Investment Q&A

Q: Hello Peter,
I tried to balance growth and income as well as dividends (no with holding tax in RRSP for US stocks but there is in TFSA), and hence, can you let me know if these make sense for a mid 20s person starting off to have a more growth in TFSA and more income in RRSP.
TFSA: veqt, vgg, and xfn and maybe xic ( veqt has cdn exposure so thought i would exclude xic )
RRSP: vbal, zuq, xic, and xuu all of these trade on tsx. Much appreciated.

Q: Good afternoon,

I have around 18k in my FHSA currently all cash, I'm looking for some investment options to allocate that cash to but not sure of the best practice. I'm looking at purchasing my 1st home in 8-12 months. Would it be best to invest the 18k in different ETFs? Should I allocate 1/3, 1/3, 1/3? What would you recommend as diversification as well as some ETF's you think would be appropriate for my current situation.

Thanks!

Q: Hi

My partner has funds to invest in a TFSA for a 3–5+-year hold starting now. Can you please suggest several diversified ETFs that would be worth considering both USD and CAD hedged that are likely to see growth, including any mid-cap ETFs to consider. Please also suggest any bond ETFs to consider providing balance.

Thank you for the great service!

Q: I have a seven year old grandson with a disability that qualifies him for an RDSP. So I am looking for a long term investment strategy. Would you recommend ETFs? If so could you please suggest 3 ETFs. If not, ETFs what would you recommend?

Q: My wife has some money should would like to invest in eft. Which ones would you recommend.

Q: Which do you prefer for a 3 to 5 year hold and why? Looking forward minimum volatility and preservation of capital. Do you have other etf to look at? Thanx.

Q: Hi 5i!

A question for a friend looking for a new investment instead of csav and cash as interest rates are reduced.

He already have XQQ and ZSP.

1. He is looking for an etf of canadian dividends stocks, do you have a suggestion?

2. What would you propose now for lower risk tolerence?

Q: Would any of these ETF's have year-end distributions?
Is it a good idea to just wait until the new calendar year now, to start a new position in one of these?

Q: Hello,

I am a 65 year old retiree. I am considered an Alpha-Balanced investor according to Portfolio Analytics.

I need to simplify my portfolio in order to make it easier for my wife to manage as we get older. I like the idea of having all in one ETF's. Based on my Alpha Balanced risk tolerance which all in one ETF's would you recommend investing in for the long term? What percentage of overall portfolio would you invest in each all in one ETF? I realize you don't want to see more than 20% in each one but that would require at least 5 all in one ETF's? I was hoping for fewer.

Thanks for your help.

Q: Out of these four, which one do you think would have the best return over a 3 to 5 year time period? Looking for something "safe" and steady.

Thanks

Q: Seniors, late-80's, no debt, with a DB pension.
Looking to transition out of individual equities and into an ETF portfolio that we can 'set-and-forget'. This is a non-registered account (C$), looking to avoid tax implications (return of capital, etc.). Thx for some guidance.

Q: For my TFSA, I am hesitating between VBAL and XBAL. Which one do you prefer? Because of the U.S. and international component of these ETFs, will there be withholding taxes in a TFSA or other tax considerations we should know about? Thank you for your guidance

Q: Could you suggest an “all in one ETF”? This means investing in one ETF and that is all. Would you recommend doing this? I’ve seen these being pushed in private pension plans.

Thanks.

Q: What are your thoughts on the philosophy of a 3 etf portfolio (growth, dividend and foundational) from a retires point of that has the basic expenses covered by pension income. And some etf's you would consider candidates if you were to agree with this philosophy?
As always thanks for your point of view.

Brian

Q: We have about 1/3 of our portfolio in a HISA earning about 4%. This was done since at our age ('50's) we decided that was the approximate amount we should have in "non-equities". But we'd like to target a low-risk return on this portion of about 6%, and HISA rates are also coming down. So we want to move this to other "non-equity" areas. What is your best suggestion on this? Bond ETF - of so which ones are best right now? Or other ideas?

Q: Hello Peter,
For a 30 year old that wants to invest for the long term and not have to worry about following the markets constantly, what is your opinion on investing on the 5 ETFs: 40 % to VBAL ( as it contains bond portfolio) and 60 percent to the rest of the 4 ETFS. I know there is some duplication but wanted your opinion.. thanks for the service.

Q: Which one do you like more for a 3-year hold?

Q: Hello 5i,

Could you recommend 3 ETFS that you would consider for a 70 years old retiree. My portfolio is currently 95% in Equities both in Dividend ETFS (VDY, ZEB, XEI and XDIV and individual shares (ENB, RY, TELUS, and BMO.)

Thank You,

Q: Hi, retired 68 and living off my investments. No pension except CPP. Cannot collect OAS. Portfolio is stocks and fixed income about 70/30. Getting tired of worrying about individual stocks. Spouse not familiar with managing investments and simplification would be good if I passed. So was thinking of selling all and buying VBAL or similar. Leaning to XBAL due to better yield and returns. Questions:
1. in one of your posts you said you prefer to limit exposure to single ETFs. Please elaborate why. Would some protection be obtained with a 50/50 mix of VBAL and XBAL?
2. With North American markets at all time highs would this be a good time to do this or would some other time, such as a market downturn be better. Most of the funds are in registered funds so tax is not really an issue.
Thanks

Q: On Aug 21/24 you answered a question and suggested that investors start analyzing better the "downside risks" associated with any of their particular investments.

If we assume that "risks" range from 0 (lowest) to 10 (highest) and that individual stock choices occupy categlories 5-10 I am looking for your suggestions in categories 0-3 - one a USD denominated suggestion and one in CDN.

For my 0 category I currently use RBC's savings accounts RBF 2010 and RBF 2014 (USD) . I assume that some of your favourites from answers I have reviewed will be in categories 1-3 such as HISU.U, UBIL.U, HBND etc.

In any event if you can provide me with your analysis of the nature of the varying downside risk levels on a rising level and a suggestion for each I would be very grateful.

Regards,
Terry