Hi Pat: May I please have your opinion on the Flaherty & Crumrine Investment Grade Fixed Income Fund and the Blue Ribbon Income Fund? Many thanks.

Flaherty & Crumrine Investment Grade Fixed Income Fund, $12.36, symbol FFI.UN on Toronto (Units outstanding: 9.1 million; Market cap: $112.5 million; www.bromptongroup.com), mainly holds preferred shares of U.S. companies.

Firms in the banking, insurance, utilities and financial services industries make up a combined 87.7% of the… Read More

Stable post-conversion payouts are a plus

FORT CHICAGO ENERGY PARTNERS L.P. $11.72 (Toronto symbol FCE.UN; Units outstanding: 143.8 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; SI Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 8.5%) owns and operates energy pipelines and processing plants across North America. One of its major holdings is a 50% interest in… Read More

These trusts aim to maintain their payouts

FORT CHICAGO ENERGY PARTNERS L.P. $10.11 (Toronto symbol FCE.UN; Units outstanding: 140.7 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; SI Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield: 9.9%) owns and operates energy pipelines and processing plants across North America. One of its major holdings is a 50% interest in… Read More

Innergex plans to convert

INNERGEX POWER INCOME FUND $10.74 (Toronto symbol IEF.UN; Shares outstanding: 29.4 million; Market cap: $315.8 million; SI Rating: Extra Risk; Dividend yield 9.3%) plans to convert to a corporation by merging with Innergex Renewable Resources (Toronto symbol INE). Innergex Power unitholders will get 1.46 shares… Read More

Fort Chicago plans for 2011

FORT CHICAGO ENERGY PARTNERS L.P. $10.05 (Toronto symbol FCE.UN; Units outstanding: 137.9 million; Market cap: $1.4 billion; SI Rating: Extra Risk) has announced that it plans to convert to a dividend-paying corporation before Ottawa starts taxing income trusts on January 1, 2011. The trust’s conversion… Read More

These Prefs Beat Bonds

Canadian banks have recently issued new preferred shares to raise capital. To attract investors in a time of weak stock markets, they’ve issued these preferreds on especially attractive terms.

The preferreds pay dividends that give them yields of 6.25% to 6.50%. That’s higher than current Government… Read More

Profit from Tax-Free Savings Accounts

Starting in 2009, Ottawa’s new Tax-Free Savings Accounts (or TFSAs) will let you earn investment income — including interest, dividends and capital gains — tax free. The new accounts are open to Canadian residents who are at least 18 years old and have filed at… Read More

Still a Buy, But in Limited Amounts

ABERDEEN ASIA-PACIFIC INCOME INVESTMENT $7.10 (Toronto symbol: FAP) (CWA Rating: Income) is a closed-end fund that invests mainly in Australian debt instruments. It also invests in U.S. dollar denominated bonds of Asian countries and in Asian bonds. Right now it has 26.2% of its assets… Read More

Buy in Limited Amounts

ABERDEEN ASIA-PACIFIC INCOME INVESTMENT $8.95 (Toronto symbol: FAP) (CWA Rating: Income) is a closed-end fund that invests mainly in Australian debt instruments. It also invests in U.S. dollar denominated bonds of Asian countries and in Asian bonds. The fund has net assets of $419.6 million… Read More

Buy — In Limited Quantities

ABERDEEN ASIA-PACIFIC INCOME INVESTMENT $7.98 (Toronto symbol: FAP) (CWA Rating: Income) is a closed-end fund that invests mainly in Australian debt instruments. It also invests in U.S. dollar denominated bonds of Asian countries and in Asian bonds. The fund has net assets of $559.2 million… Read More