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BCE INC. $54.40 (Toronto symbol BCE; Shares outstanding: 839.6 million; Market cap: $44.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 4.5%; www.bce.ca) recently agreed to buy Glentel Inc. (Toronto symbol GLN) for $670 million.

Glentel sells mobile phones and subscription plans through 494 Canadian stores, mainly under the Wireless Wave banner. Glentel also has 735 U.S. outlets and 147 in Australia and the Philippines.

However, rival wireless carrier Rogers Communications (Toronto symbol RCI.B) legally challenged the takeover. Rogers claims that its existing deal with Glentel gives it the right to block any change in control.

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POWERSHARES QQQ ETF $101.36 (Nasdaq symbol QQQQ; buy or sell through brokers; www.invescopowershares- .com), formerly called Nasdaq 100 Trust Shares, holds stocks that represent the Nasdaq 100 Index, which consists of the 100 largest shares on the Nasdaq exchange, based on market cap.

The Nasdaq 100 Index contains shares of companies in a number of major industries, including computer hardware and software, telecommunications, retail/wholesale trade and biotechnology. It does not contain financial companies. The fund’s expenses are about 0.20% of its assets.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, Microsoft, Amgen, Google, Cisco Systems, Intel, Amazon.com, Gilead Sciences, Comcast Corp. and Facebook.

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SPDR S&P 500 ETF $202.31 (New York symbol SPY; buy or sell through brokers; www.spdrs.com) holds the stocks in the S&P 500 Index, which consists of 500 major U.S. companies that are chosen based on their market cap, liquidity and industry group.

The index’s highest-weighted stocks are Apple, ExxonMobil, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson, J.P. Morgan Chase, Chevron, General Electric, Berkshire Hathaway, and Wells Fargo & Co. The fund’s expenses are just 0.10% of its assets.

If you want exposure to the S&P 500 Index, the SPDR S&P 500 ETF is a buy.

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ISHARES CANADIAN SELECT DIVIDEND INDEX ETF $24.27 (Toronto symbol XDV; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds 30 of the highestyielding Canadian stocks. Its selections are based on dividend growth, yield and payout ratio. The weight of any one stock is limited to 10% of the ETF’s assets. The fund’s MER is 0.55%, and it yields 3.9%.

The fund’s top holdings are CIBC, 7.3%; TD Bank, 6.8%, National Bank, 6.7%; Bank of Montreal, 6.1%; Royal Bank, 5.5%; BCE, 4.8%; Ag Growth International, 4.6%; Bank of Nova Scotia, 4.5%; Bonterra Energy, 4.2%; and Laurentian Bank of Canada, 3.9%.

The ETF holds 55.2% of its assets in financial stocks. The top Canadian finance stocks have sound prospects. However, if you invest in this ETF, be sure to adjust the rest of your portfolio so it won’t be overly concentrated in the financial sector.

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IBM $155.05 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 989.7 million; Market cap: $197.9 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.8%; www.ibm.com) has signed several new cloud computing contracts. These deals will help boost its cloud computing revenue to $7 billion in 2015, or about 7% of its total projected revenue of $99 billion.

Among them is a 10-year, $2.0-billion deal to build and manage a cloud platform for ABN Amro, one of the Netherlands’ leading banks.

The company has also signed a seven-year, $1.25-billion contract to build a cloud-based system for U.K.-based advertising agency WPP plc. Under the deal, IBM will combine WPP’s mainframe computers with new remote servers.

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VERESEN $16.23 (Toronto symbol VSN; Shares outstanding: 279.6 million; Market cap: $4.7 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.2%; www.vereseninc.com) owns pipelines, power plants and gas-processing facilities across North America.

A major holding is 50% of the Alliance gas line, which runs 3,000 kilometres between Chicago and Fort St. John, B.C. Veresen also owns the Alberta Ethane Gathering System, 42.7% of the Aux Sable NGL plant, and the Hythe/Steeprock natural gas gathering and processing complex in the Cutbank Ridge region of Alberta and B.C.

In the quarter ended September 30, 2014, Veresen’s cash flow per share rose 4.5%, to $0.23 from $0.22.

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PEMBINA PIPELINE $39.55 (Toronto symbol PPL; Shares outstanding: 336.0 million; Market cap: $13.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 4.4%; www.pembina.com) owns pipelines that carry half of Alberta’s conventional oil, 30% of Western Canada’s natural gas liquids (NGLs) and almost all of B.C.’s conventional oil.

