Hold all the top REITs

Article Excerpt

RioCan REIT is our #1 safety-conscious pick for 2012. The trust would be a sound addition to the Manufacturing segment of almost any investor’s portfolio. But if you want to hold a range of REITs, you can do so through the iShares CDN REIT Sector Index Fund, an ETF lets you hold 13 in all. And you’ll still have lots of exposure to RioCan, because it’s the ETF’s largest holding. Here’s a closer look: ISHARES CDN REIT SECTOR INDEX FUND $15.72 (Toronto symbol XRE; buy or sell through brokers; ca.ishares.com) holds the 13 Canadian real estate investment trusts (REITs) in the S&P/TSX Capped REIT Index. The weight of any one REIT is limited to 25% of the ETF’s value. iShares CDN REIT’s expenses are just 0.55% of its assets. The fund yields 4.7%. As mentioned, RioCan REIT is the fund’s largest holding, at 23.9%, followed by H&R REIT (13.1%), Canadian REIT (8.5%), Calloway REIT (8.2%), Dundee REIT (7.0%), Boardwalk REIT (6.9%), Canadian Apartment Properties…