Investment Q&A

Q: I am a retired, conservative dividend-income investor with a company pension, CPP, annuities, Fisgard Capital and the following equities:
1. 17% Mutual funds (RBC Cdn Equity Income, Sentry Cdn Income, Sentry REIT)
2. 10% ETFs (ZLB, XIT, ZWE)
3. 41% stocks (listed above)
4. 32% fixed income (annuities, Fisgard, but not including my pension nor CPP).

I plan to reduce my Sentry Cdn Income holding from 9% to 5% and purchase ZWC. The benefits would be a) saving $1k in hidden MER fees, b) receiving an extra $1k in dividends and c) a better asset allocation. I like the covered call strategy that ZWC provides, as well as the 30 companies inside the ETF.

Question = is this the right ETF product? Are there other Canadian Covered Call ETF choices that offer this diversified asset mix that I should consider? Are their other ETFs that have slightly less financials, less utilities, and more industrials that would result in a better asset allocation for me?

Thanks for your help...Steve

Q: I am considering these two ETFs for my RRIF. Do you have a preference? I currently hold the following: SLF, BNS, TD, RY, AQN, BEP.UN, T, BCE, ALA, ENB and PPL. Thank you.

Q: Are covered call ETF's okay to put in a non registered account vs TFSA & RRSP from a tax perspective vs regular dividend etfs? Does this make things more complicated when filing?
Also what is the opinion of 5i regarding PDF?

Thank you!

Q: I am a fan of covered calls. I am retired and like the income, tax treatment and downside protection. In addition I like the diversity an ETF brings.
I hold all the above but am looking for more diversity. Are there equivalent US offerings? Does BMO have competing products that are more diverse?
Thanks

Q: I hold small weightings in cdz,zwc,zwh,zwe as well as holdings in Canadian utilities. I am thinking of replacing cdz with either zdh or cyh to increase my international holdings. Would you please look under the hood of zdh and cyh and would you recommend this move or do you have another recommendation?. Thanx. Great service.

Q: In order to avoid individual stock risk, my wife (retired) has asked my opinion on investing 30% of her total portfolio in 10% each of Canada, Europe, and the U.S. (The remaining 70% is composed of 5-year laddered GIC's) I have suggested the following... Canada would be broken down into ZWC and CDZ (on a 40/60 split), Europe would be broadly broken down into ZWE and XIN (40/60 split), and the U.S. would be broken down into ZWH and CUD (40/60 split). What do you think of this strategy? Would you recommend different ETF's to balance the covered calls for the three geographic areas? Thanks!

Q: What would be your suggestion for the percentage of allocation in a portfolio of various covered call ETFs ( eg ZWC, ZWU, ZWE, ZWH etc.) as an income source for a retiree? Joe

Q: I have small positions in zwb and zwc. Would you recommend consolidating into zwc as it has a position in most Canadian banks. Which would you prefer for a long term hold in an rrsp account for income and stability of yield? Thanx for your services.

Q: Hi
I am looking for your top pic for Secure High Dividend ETF's - One Canadian Equity and One USA. I am also looking for High Dividend Growth ETF's (Like CDZ) - One More Canadian and One USA

Q: What is your opinion on this ETF? Pros? Cons? Is it best to hold it in a registered account or TFSA?

"I’ve started to buy one of the newest additions to the BMO ETF lineup - BMO Canadian High Dividend Covered Call (ZWC-T) strategy. It’s expected yield is around 6 per cent and it has less risk than the overall index. It holds a basket of some of the best quality dividend payers in Canada with a yield enhancement from a 50-per-cent covered call overlay."
It was mentioned in this article:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/globe-investor/funds-and-etfs/etfs/larry-berman-its-time-to-get-defensive-after-a-troubling-budget/article34414534/