Hub Blogs

Hub Blogs contains fresh contributions written by Financial Independence Hub staff or contributors that have not appeared elsewhere first, or have been modified or customized for the Hub by the original blogger. In contrast, Top Blogs shows links to the best external financial blogs around the world.

Wrapping our Heads around Income

Posted By |
Image: Franklin Templeton/iStock

By Franklin Templeton

(Sponsor Content)

For those who depend on investments to provide a portion of their yearly income, 2022 has been a tough slog, to say the least; but take heart: it’s almost over.

Of course, no one can say with certainty that 2023 will be better. Persistently high inflation, ongoing central bank monetary tightening and the increasing likelihood of a recession have made for volatile markets, and this uncertainty could continue well into next year.

Under the circumstances, it’s not surprising that weary investors have poured money into GICs (guaranteed investment certificates) and other cash equivalents. Even with today’s higher interest rates, however, returns remain well below the inflation rate, and unless held in registered accounts, they are fully taxable. Liquidity can also be problematic as most GICs require a locked-in period, with penalties for redeeming before maturity. If you need flexibility, you’ll pay for it with lower returns.

Reliable income requires diversification

Without doubt, GICs have their place: but the proverbial advice about placing all your eggs in one basket still applies. Diversification is as important for income portfolios as it is for equities, and the sources of income should be as uncorrelated to each other as possible. One way to easily bump up the level of income diversification is through a managed program (sometimes referred to as a wrap account) which bundles together different investment vehicles, strategies, styles and portfolio managers in one or more “umbrella” portfolios directed by a governing team of portfolio managers.

20 years of income generation

One of the earliest programs managed in Canada was Franklin Templeton’s Quotential program; in fact, this year marks the program’s 20th anniversary. Of its five globally diversified, actively managed portfolios, the aptly named Quotential Diversified Income Portfolio (QDIP) is designed to generate high, consistent income from multiple uncorrelated sources. Canadian and international fixed income assets form the core of the portfolio, but for added flexibility and performance enhancement, about one-quarter of the portfolio is invested in blue-chip Canadian and international equities selected for their income-generating  dividend yields and long-term growth potential.

“T” is for Tax Efficient

Reliability solves much of the income puzzle, but an important missing piece is the tax burden. Taxes can eat away at the income generated from investments, especially if you are still earning a salary or receiving significant income from other sources. All Quotential portfolios are available in Series T, which offers a predictable stream of cash flow through monthly return of capital (ROC) distributions. From a tax perspective, ROC is treated more favourably than interest or dividend income. The tax efficiency also extends to the tax deferral of capital gains that can help you better plan for when you pay tax. For snowbirds and others who spend extended periods south of the border, distributions from Series T are available in U.S. dollars for a number of funds, including Quotential Diversified Income.

It’s important to stress that with Series T, capital gains taxes are deferred, not eliminated. Continue Reading…

The Lure of Dividends

Posted By |

A super juicy yield can be a warning sign

By Anita Bruinsma, CFA, 

Clarity Personal Finance

Special to the Financial Independence Hub

Earning income from dividends is an attractive proposition that’s available to anyone with money to invest in the stock market. In a prior blog post, I highlighted two ways to get dividends from your investments: by investing in high dividend-paying ETFs and by investing in individual stocks. When choosing an ETF, I suggested three qualities to look for, one of which was choosing a fund with a high yield, with the note that “higher is better.”

“Higher is better” is a pretty safe bet with ETFs but when it comes to dividend-paying stocks, you need to be a little careful. Although higher is generally better, a very high dividend yield can be a warning sign.

Understanding dividends

As a reminder, a dividend is a payment made by a company to its shareholders and a dividend yield is the dividend per share divided by the stock price. (For a dividend primer, read my blog posts here and here.) The primary reason why a company pays a dividend is because it has extra cash. After paying expenses to run the business and invest for future growth, some companies still have money sitting around. They could put that money in the bank, or they could distribute it to shareholders. The thinking is that a shareholder might have better things to do with the cash than having the money sitting in the corporation’s bank account, causing shareholders to say, “Hey, I’m a part owner in this company – send me that cash that’s sitting around doing nothing for you.”

