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IA Clarington Canadian Small Cap Fund
– Recently, I added this to my Recommended List of Funds. It was more difficult decision to make than you would imagine. Not because it doesn’t belong on the list, but because it is a very similar fund to one that was already on the list – the CI Can-Am Small Cap Fund. Both are managed by QV Investors out of Calgary using a near identical process that looks for high quality businesses run by strong management teams that are trading at attractive valuations. Both funds are built on a bottom up basis, and tend to be fairly concentrated. But...
read moreFidelity NorthStar Fund
Fund Company Fidelity Investments Canada Fund Type Global Small / Mid Cap Equity Rating B Style Mid Cap Value Risk Level Medium Load Status Optional RRSP/RRIF Suitability Good TFSA Suitability Good Manager Daniel Dupont since October 2011 Joel Tillinghast since January 2012 MER 2.40% Code FID 253 – Front End Units FID 553 – DSC Units Minimum Investment $500 Analysis: The management team of Daniel Dupont and Joel Tillinghast have been at the helm of this go anywhere, all cap global equity fund since early 2012. They struggled a bit out of the...
read moreSentry Small / Mid Cap Income Fund
Fund Company Sentry Investments Fund Type Canadian Small / Mid Cap Equity Rating A Style Mid-Cap Blend Risk Level Medium High Load Status Optional RRSP/RRIF Suitability Excellent TFSA Suitability Excellent Manager Aubrey Hearn since July 2005 Michael Simpson since July 2005 MER 2.72% Code NCE 721 – Front End Units NCE 321 – DSC Units Minimum Investment $500 Analysis: This has been one of my favourite small and mid-cap offerings for nearly five years now. Managed by Aubrey Hearn and Michael Simpson, it has the duel...
read moreFirst Asset REIT Income Fund
Fund Company First Asset Funds Fund Type Real Estate Equity Rating A Style Value Risk Level Medium to High Load Status Optional RRSP/RRIF Suitability Fair TFSA Suitability Fair Manager Lee Goldman since June 2010 MER 2.50% Code FAF 5803 – Front End Units FAF 5800 – DSC Units Minimum Investment $500 Analysis: As an asset class, REITs were hit pretty hard during the “taper tantrum” in May of 2013, with the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index dropping by nearly 17% between May and August. They have since fought their way back, and recouped the losses...
read morePowerShares Canadian Dividend Index
Fund Company Invesco Canada Fund Type Canadian Dividend & Income Equity Rating A Style Value Risk Level Medium Load Status Front End RRSP/RRIF Suitability Excellent TFSA Suitability Excellent Manager PowerShares Management Team MER 1.82% Code AIM 44203 – Front End Units Minimum Investment $2,000 Analysis: Launched just over five years ago today, the PowerShares Canadian Dividend Index Fund was one of the first funds that invested solely in ETFs. It has one holding, the PowerShares Canadian Dividend Index ETF (TSX: PDC). The underlying ETF...
read moreRenaissance Optimal Growth & Income Portfolio
Like the highly regarded Renaissance Optimal Income Portfolio, this invests in a number of other funds offered by CIBC’s Renaissance brand. It is like a traditional 60/40 balanced portfolio. Within the fixed income sleeve, it provides exposure to not only traditional bonds, but also high yield, floating rate notes, and global bonds. The equity component is income focused, with the Renaissance Canadian Dividend Fund making up the lion’s share. It also has about 15% invested in global infrastructure, which is a great way to get not only growth...
read moreMackenzie Ivy Foreign Equity
When the global equity markets get rocky, this is the fund you’ll want to own. When markets are falling, this concentrated global offering has historically held up better than most. For example, in 2008 when the average fund was down 30%, it was down only 6.7%, and in 2011, the average fund was down 6.7%, yet this fund was higher by 3.2%. The tradeoff, of course, is that you will lag behind in a sharply rising market. But if you’re comfortable with not making as much on the upside to protect capital when things get rough, this is the fund to...
read moreFranklin U.S. Rising Dividends Fund
Of the U.S. equity funds available, there are none better at protecting capital in down markets than this one. While most other U.S. equity funds tend to fall more than the S&P 500, this gem has only fallen between 60% and 70% of the broader market. Even in 2008 when the S&P was off by nearly 30%, this fund was only down 11%. A drawback is that it will lag when markets are rising. But if you are looking for a U.S. equity fund that is likely to hold up in volatile times, this is one you should take a look at.
read moreCI Cambridge Canadian Equity
Performance of this Canadian focused offering has been very strong. Perhaps more impressive is that its volatility level has been significantly lower than the S&P/TSX Composite Index and its downside protection has been stellar. Historically, it has captured the overwhelming majority of the gains when markets are rising, but has experienced less than half of the drawdowns in falling markets. That makes it a great holding for periods of above average volatility.
read moreTempleton Global Bond
The manager uses a very active, somewhat non-traditional approach to building this portfolio. Instead of mirroring an index, they use a relative value approach looking for undervalued currencies, government bonds, and interest rates in countries that are healthy or on their way back. It has done a great job in protecting capital, but has been a touch more volatile than other global bond offerings. Another drawback is cost, with an MER of 2.19%, it’s a little pricey. Still, given the process, protection and diversification benefits, this is a...
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