Clik here to view.
New Tax-Efficient ETFs from BMO
Bonds are one of the least tax-friendly asset classes: most of their return comes from interest payments, which are taxed at the highest rate. They’re even less tax-efficient when their market price is...
View ArticleClik here to view.
iShares Advantaged ETFs: Where Are They Now?
Before being bought by BlackRock early in 2012, Claymore Investments pioneered many new services and unconventional products. One of these was its so-called Advantaged ETFs, which used a complicated...
View ArticleiShares Cuts Its Fees to the Core
That sound you just heard was the latest shot fired in Canada’s ETF price war. iShares has just slashed the management fees on several popular equity and bond ETFs—and just like that the country’s...
View ArticleThe Couch Potato Mutual Fund is Here At Last
One of the perennial problems with ETFs is they require you to open a discount brokerage account and learn to trade individual securities. That can be intimidating, especially for those who are...
View ArticleHow Low Can ETF Fees Go?
Less than a month ago, BlackRock aggressively cut the management fees on several of its core ETFs. The boldest move was to slash the fee to just 0.05% on its broad-market Canadian equity fund, the...
View ArticleInside the RBC Quant Dividend Leaders ETFs
In January, RBC launched the Quant Dividend Leaders ETFs, a family of dividend-focused funds covering the Canadian, U.S. and international markets. I recently had a chance to speak with Bill Tilford,...
View ArticleA Tax-Friendly Bond ETF on the Horizon
Bonds should be part of just about every portfolio, but if you have to hold them in a non-registered account the tax consequences can be onerous. Fortunately, Canada’s ETF providers are taking steps to...
View ArticleVanguard Goes Global With New ETFs
[Note: This blog post was updated several hours after it was published, as new information became available.] The Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) has long been part of my Complete Couch...
View ArticleShareOwner: Canada’s First ETF Robo-Advisor
Back in February I wrote about the rise of robo-advisors, the online services that allow you to build an ETF portfolio that’s maintained by a computer. These services are already operating in the US,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Under the Hood: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex Canada (VXC)
This post is part of a series that takes a detailed look at specific Canadian ETFs or index funds. The fund: Vanguard FTSE All-World ex Canada Index ETF (VXC) The index: The fund tracks the FTSE...
View ArticleDrilling Down into the iShares Core ETFs
When iShares launched its Core ETF series back in March it made some waves in the industry. The company cut the fees on nine ETFs it considers building blocks of a long-term portfolio. Its boldest move...
View ArticleAn Interview With Wealthsimple: Part 1
Wealthsimple is one of several online investment firms that have launched in Canada this year. They’ve often been referred to as robo-advisors, though they reject that name, and with good reason. While...
View ArticleAn Interview With Wealthsimple: Part 2
Earlier this week I published an excerpt from my interview with David Nugent, portfolio manager of the online investment service Wealthsimple. In this second part of our interview, Nugent goes into...
View ArticleAsk the Spud: Bond ETFs in Taxable Accounts
Q: Can you share your thoughts about the BMO Discount Bond (ZDB) and the Horizons Canadian Select Universe Bond (HBB) as long-term holdings in a taxable account? – D. F. Earlier this year BMO and...
View ArticleiShares Expands Its Core ETF Lineup
iShares shook up the ETF marketplace last March when it launched its Core family of low-cost ETFs in the major asset classes. This week iShares announced some new additions to its Core lineup,...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Announcing the Couch Potato Robo-Advisor Service
[Note: This was an April Fool’s joke!] One of the most exciting developments in investing is the rise of online wealth managers, also known as robo-advisors. These services offer online portfolio...
View ArticleVanguard’s New World Order
If you follow my model ETF portfolios, you may have noticed that one of your holdings has a new name. The Vanguard FTSE All-World ex Canada (VXC), launched in the summer of 2014, is a simple, low-cost...
View ArticleDecoding Vanguard’s New International Equity ETFs
This year has been another reminder of why international equities are such an important part of a diversified portfolio: in the first 11 months of 2015 the Canadian market was down almost 6%, while...
View ArticleThe Next Smart Beta Revolution
{Note: This post was an April Fool’s joke!] As the ETF industry in Canada matures, more and more providers are moving away from traditional cap-weighted index funds in favour of more exotic strategies,...
View ArticleAre Target Date Funds Right For You?
Think about all the elements you need to be a successful index investor. First, you need to choose the right mix of stocks and bonds, and to adjust that mix as you approach retirement. Your portfolio...
View Article