Another reason companies might pay dividends is to entice shareholders to buy their stock. If demand for a company’s stock is high, the price (generally) goes up. Companies like this a lot. The big drivers of demand for stocks are the large buyers: the companies that run mutual funds, pension funds and exchange-traded funds. (They are called institutional investors.) Dividend-focussed funds often have a requirement to invest only in companies that pay a dividend. Sometimes a fund’s portfolio manager likes a company but can’t own it in the mutual fund because it doesn’t pay a dividend. If the company wants these funds to buy its stock, it might choose to pay a dividend, even if it’s a small one. Is this the right motive for initiating a dividend? Not really, since the purpose of dividends is to distribute excess cash to shareholders – and unless there really is enough cash available, a dividend is simply window dressing.

When higher is not better

What kind of company makes the best dividend-payer? One that has stable profits and steady cash flow. Why? Because as an investor, you might come to rely on the dividends you are being paid – the last thing you want is for the company to stop paying the dividend. Not only does this mean you will have less income, but it can also be a signal that the business isn’t generating cash the way it used to. A company that reduces or eliminates its dividend is often punished by the market, sending the stock down. Companies most likely to face this situation are those that have volatile earnings – if profits are down, they may not have enough cash in the bank and cutting the dividend is inevitable. In fact, once a company sees that business is weakening, eliminating the dividends is one of the first and easiest ways to save money. Pay employees? Yes. Pay the bank loan? Absolutely. Pay the dividend? Nope.

This explains why a high dividend yield can be a warning sign. If a company’s stock price is falling, its dividend yield is going to move higher and higher so long as it doesn’t reduce the dividend. (Recall that the yield is calculated as dividend/stock price.) Does a 14% dividend yield sound great? Heck. yeah! That’s way better than a 4% GIC. But the expression “If it’s too good to be true, it probably is” applies here. A declining stock price probably means the business isn’t doing well – and that means the dividend is seriously at risk of being cut. If you’re interested in getting in the weeds a little (and now I’m regressing to my stock analyst days), have a look at this prime example. Just Energy had a 14% dividend yield in 2012 – it was way too high. Dividend cuts soon followed, and the company now pays no dividend. (The stock has been decimated.)

When higher is better

The recent stock market decline has resulted in some really nice dividend yields: BCE at 6.2%, CIBC at 5.6%, and Manulife Financial at 6%. But this is different: the whole market is going down. In this case, a higher yield isn’t a sign that the company is necessarily failing or that the dividend is at risk. This presents a nice opportunity to buy some of these stocks. Continue Reading…

BMO ETFs: Tax Loss Harvesting

Posted By |

illustration of a man on a laptop with charts and graphs behind him, sitting on money to illustrate investing

By Sa’ad Rana, Senior Associate – ETF Online Distribution, BMO ETFs

(Sponsor Content)

With volatile markets, rising inflation and a potential economic slowdown, 2022 has proven to be a challenging year for investors. Exchange traded funds (ETFs) are effective tools for investors to help navigate these uncertain markets and can be used to help crystallize losses from a tax perspective. As 2022-year end approaches, this article provides trade ideas to help you harvest tax savings from under-performing securities.

What is Tax-Loss Harvesting?

By disposing of securities with accrued capital losses, investors can help offset taxes otherwise payable from securities that were sold at a capital gain. The proceeds from the sale of these securities can then be reinvested in different securities with similar exposures to the securities that were sold, in order to maintain market exposure.

  • Realized capital gains from previous transactions can be offset by selling securities, which are trading at a lower price than their adjusted cost base.
  • Investors can then use the proceeds from the security that is sold to invest in a different security, i.e. BMO Exchange Traded Funds (ETF).
  • In addition to common shares, tax-loss harvesting can also be applied in respect of other financial instruments that are on capital account, such as bonds, preferred shares, ETFs, mutual funds, etc.

Considerations:

If capital gains are not available in the current year, the realized losses may be carried back for three years to shelter gains realized in those years or carried forward to reduce capital gains in upcoming years.

Continue Reading…

Why a focus on ‘leaders’ works in Call Option ETFs

Posted By |

By Paul MacDonald, CFA

(Sponsor Content)

Harvest ETFs Chief Investment Officer explains why the independent ETF firm focuses on 20-30 ‘leaders’ in its call option ETFs.

