFs? FYI, my total portfolio is balanced, keeping equities in non-registered accounts. Thanks, Martin

Q: I am looking to buy fixed income funds in my corporate account. What would be your top picks of the ones listed? What are the rate of return - fees? Thank you for your website.

Q: What are the fixed income funds in your income portfolio?
What are some fixed income stocks that have had favourable returns?
Can one hold U.S. funds in a TFSA?

Q: Hello, my question is about CVD, CBO, CPD and XHY. I know you like these ETFs for income, and most of them are in the Income Portfolio. When one looks at their 5-year chart, one can see a downward trend for all of them. What will it take to change that to an upward trend? Would you invest in these ETFs today? Regarding XHY, the Fact Sheet says “Exposure to a broad range of U.S. high yield, non-investment grade corporate bonds, based on market-value weighting”, does the low quality of these bonds bother you? Thanks, Gervais

Q: I have a non-registered a/c, a RRIF and a TFSA and would like to add fixed income investments to each using ETFs. I am looking at the above mentioned ETFs. Is there a general rule of thumb as to which type of income should go in to various accounts and would XHY and XPF be subject to withholding tax?

Q: Good morning,
I am looking for a monthly pay. Do CPD, XHY, or CVD fit the bill ?
Thanks
Rick

Q: I am trying to clean up my portfolio a bit by reducing the number of holdings. For the fixed income portion I have 5 different bond funds (CBO, XBB, XHY, CVD, HYGH). Is there enough overlap with either of these that I should consolidate any, or would you suggest any different ETFs to simplify the fixed income portion of my portfolio?

Q: I'm trying to guage the risk with CVD. Can you compare the risk profile to XBB and CBO.

Thanks,

Joe

Q: 1. In a rising interest rate environment is a convertible bond fund better to hold than other bond funds like xbb, cbo or clf?

2. What would you suggest for the best combination of protection I.e safety and income?

Thanks.

Q: I am currently trying to put together a fixed income allocation for our portfolio. I am using your balanced portfolio as a model. I have a few questions regarding this, though and would appreciate your commentary and suggestions.

Looking at your portfolio I see that you have a mixture of 1. Canadian Preferred Index (CPD) 2. the Convertible Bond Index (CVD) and 3. I shares US Hy Bond (XHY).

You mention that this would be a good model portfolio for dividend investor, which I suppose I am.

But, I was struck (rightly or wrongly I don't know) by the fact that some of the bond funds that are often mentionned on your site are not included. Clf and VSC, for instance.

Would the actual portfolio do the job, or would it be wise to add these two etf's?

Second question. I would like to have a large part of my bond allocation in US dollars. Can you suggest some US equivalents for a bond portfolio? Would an emerging market bond fund such as ZEF be worth looking at? If so, would you know of an equivalent in US dollars?

I know that you concentrate on Canadian stocks, but since you also offer model portfolios which include fixed income etf's, this question might be legitimate.
thanks

Q: On these 3 bond ETFs I am down between 4-6%. I was thinking of crystallizing
these losses. First, do you think this a good time to 'clean up' ones bonds? Second, could you recommend their replacements.

TIA

Q: All of my RRSP bond holdings (25% of portfolio) are invested in two PHN funds, about 2/3 in the core government bond fund RBF1110 and 1/3 in the High Yield Bond fund RBF1280. Is there any value in diversifying a bit more using either XHY or CVD? The rest of the portfolio (75%) is equally split between Canadian equity (modelled from the Balanced Portfolio) and US/International Equity Funds and ETFs. I have about 15 years ahead of me before transferring to a RRIF and don't expect to have to rely much on this money because of my employer defined benefit pension plan. Thanks.

Q: Convertible bonds are obviously not exactly the same as corporate bonds due to the possibility of converting them into common stock. I was wondering if they are treated exactly the same as the other bonds a company may have issued as long as they are still in the bond form? That is are they they still guaranteed to be paid as long as the company is solvent and are they at the same debt obligation level as other bonds issued? Thanks you.

Q: Hi,

I have no bonds in my portfolios and am interested in picking up some laddered corporate bonds, specifically convertible debendetures (unrated) from smaller firms. Pays about 5% and after purchase bonds would comprise about 3% of my portfolio.

I'd like to hear your thoughts, and if there are other options for getting some exposure to bonds (ETFs for ex.).

Cam

Q: I am considering trading my small position in CVD for ALA.R. With higher dividend returns and being a depository receipt as you highlighted in an earlier blog. Does this trade make sense? I will have no tax implications as they are held in a LIRA account. Thanks. Shyam

Q: Greetings Peter and 5i Team,
I have $100,000 to invest in the fixed income part of my portfolio. All investments will be inside a RRSP. As a retiree, I'm hoping for capital preservation, (safety) with a reasonable return on my investment. Currently, the only exposure I have to fixed income is ZPR. I'm considering adding the investments in your Income Fund (CVD, XHY), as well as HFR to my portfolio.
-Do you believe these investments will provide solid fixed income exposure?
-Do you see any way I can improve my exposure to the sector? i.e. is there any need for exposure to foreign bonds?
- What percentage of the $100,000 would you allocate to each ETF?
As always, thanks in advance for your appreciated support.

Q: Hi 5i Team,
I would like to take some money out of a savings account and have it accumulate dividends in my TFSA over a 5 year time period (I will need it at that time). I was wondering in the income portfolio, which of the ETFs/stocks would be the least volatile or the smallest of price movement that pays a good dividend over this amount of time?

Thank you,
Andrew

Q: Are there any convertible debentures that you would consider purchasing currently?