Investment Q&A

Q: Good Morning, would you buy XMH today or just buy VFV for a long term RRSP hold? Thanks again

Q: I am considering holding VFV and XQQ in my personal unregistered accounts because they produce dividends. I could borrow money to invest in them and write off the interest. On the other hand, would it make sense to put HXS and HXQ in my passive corporation (no active income) as these two produce only capital gains and no distributions? Is there a big difference in dividends earned in a passive corp vs
personally? Also all of these will not count towards the T1135 limit. Any thoughts?

Q: I am considering adding these two to my non-registered account. This would be in CDN $ and no tax T1135 forms. My question is what year end tax paperwork do these products have? such as ROC, T3, T5. I'm guessing they have T5's which is fine, but I sold my REITS in my non-registered accounts due to the late paperwork. I do not want to repeat this mess.

Q: Hi,

Best ETF in Canadian $ for an RRSP to cover:

1. Nasdaq 100
2. S&P 500

There are numerous products, why do you like your picks over the rest?

Q: HI Team
After 2-3 years in the making (getting a root canal would have been more pleasant), I finally convinced my daughters to start contributing to
their RRSP and TFSA accounts held at RBC Direct Investing. Aged 23 and 25 they really don't have much., just around 10 000 in RRSP. I was thinking equally splitting the money into XIC and VFV or VUN. RBC has started their own Robo Adviser service.Would that be a good idea for them since they can contribute monthly to those plans and have a more diversified portfolio? Do i stick to the original plan with the above mentioned ETFs and repurchase yearly to keep costs down? Thank you in advance. Sam

Q: Is it necessary to complete CRA form T1135 for investment of more than $100,000 in this ETF in a Cash Account.

Q: Good morning,
Can you suggest an ETF on S&P 500 that trade
in Canadian currency and unhedged? A little bit of history in performance will be helpful. Thanks in advance. Rossana.

Q: What would be your percentage recommendation between XIU and FVF if one were to invest a total of $100,000. My own gut feeling would be 60% FVF and 40% XIU. With Thanks, Bill

Q: Can you offer investment ideas regarding: 1) $5,000 in an RESP (5 month old child) and 2). $5,000 in TFSA (30 year old mom)
Thanks

Q: In a response to Albert yesterday you stated: "If one had, say, 25% tech on their own and 20% S&P ETFs, then total exposure would be 30%+, of course." It was not clear to me what you think a reasonable overall tech weighting would be for a portfolio.
Thank you.

Q: Any concerns with tech representing 26% of the S&P500 ? Is it time to move to a DOW etf which has a more reasonable 15% tech weighting?

Q: I am interested in the purchasing Horizon Benchmark ETFs, such as HXS because of the tax advantages. The MER is reasonable at .11% but they charge a swap fee of .30%. I assume that the swap fee added to the MER makes the total fee .41%. This would mean that from a fee perspective VFV is more attractive with an MER of .08%. Given the importance of low fees on total returns will VFV outperform HXS over the long run?

Q: 1)Can you recommend a CDN ETF for the US consumer discretionary index?
2) Should it be hedged or unhedged?
3) Is there another Canadian ETF that is a more general reflection of the US market that you recommend for a long term hold?

Q: I guess I didnt make myself clear on an earlier question. I am looking for a US ETF that I can buy with canadian dollars, but unhedged. Preferably in the broad market, Technology, Financial and Health or a combination of all. I do not have a US account with my online brokerage.
Thanks again your service is supurb!

Q: Hi 5i. I am just starting an RESP for my 2 yr old granddaughter. I'm thinking long term of course and with only $5,000 available was considering VGG or VFV for a start. Either one or both. What do you think or is there a better alternative ? Thanks for your help. Ron

Q: Hello,
I would like to buy S&P 500 index through ETF. Could you explain the differences among VFV/T, XUS/T and ZSP/T. Which one of them you recommend? Should I convert Canadian dollars to US dollars to buy SPY? Should I buy hedged ETF(S&P 500 index)?
Thanks
Victor

Q: Hi there, I am a balanced equity investor with a tilt towards growth and have about a 20 - 30 year outlook. I currently own all Canadian equities in my portfolio and am thinking to add a 15% position in the broader market. For a balanced, growthy investor, which ETF listed on the TSX would be best? Or is there a better alternative you could suggest? Thank you!

Q: Good morning.... we are 15 years away before we may need to access our RRSP..
We sold all enegy (although would be okay with one "best of class" or ETF)..
I have a solid mix of similar weightings (BCE,BEP.UN,BNS,PBH,ATD.B,FSZ,SJ,GUD SIS). I would like fixed income/US/International exposure...I will be adding XHY..
I am looking for suggestions for either a few ETF you recommend for US/International exposure...keeping in mind we would not need to withdraw for at least 15 years..and if you think should have a minimum of 5% in energy or alternate AI ETF...

Thanks
Matt

Q: Hi guys, I just opened an RESP for my 4 month old and have $5k to invest for his future education. Obviously I have a long term outlook. I'm contemplating buying a single ETF, for example VXC, or a solid dividend paying company, like BNS or ENB. The latter is pretty beaten up so there could be some growth there as well. I hold all 3 mentioned funds/stocks in my RRSP/TFSA mix. Which way would you lean and/or is there a better place to invest right now?
thanks for the great resource guys!
cheers,
Mark

Q: Good evening,

Multi-part question.

Had just finished reading ‘The Little Book of common sense Investing’, decide to make the switch, and am beginning to plan my transition to CPD, ZAG, VFV, XEF, VCN, VEE, and XRE, when I come across the new Vanguard products, of which VBAL to me seems the most interesting.

I see the pros of this ETF as being straightforward and dropping from 7 commission fees (re-balancing myself), vs just one trade a year to add money (portfolio currently around $26,000).

Cons: no preferreds or real estate. Less control (e.g they decide the asset allocations).

Do you have an opinion on this ETF?

Not sure the yield on VBAL but am guessing 2.5-3% maybe? Any idea?

Also, If I go ahead with VBAL would you give it some time to settle down (trading looks a little erratic), or is that volatility purely a product of price changes of its holdings already?

Thanks!