Investment Q&A

Q: A question about corporate bonds from Gary posted April 14, was answered with "We would prefer to comment on individual issues that your broker might have rather than list several that might not be available." I see that your income portfolio includes CVD. This ETF seems to be not very large and not very liquid; is that correct? If so, I would otherwise be leery of taking a position; but here it is in the portfolio. Is it indeed something that is recommended? If not, is there another ETF that would be better? Or is an ETF not the way to go because of the potential failure of some bonds in any basket? Thanks,

Q: ..how do you think HFR and CVD will perform as interest rates skid along the bottom?

Q: In my RRSP accounts I have built up a laddered GIC portfolio in addition to a variety of stocks and equity etfs, taking the income generated by the portfolio and adding to the ladder. Given the low rates for 5 yr GIC, under 2%, I’m thinking of taking this years income and purchasing CVD, which has a lower payout but more stability than the above mentioned Preferred share ETFs.
I may split my purchase between CVD and one of the above Preferred Share ETFs and am leaning towards ZPR as performance and MER of the 3 is similar but ZPR has a higher dividend payout.
In addition to better income, interest rates should be close to bottoming and if I stage my purchases over the next 3 months I will benefit from unit price appreciation when rates start going up and will have locked in a 5-6% return.
Your thoughts please.

Q: What do you think of convertible debentures as a part of an overall fixed income allocation ? Could you give 4-5 debentures that you like with low to medium risk ? Thanks you!

Q: I currently have about 7 1/2 % of my RIF in bonds and would like to double that position - on the safer end . As a percent of total portfolio (Rif, non-Registered, TFSA) my holdings now are:
CBO <1%
CVD 1.1%
XHY 2.1%
ZAG 3.8%
Could you suggest what else to add or what adjustments to make to the above. Many thanks

Q: Hi,

What are your thoughts on PGI.UN? The MER looks like it's on the order of 4% which seems high. On the other hand, for a fixed income fund, the total return (after expenses) for the last few years seems decent.

I already hold XHY, CVD & XPF. Would you say PGI.UN is a good compliment to add to these or should I just add to these ETFs instead?

Thanks,

Gord

Q: Hello,

I want to add fixed income to balance my portfolio and will hold it in a cash account. I'm targeting 15% fixed income with > 10 year hold.

1. Are the ETF's in the income portfolio appropriate? or should I have more concentration? Or a different selection?

2. If > one ETF do you have a weighting suggestion?

3. Will these be taxed as income or dividends?

Thanks!

Dave

Q: Since the fund will be delisted, what would you suggest as equivalent replacements?
Merci
RM

Q: Hi There,

Can you please help me understand why CVD and CPD are in a declining trend over the last ten years? It seems like the yield can not cover the price drop. I want to add them to my portfolio but need help to understand what move its price.

Thank you for the great service!

Dong Sheng Wang

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.