enbridge

We generally advise against investing in bond funds because we don’t believe bond fund managers can add enough value to offset their fees. However, if you need steady income and want to hold bond funds, here are two funds that have low fees and don’t engage in speculative trading. ISHARES CANADIAN SHORT BOND INDEX FUND $28.12 (CWA Rating: Income) (Toronto symbol XSB; buy or sell through a broker) mirrors the performance of the Scotia Capital Short Bond Index....

Starting in 2011, Ottawa will impose a tax on income trust distributions that will put the income trusts on an equal tax footing with conventional taxable corporations. Trusts will pay a 31.5% tax on distributions to unit holders, so your cash flow from those trusts will fall by the same amount. However, if you hold trusts outside of registered plans such as RRSPs and RRIFs, you will not see a large change in your after-tax position — even though the distributions you receive will likely drop by 31.5%. That’s because the distributions will now be taxed as dividends and Canadians will benefit from the lower tax rates provided by the combination of the dividend tax credit and the dividend gross-up (foreigners don’t quality for the favourable dividend treatment). For example, in Ontario, investors in the top tax bracket now end up with about $536 after tax on each $1,000 of trust income. Under the new tax proposals, investors holding trusts outside of RRSPs will end up with about $532 after tax. The difference is roughly similar for the other provinces....

PEMBINA PIPELINE INCOME FUND $16.03 (Toronto symbol PIF.UN; SI Rating: Extra risk) has interests in 14 feeder pipeline systems with a total length of 8,350 kilometres. This includes the Pembina System, in operation since 1954. The company also holds a 50% interest in the Fort Saskatchewan Ethylene Storage Limited Partnership. Pembina’s total network is the largest feeder operation in Canada. These pipelines bring oil and gas from fields in northeastern B.C. and western and northern Alberta to refineries, or feed into major pipelines such as the Enbridge Pipeline System....

We generally advise against investing in bond funds because we don’t believe bond fund managers can add enough value to offset their fees. When bonds yielded 10%, it made some sense to buy bond funds and pay a yearly management fee of, say, 2%. Now that bond yields are down closer to 4%, it makes a lot less sense. The bond market is highly efficient and that makes it difficult for bond fund managers to beat the index. In addition, bond funds expose you to the risk that the manager will gamble in the bond market and lose money. However, if you need steady income and want to hold bond funds, here are two funds that have low fees and don’t engage in speculative trading. Holders of both iShares bond funds profit from wholesale bond pricing and narrow spreads. Investors buying bonds on their own in small quantities don’t pay commissions to their brokers. But they pay a hefty markup, because of a wide spread between what brokers pay for the bonds and what they charge investors. iShares bond funds also save investors the trouble of buying and selling bonds every year to maintain steady maturities....

BMO DIVIDEND FUND $45.82 (BMO Mutual Funds, 77 King Street West, Suite 4200, Royal Trust Tower, Toronto, Ont., M5K 1J5, 1-800-665-7700; Web site: www.bmo.com. No load — deal directly with the bank) (CWA Rating: Conservative) currently holds about 53.1% of its portfolio in the Financial services industry. Its next-largest holding is Energy at 13.3%. BMO Dividend Fund’s largest holdings are Manulife Financial, Bank of Nova Scotia, CIBC, Royal Bank of Canada, Enbridge, Toronto-Dominion Bank, Canadian National Railway, TransCanada Corporation, Imperial Oil, Power Financial, Shell Canada and Sun Life Financial. Over the last five years, the $5 billion BMO Dividend Fund has posted a 13.3% annual rate of return. That’s much better than the S&P/TSX 60’s gain of 11.2%. The fund gained 24.1% over the last year, compared to a gain of 30.2% for the S&P/TSX 60. BMO Dividend’s MER is 1.75%....

BMO Dividend and Royal Dividend hold mostly high-quality stocks. These stocks sometimes run into deep trouble and go through lengthy struggles, just like lesser investments. Eventually, though, most solve their problems and go on to thrive anew. Both funds hold a high proportion of their assets in financial services stocks. However, if you must focus on something, finance is a relatively stable sector. If you do invest in these funds, be sure to adjust the rest of your portfolio so these funds won’t overly concentrate your holdings in the financial sector. BMO Dividend and Royal Dividend have both outperformed AIC Diversified Canada over the last year, even though it also has a financial focus. That’s because they hold lots of our favourite high-quality stocks. If you’re looking for income and growth, we prefer these two funds for new buying....

FORT CHICAGO ENERGY TRUST $11.88 (Toronto symbol FCE.UN; SI Rating: Extra Risk) owns 50% of the Alliance Pipeline, a 36-inch diameter natural gas pipeline with a capacity of 1,550 million cubic feet per day. It extends 3,000 kilometres from Fort St. John in B.C. to Chicago, Illinois. Enbridge Inc. owns the other 50% interest. The other assets held by the two partners are 85.4% of the Aux Sable natural gas liquids plant. Fort Chicago diversified its pipeline operations in 2004 with the purchase of the 1,324-kilometre Alberta Ethane Gathering System for $273.3 million. It’s now pursuing a number of growth projects, including investments in the proposed one billion cubic foot per day Jordan Cove liquified natural gas (LNG) terminal in Oregon, and the proposed Pacific Connector pipeline, designed to bring that gas to market. In the three months ended December 31, 2005, Fort Chicago’s revenues rose 5.5%, to $231.7 million from $219.6 million a year earlier. Cash flow per unit fell 16.7%, to $0.35 from $0.42....