Harvest’s call options ETFs are built through a structured process. Portfolio managers begin by identifying an industry, sector or theme with long-term growth prospects such as healthcare, technology, or utilities. They then identify and select between 20 and 30 leaders: large-cap companies with significant financial reserves and market share. The portfolio managers then apply Harvest ETFs’ active & flexible call option strategy to the ETF holdings to generate consistent monthly income for unitholders.

But why do they only select between 20 and 30 companies for their call option ETFs? Diversity is a key to any investment strategy, so shouldn’t Harvest ETFs focus on the widest variety of holdings as possible?

In our experience, the focused approach taken in many Harvest ETFs is tied directly to the execution of Harvest’s active and flexible Covered Call Option strategy.

20-30 stocks is not a random number. When we select the stocks we want an ETF to hold, our goal is to create concentrated portfolios, but with large enough capitalization and a wide enough diversity of business styles and operations that we can give investors broadly diversified exposure to a single sector or industry.

We like diversity, and in a one-stop solution for market exposure, having a huge array of companies can make a lot of sense. But for a targeted strategy like a call option ETF, focusing on the leaders of a particular industry or sector means the managers making decisions have a deep familiarity with the companies they hold.

Why familiarity matters in Call Option ETFs?

Call Option trading in an actively managed ETF requires constant engagement with options premiums available on specific stocks. One of the key value adds of an active call option strategy is the flexibility portfolio managers can have, both to generate their consistent monthly distribution and capture higher options premiums when available to expose more of the portfolio to potential market upside.

Continue Reading…

The seven money myths that stand in the way of a good financial plan

Posted By |

Financial Literacy Month is natural moment for a reality check-up

By Jennifer Cook, EPD, PFA, PFA™, QAFP™

For the Financial Independence Hub

On the path to financial security, there are natural peaks and valleys that can be navigated via the help of a good advisor.  It’s the map in the form of a personal plan that can help guide an individual toward their goals, whether it is saving for a house, planning for retirement or protecting against unforeseen events.  But more than any other hazard along the journey, is when road signs are misread or misunderstood.

Financial literacy is key to unlocking an individual’s ability to realize their dreams, and that is why Financial Literacy Month in November is so important to us at Co-operators.  It’s a moment for all of us to fill in some of the gaps in our knowledge about planning.

Many of us have developed habits or rely on inherited ideas about finances, so I look at financial literacy as an opportunity to put to rest some of the myths that can affect good financial planning.

As Canadians face year-end decisions on investments, taxes, and RRSPs, we at Co-operators have identified common gaps in financial preparedness stemming from the spread of money myths. There are many myths that can derail planning, but I’d like to talk about the top seven and offer a remedy in the form of a reality.

Myth 1: Saving is safe. Investing is risky.

Reality: As Canadians feel the impact of raising interest rates and inflation, it’s tempting to embrace the idea of “safe” or “lower-risk” investment options. But this strategy comes with a risk of considerable lost earning power. Investing in a diversified portfolio that matches individual needs with the help of a Financial Advisor can build long-term returns, while managing risk.

Myth 2: Single, young people don’t need insurance.

Reality: No one is free from the risk of loss or liability. When budgets are tight, tenant or renters’ insurance can provide critical coverage for unforeseen events like theft, fire, or water damage. Young people can also take advantage of lower insurance rates that provide continuing benefits as their lives develop and their needs grow.

Myth 3: RRSP season starts in mid-February.

Reality: Though the typical RRSP frenzy may suggest otherwise, there is no rule that says lump sum payments must be made to RRSPs before the annual March 1 deadline. Canadians can contribute to their RRSPs (up to individual contribution maximums) at any time of the year. The March 1 date is used to determine how tax benefits will apply to the previous year’s income. Depending on a person’s situation, a Financial Advisor may recommend contributing smaller amounts to an RRSP on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis.

Myth 4: Those who invest in mutual funds have sufficiently diversified portfolios.

Reality: Today’s spectrum of mutual funds is widespread. It’s not easy to gauge whether an individual investor is appropriately diversified. And that can leave some people vulnerable to losses from sectors. Leveraging the expertise of a Financial Advisor can help investors make nuanced adjustments to ensure their portfolio has the right balance of diversification aligned with their risk tolerance. Continue Reading…