Pembina also owns extensive facilities to extract, process and store NGLs.

In the quarter ended September 30, 2014, Pembina’s cash flow per share fell 6.2%, to $0.61 from $0.65. But that’s mainly because the company hired new employees and more consultants to support its continued rapid growth.

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TD BANK $52.89 (Toronto symbol TD; Shares outstanding: 1.8 billion; Market cap: $90.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 3.6%; www.td.com) is Canada’s largest bank, with $944.7 billion of assets. It also operates 1,318 branches in the U.S.—compared to 1,165 in Canada—and owns 40.72% of TD Ameritrade (New York symbol AMTD), a leading online brokerage.

Excluding one-time items, TD’s earnings per share rose 15.1% in the fiscal year ended October 31, 2014, to $4.28 from $3.72. Revenue gained 9.2%, to $30.0 billion from $27.3 billion.

TD continues to benefit from its early 2014 deal with Aimia (Toronto symbol AIM) to become the main credit card issuer for the popular Aeroplan travel-reward program. The bank’s Canadian and U.S. retail operations are also profiting from stronger growth in both loans and deposits. In addition, the U.S. business is gaining from acquisitions, including Target Corp.’s U.S. credit card portfolio.

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CANADIAN REIT $48.21 (Toronto symbol REF.UN; Units outstanding: 72.4 million; Market cap: $3.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.6%; www.creit.ca) owns 198 properties, including retail, industrial and office buildings, across Canada and in Chicago. These holdings contain 24.6 million square feet of leasable area. The trust’s occupancy rate is 95.3%.

In the three months ended September 30, 2014, Canadian REIT’s revenue rose 1.5%, to $100.8 million from $99.3 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit gained 2.8%, to $0.74 from $0.72.

Canadian REIT added $191.1 million worth of buildings in 2013. That followed $401.9 million of purchases in 2012, including 50% of Calgary Place, a 575,000-square-foot office and retail complex, for $156.0 million. So far this year, it has made one acquisition: a 261,000-square-foot industrial property near Toronto’s Pearson International Airport for $29.3 million.

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ALLIED PROPERTIES REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $39.54 (Toronto symbol AP.UN; Units outstanding: 74.7 million; Market cap: $3.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.7%; www.alliedreit.com) owns 138 office buildings, mostly in major Canadian cities. These mainly Class I properties contain over 9.9 million square feet of leasable area.

Class I refers to 19th- and early-20th-century light industrial buildings that have been converted to retail space. They usually feature exposed beams, interior brick and hardwood floors.

Allied bought $400 million of properties in 2012 and $182.4 million in 2013. In the first three quarters of 2014, it added seven more for $210.0 million.

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CANADIAN PACIFIC RAILWAY LTD. $231.77 (Toronto symbol CP; Shares outstanding: 171.0 million; Market cap: $39.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 0.6%; www.cpr.ca) has agreed to form a 50/50 joint venture with DREAM Unlimited Corp., Toronto symbol DRM.

This new business—called DREAM Van Horne Properties—will redevelop several of CP’s real estate holdings, helping the company unlock some of their hidden value.

These assets include 75-acre Schiller Park in Chicago; Obico, a 74-acre site near Toronto; the 92-acre South Edmonton Yard, close to downtown Edmonton; and Lucien L’allier, a three-acre site in Montreal.

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IBM $156.96 (New York symbol IBM; Shares outstanding: 989.7 million; Market cap: $157.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Dividend yield: 2.8%; www.ibm.com) reported better-than-expected earnings in the latest quarter, but that was mainly due to cost cuts, as demand for the company’s mainframes and computer services has weakened.

In the three months ended December 31, 2014, IBM’s per-share earnings fell 5.7%, to $5.81 from $6.16. That beat the consensus estimate of $5.41.

Revenue fell 11.9%, to $24.1 billion from $27.4 billion, missing the consensus estimate of $24.8 billion. If you adjust for foreign exchange rates and the sale of the company’s server business, revenue declined by 2%.

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PENGROWTH ENERGY $4.01 (Toronto symbol PGF; Shares outstanding: 530.1 million; Market cap: $2.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 6.0%; www.pengrowth.com) has cut its capital spending plans and dividend to conserve cash in the face of falling oil prices.

Capital spending will drop 74.0%, to $200 million from $770 million in 2014. The company is also cutting its monthly dividend by 50.0%, from $0.04 a share to $0.02. The new rate still yields a high 6.0%.

