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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: Hello,

After reading the article on 5i 'Investment Model Portfolios' - May 6, 2019 I had a question regarding this post in relation to my current equity portfolio.

My portfolio analytics indicates that I should be allocating 25% to Canadian equity, which seems high to me. This article mentions that the big providers/firms allocate about 31-32% to Canadian equities, which I found a bit surprising, given Canada is only about 3-4% of the global equity market. The article does note that for Canadians, having a home country bias can make sense (dividend tax credit and tax reasons), which makes sense.

My question is this. For the average Canadian investor, does 25% of one's equity exposure to Canada seem high (even given the added benefits noted above)? I am guessing there is no 'perfect' answer to this question however, I look at this as making a big bet on oil and financials. If Canada is 3-4% of the global equity market, could one not argue that even doubling Canadian exposure, say up to approximately 10% of equity portfolio, be a reasonable allocation?

Thanks for your insights on this.
Read Answer Asked by Aaron on June 28, 2019
Q: June 26 John asked about his daughter putting 10k into RESP and what ETFs to buy. John and his daughter should be reminded that they will only get $500 CESG (unless she has other kids and it is a family RESP).
Read Answer Asked by Greg on June 28, 2019
Q: I tried to buy 100 units of this on my TD Webroker Account for CAD$5,000 and change. Got an error message telling me to call a TD rep at an 800 number. The rep told me that I could not buy this through them. I have never run into this in the past for any stock or ETF that I wanted to buy or sell. What brokers take orders for PSA:CA and which brokers will not take these orders.
Read Answer Asked by Edward on June 28, 2019
Q: HHC announced today they have hired a company to explore strategic options, including a possible sale of HHC (surprising) . I love the assets here. It popped 42% today, although off of lows. I am holding on, thinking of selling some covered calls out of the money, or possibly selling some of my shares outright. I'd really appreciate your opinion on what this company is worth., before making any decision.
Read Answer Asked by arnold on June 28, 2019
Q: Peter,

Is the rate reset spread on preferreds only good until the reset date? If so, do companies tend to renew at a similar spread or can it vary greatly?

Thank you

Paul
Read Answer Asked by paul on June 28, 2019
Q: Would be grateful if you could tell me in which of the above funds is it most beneficial for me to hold cash in a managed account - 1% fees?
What is the difference between the 3 - are there MER's. In which fund would a financial advisor hold his cash? Would appreciate any comments on this subject.
Read Answer Asked by Lorraine on June 27, 2019
Q: Hi Peter and Company:
I am under water re. above 3 US companies and 1 Canadian. Your advice, sell or keep? If sell, your recommendation with what to replace in growth companies, sector not important.
If keep, why? I prefer to trade if there is something more promising then
long term wait.
Thanks, Much appreciated as always,
Klaus
Read Answer Asked by Klaus on June 27, 2019