Investment Q&A

Q: Is there any nasdaq 100 or s and p 500 index or etf that can be bought in a tfsa account to avoid withholding tax ?Ty

Q: Hello 5i

Like others have mentioned, I have also learned and profited from following 5i and I thank you. I usually listen especially closely when you speak about your own strategies. In that regard I was intrigued by an answer you gave concerning your own portfolio size i.e. 15 stocks and 3 covered call etf’s. It raised several questions. I appreciate your willingness to talk about your own holdings, and this encourages me to ask the following questions. If you feel, however, that they are too personal for a public forum I certainly understand. If you feel comfortable answering, though, I would like to get more detailed information:

1.First is that there seems to be no mention of fixed income. I assume that you don’t hold any and further assume that the reason for this is that if one has enough funds one can withstand a sizable meltdown of the stock market without too much concern. I ask this because I am always wavering about whether to hold fixed income.
2. I notice that you don’t mention any vanilla flavoured etf’s, such as SPY or QQQ. Does this mean that you see the covered call etf’s as a suit iable substitute for them? The question I am getting at here is whether they would be good for all seasons or simply in times like this?
3. Do you now use these covered call etf’s as an easier way to make money on covered calls than selling calls on individual stocks?
4. If you hold 15 stocks as well as three etf’s, what kind of percentage might each one represent and the etf’s?
5. I am planning to use this strategy, But, for the moment I need to buy on margin, Canadian margin has a lower interest rate than US. So I was looking at Hamilton’s QMAX.It looks similar but I wondered what you thought.
thanks

Q: I own mcdonalds,pepsi and visa and notice that over the 3 and 5yr period that they have been outperformed by the SPY etf.Would you sell the three stocks and simplify by replacing them with SPY?

Q: How does SPYM (not listed on your site) differ from SPY? I've read this is Warren Buffet's favourite ETF.

Q: Can you recommend 2 high qualiity US ETF's?

Q: I'm moving away from 30 equities to and few ETFs. What do you think of a portfolio made up of SPY 30%, XIC 30%, VIU 20%, and VAB 20%? Or would you rather XEQT 80% and VAB 20%?

Q: I am considering gradually switching from an all equity portfolio to these six ETFs at the following percentages: XGRO 20%, VBAL 20%, ZSP 15%, SPY 15%, XIC 15%, and VIU 15%. I have been happy with my returns but am thinking more conservatively.
1. What do you think about this mix, are there any you'd suggest a replacement for?
2. What would your educated guess be for an annualized return over the next 10 years?

Q: What would be your top pick for an ETF that tracks the S&P 500 in US$?

Q: Hi 5i, I have a family member who has retired and is interested in buying a growth portfolio of ETFs that is US currency based. They have bought an annuity that will support their lifestyle for 10yrs. If you were building this portfolio what ETFs would you chose and what percentages would you allocate to them?

Q: I have just started an RESP for my grandson and will be contributing the max $2500 per year. What would you recommend as my first stock purchases.
Thank you

Q: What do you think about SPLV for lower risk investing? I understand the defensive nature of this ETF, but it's practically unchanged since Aug 2024, so I am wondering whether holding one of these new dual-direction Innovator ETFs or simply holding SPY and selling covered calls at +10% and buying puts at -10% is a better strategy here than holding SPLV. Your thoughts/suggestions on SPLV and these alternatives?

Q: Hello 5i Team,
I was looking at the performance of ZSP vs. SPY on the Google Finance site.
ZSP shows a 1-yr return of 13.33%, and a 5-yr return of 97.04%
SPY shows a 1-yr return of 17.67%, and a 5-yr return of 81.69%
Why are the returns so different if both are looking to replicate the returns of the S&P 500?
For a long term hold within my RRSP, would it be better to take a position in one vs. the other, or take a half-position in each?
Many thanks,
Brian

Q: Hi,

I have $50,000 to invest in my TFSA for 2026.

Could you provide your top 5 ETFs to invest in for US/Canadian, Top 3 foreign ETFs. and Top 3 dividend ETFs.

Holding for approx. 10 years. Risk level Moderate to high.

I have an ETF in SMH that has 108% ROI in the last 2 years. Would you advice on putting more cash into SMH?

Thank you

Q: Greetings 5i Team:

I'm looking to make upgrades to some RBC Funds in my wife's accounts. Deduct as many credits as needed.

Can you suggest:

1. A general tech ETF of the same ilk as RBF 620 Global Technology Fund,

2. For that matter, can you suggest a (preferably Cdn dollar) cyber security ETF.

3. A substitute for RBF 615 US Equity Fund.

4. A substitute for RBF 617 US Midcap Fund (with the idea that small caps might actually catch a bid this year).

5. A healthcare ETF, preferably in Cdn dollars.

Thank you, you're much appreciated!
Pete in Calgary.

Q: Does 5i have a perspective on total weight a investors portfolio could have holding respective ETFS for

: SP500 QQQ DJI RUS 2000 and TSX ...... 1.5-2.5% each ?
(10-15% total)

Q: Hi Gang
What are your top 5 etf. At this time
Thanks Mike B

Q: Everyone, if your portfolio was only ETFs how many would you have and what would they be? Clayton

Q: If a new Canadian investor wanted to get into the North American market and use low cost index investing to achieve both diversification and simplicity what would you consider for such a portfolio. And if international exposure was desired what could be considered as additions for that.

Q: Peter, I’m also tiring of underperformance of MAW funds. Could you suggest alts for these two please? Thanks,
Rod

Q: My son has US$100K to invest in a non-registered account. He would like to keep it simple and invest in a low fee ETF for balanced growth. Please suggest suitable investment vehicle in USD denomination.