Pengrowth is still a buy.

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IMPERIAL OIL $49.56 (Toronto symbol IMO; Shares outstanding: 847.6 million; Market cap: $43.0 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 1.1%; www.imperialoil.ca) owns roughly 500 of the 1,700 Esso gas stations in Canada.

The company is considering selling its companyowned stations to independent operators. It’s likely that it would only sell to buyers who agree to purchase their fuel from Imperial and keep using the Esso brand.

Imperial is also looking at options to spur growth at its On the Run convenience stores. It may sell them outright or set them up as franchises.

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POWER CORP. $31.38 (Toronto symbol POW; Shares outstanding: 412.6 million; Market cap: $15.1 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 3.7%; www.powercorporation.com) is a diversified holding company. It holds its financial assets through 65.7%-owned Power Financial.

These financial assets include 68.1% of Great- West Lifeco, one of Canada’s largest life insurers, and 58.7% of IGM Financial, a leading Canadian mutual fund provider.

Power Financial also owns 50% of holding company Parjointco, which holds 55.5% of Switzerland- listed Pargesa Holdings SA. Pargesa has 95% of its assets in five large European companies: Imerys (minerals), Total SA (oil), Pernod Ricard (wine and spirits), SGS (inspection, testing and certification services) and Lafarge (cement and building materials). Power Corp. also has investments in Asia.

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ENBRIDGE INC. $62.78 (Toronto symbol ENB; Shares outstanding: 848.8 million; Market cap: $53.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Above Average; Divd. yield: 3.0%; www.enbridge.com) has won a contract to build an underwater pipeline that will pump crude oil from a new platform in the Gulf of Mexico to an existing pipeline network.

This deal is worth $130 million, which is small next to the $8.3 billion of revenue the company reported for the three months ended September 30, 2014.

However, deals like this enhance Enbridge’s already strong reputation in the region; its pipelines already carry about 40% of the natural gas produced in the Gulf’s deeper areas. The new line should start up in 2018.

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INNERGEX RENEWABLE ENERGY $11.91 (Toronto symbol INE; Shares outstanding: 100.7 million; Market cap: $1.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield 5.0%; www.innergex.com) operates 26 hydroelectric plants, six wind farms and one solar power facility in Quebec, Ontario, B.C. and Idaho. The company gets 73% of its power from hydroelectric plants. Wind supplies 26% and solar generates 1%. In contrast to Algonquin, Innergex is growing slowly, mostly by building its own hydroelectric and wind facilities, rather than through acquisitions. Right now, the company has five projects under construction.

But like Algonquin, Innergex makes sure it has firm long-term power-purchase contracts in place before it starts building new plants.

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ALGONQUIN POWER & UTILITIES CORP. $10.41 (Toronto symbol AQN; Shares outstanding: 238.1 million; Market cap: $2.5 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 3.8%; www.algonquinpower.com) has nearly tripled in size over the past three years through acquisitions. Now it’s expanding further with new purchases.

The most recent was late last year, when Algonquin paid $327 million U.S. for Park Water, owner of three regulated water utilities with 74,000 customers in California and Montana.

Algonquin’s regulated utility businesses now provide water, electricity and natural gas to over 488,000 customers, up sharply from 120,000 three years ago. In addition, its hydroelectric, thermal energy, solar and wind facilities generate 1,150 megawatts, up from 460.

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CENOVUS ENERGY $25.04 (Toronto symbol CVE; Shares outstanding: 757.1 million; Market cap: $19.4 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 4.3%; www.cenovus.com) has cut its capital spending plans for the second time in two months due to lower oil prices.

The company now expects to spend $1.8 billion to $2.0 billion in 2015, down from $2.5 billion to $2.7 billion in its earlier plan (and down from an estimated $3.1 billion in 2014). As part of these cuts, it will suspend drilling for conventional oil in Alberta and Saskatchewan, and defer some oil sands work.

Cenovus now expects its cash flow for the year to fall by roughly half, to $1.4 billion, or $1.85 a share. That could prompt the company to cut its $1.065-a-share dividend, which yields 4.3%. Cenovus’s dividend payments total $800 million a year.

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VANGUARD FTSE EMERGING MARKETS ETF $41.09 (New York symbol VWO; buy or sell through brokers) aims to track the Financial Times Stock Exchange (FTSE) Transitions Index, which is made up of common stocks of companies in developing countries. The fund’s MER is just 0.15%.

The Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF’s top holdings include Taiwan Semiconductor (Taiwan: computer chips), China Mobile, Itau Unibanco Holding SA (Brazil: banking), China Construction Bank, Bank of China, Tencent Holdings (China: Internet), Industrial & Commercial Bank of China, Naspers Ltd. (South Africa: media); Banco Bradesco (Brazil: banking); and Hon Hai Precision Industry (Taiwan: electronics).

The $62.5-billion fund’s breakdown by country is as follows: China (24.4%), Taiwan (14.3%), India (11.7%), Brazil (10.7%), South Africa (9.5%), Mexico (5.6%), Malaysia (4.5%), Russia (3.6%), Indonesia (3.0%), Thailand (3.0%), Turkey (2.0%), Philippines (1.8%), Poland (1.8%) and others (4.1%).

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Every Wednesday, we publish our “Investor Toolkit” series on TSI Network. Whether you’re a new or experienced investor, these weekly updates are designed to give you specific advice on successful investing, and on successful retirement planning. Each Investor Toolkit update gives you a fundamental tip and shows you how you can put it into practice right away.

Tip of the week: “When you work out a plan for your retirement, make sure that you aren’t basing your future income on over-optimistic calculations that will end up leaving you short.”

As the deadline for RRSP contributions approaches, many investors are confident they are taking concrete steps toward a secure retirement. But are those steps based on realistic calculations?

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GUGGENHEIM CHINA SMALL CAP ETF $25.66 (New York Exchange symbol HAO; buy or sell through brokers; www.guggenheimfunds.com) aims to track the AlphaShares China Small Cap Index, which is made up of all Chinese stocks that are legal for foreign investors and have market caps between $200 million and $1.5 billion.

The $205.6-millon fund’s top holdings are Shenzhou International, 1.1%; Air China, 1.0%; Zijin Mining, 1.0%; China Everbright, 1.0%; Zhejiang Expressway, 1.0%; CSPC Pharmaceutical, 1.0%; Aluminum Corp. of China, 1.0%; Datang International Power, 1.0%; and Shanghai Electric, 1.0%.

As China’s economy matures and wages rise, domestic spending should continue to increase. As well, the country’s leaders recently announced that they will extend social services to migrant workers, and they will likely have to make further investments in programs to ease the growing gap between the rich and poor. Guggenheim China Small Cap ETF is well positioned to benefit from both of these trends.

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RIOCAN REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT TRUST $29.55 (Toronto symbol REI.UN; Units outstanding: 313.9 million; Market cap: $9.2 billion; TSINetwork Rating: Average; Dividend yield: 4.8%; www.riocan.com) should be able to weather Target Corp.’s decision to close its 133 Canadian stores with minimal effect on its revenue and profits.

RioCan has Target as its seventh-largest tenant, with 26 locations, but the stores account for just 1.9% of the REIT’s annualized rental revenue.

Many of the Target stores are in established malls, so RioCan should be able to rent them to new tenants, perhaps at higher rates. Meanwhile, RioCan says the leases on the 26 locations are guaranteed by the U.S. parent company, Target Corp., for more than a decade.

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Every Tuesday we bring you “Best Canadian Stocks.” You get our specific recommendations on the stocks we profile, with a full explanation of how we arrived at our opinion. You’ll read about stocks making moves you should know about, from coverage in one of our three newsletters featuring Canadian stocks—The Successful Investor, Stock Pickers Digest and Canadian Wealth Advisor.

Loblaw is doing a good job of competing with U.S. retail giants like Wal-Mart, which are aggressively expanding in the grocery market. In addition to improving its efficiency and profiting from its Joe Fresh clothing line, it has bought Shoppers DrugMart, which nicely complements its main business. And now it has seen its competition diminish with Target’s decision to close its Canadian stores.

LOBLAW COMPANIES LTD. (Toronto symbol L; www.loblaw.ca) is Canada’s largest food retailer, with about 1,050 stores.

The company is benefiting from sales of other products beyond food. For example, in 2006 it launched its popular Joe Fresh line of clothing, shoes and accessories.

Loblaw sells these goods in over 330 of its supermarkets and through 17 stand-alone stores in the U.S. and Canada. It plans to open 140 more Joe Fresh stores outside of North America in the next four years.

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CGI GROUP INC. $44 (www.cgi.com) has developed a computerized emergency response system for the Estonian government. This service gathers data from several sources and recommends the quickest way to respond to fires and other disasters....