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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: I plan on adding to the following positions within my TFSA. What would be your order of buying?
Read Answer Asked by James on December 14, 2020
Q: I have a DOY balanced portfolio (Alpha-Balanced for guidance) , with less than 10 year timeframe.
I’m underweight communication services, and energy. Not a fan at this stage of oil or precious metals. Overweight in industrials and technology.
My concern is with my overweight in technology. Reading a number of opinion articles that refer to the tech boom as another dot.com. The reply often is oh but this is different.
Here’s my two cents worth especially related to tech stocks I own. First of all investors/traders seem to be jumping in and out of technology based on the latest COVID-19 / vaccine news.
Re KXS; will still be in demand long after Covid-19. LSPD; somewhat sensitive to Covid-19 but have done a good job diversifying and adapting restaurant services etc. Will do well in recovery.
Maybe more acquisitions.
SHOP; like Amazon will carry on even though the valuation is high. Younger generation will still shop on line.
Now comes the tricky part. WELL and VEEV. I don’t quite have a handle on. Not sure if the demand for their service will still be there post COVID-19.
Your comments and/or thought would be greatly appreciated. I have a feeling that many of your clients would be interested in what you have to say.
I’m an experienced investor but don’t have access to the kinds of info I once did. I depend a great deal on your unbiased expert opinion.
Merry Christmas

Roy
Read Answer Asked by Roy on December 10, 2020
Q: Hi There,
I am considering adding to my current position of either MG or BNS.
In the event of market pull back, which of these do you believe would be the most stable? The idea is, when there is a market pull back, sell the position and add a more growth oriented name.
Read Answer Asked by Kevin on December 07, 2020
Q: I invest in companies that have a track record of growing dividends. A chunk of my portfolio is invested in Canadian bank stocks which up to this year had a nice record of increasing dividends. In 2020 TD and RY did increase early in the year - but Covid brought a halt to increases from BMO and BNS. When do you think the banks will begin to think about increases - is 2021 too early and does OFSI (or whatever they are called) have a say and will they disallow.
Thanks
Read Answer Asked by Gary on November 26, 2020
Q: While off their lows, financials have not recovered this year. I am having difficulty not seeing these as 'shouting', if not screaming buys for the long term investor. Companies like JPM and BNS seem to have sound businesses and pay a nice divvy. The conservative nature of banks in Canada seems particularly attractive under these circumstances. What am I missing? Can you add some granularity please. Thank-you.
Read Answer Asked by Alex on November 02, 2020
Q: Purely in terms of dividend sustainability could you please rank TD, RY, BNS, NA, CM and BMO and briefly why? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Gary on October 26, 2020
Q: You have referred to some stocks and ETFs as CORE. What percentage of portfolio would you recommend as core (relative to satellite holdings) and what would be the number of core stocks and ETFs for diversification. What core stocks and ETFs across all sectors would you recommend?.
Read Answer Asked by sam on October 22, 2020
Q: With regards to your response to Member Brian Oct 20, 2020. Which bank stock to buy? National maybe small and regional, but the growth of the bank has been far superior to the other Canadian banks.
Dating from Dec 31, 2015, National stock is up 65%, the nearest rival Royal is up 30% and BNS has grown .02%. Since March 23, 2020 National is up 75%. Far ahead of rivals. National pays 4.3% dividend and BNS is 6.5%. However which one would you prefer to own. Many seem to forget this company and I don't know why. Just my observation, love your site, and you've made me a ton since I joined. Thanks to your Team PS even XFN ranks third in returns
Read Answer Asked by David on October 20, 2020
Q: I am thinking of an approximate weighting of 40/40/20 value wise for an income stream to offset the cost of borrowing 20,000.00 putting 10,000.00 into the investment (cash account) and the other 10, 000.00 down against my mortgage it saves about 17,000.00 on the back end of my mortgage. what is your opinion on this strategy?
Read Answer Asked by TRENT on October 19, 2020
Q: I am just getting started in DIY investing and have been introduced to 5i by family members who have had great success. I am looking for five-ten really solid Canadian dividend paying stocks to form the core of a balanced portfolio. In my TFSA, I have BCE, TD, ENB, BNS, SLF. Should I be looking elsewhere? Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Christopher on October 08, 2020
Q: Dear 5i team,
NA, CM and RY have seen recovery to an encouraging extent.
BNS, TD and BMO much less so.

I do bear in mind that not all banks were/are uniformly exposed to risks precipitated by the virus; those that needed to increase reserves against losses have done so I believe. I’ve not sourced reports indicating any bank is not prudently shored up with loss provisions.

Would it be too soon to start a monthly purchase of BNS, TD, and/or BMO - small amounts, say $1k?
If it is too soon, what are you looking to hear, read about, or see happen that would tell you buying can begin?

Thank you so much!
Read Answer Asked by Hilary on October 05, 2020
Q: A respected analyst stated: DO NOT BUY THE BANKS!!!
Here are his reasons:
- Not only are they facing pressure from a flat yield curve but every aspect of their business is being disrupted by digital-first competitors.
- FinTech companies (both public and private) are disrupting every single one of the revenue channels at the banks.
- There isn't a single reason to own bank stocks other than the dividends however I’d argue if their businesses decline as much as I think they will those dividends might not be safe.
- There are better industries to find dividends where the companies are growing earnings and increasing their dividends. Personally I don’t see any of the banks increasing their earnings for a long time especially if these VC backed FinTech companies continue to crush them.
- If you want exposure to the financial industry I’d suggest going with the digital payment companies: $V $MA $PYPL $SQ

What are your thoughts re: only focus on fintech and digital payment companies in your portfolio?
I note that your top pick for banks in your income portfolio is BNS.TO, which you constantly recommend as it appears "undervalued", however BNS.TO has made 0% capital appreciation over 5 years. Is it time to switch to fintech?
Read Answer Asked by Curtis on October 05, 2020
Q: My daughter is selling BNS for a tax loss. For a replacement would you favor a US bank like JPM at this time or another Canadian bank like TD or RY? Her other financials are BAM and GSY.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on September 28, 2020