Welcome to my ETFs page.
This blog is about saving and investing my way beyond a $1 million investment portfolio for us and we use low-cost Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) to help fund our semi-retirement plan.
I believe owning low-cost ETFs can help your portfolio too. Read on.
ETF Articles
Great low-cost all-in-one ETFs from Vanguard
Compare VEQT vs. XEQT vs. HRGO ETFs
Should you change your ETF strategy as you get older?
I’ve decided to build my own DIY Canadian Dividend ETF – read why here!
Top Dividend ETFs from Canada and the U.S.
Q&A with Mark: If you love dividends so much, why do you like using Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs)?
You’re right.
I do love dividends.
That said, low-cost, diversified ETFs make sense to me/us for these reasons:
- To obtain near-market performance less minuscule money management fees.
- To obtain great diversification (from companies and countries from around the world), including beyond Canada, and
- To set-and-forget part of our portfolio.
When in doubt as a DIY investor, consider indexed ETFs.
Read on!
Q&A with Mark: Do you have any favourite low-cost diversified ETFs?
I sure do!
I’ve sorted some of my favourite ETFs by market/region below.
Canadian equity ETFs
Pick one of these funds and sleep easy for the Canadian portion of your portfolio.
| ETF | Index | MER | MOA Comments |
| iShares Core S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index ETF (XIC) | S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index | 0.06% | Own all the major stocks in the Canadian market, >200 of them and ride their returns less minor fund fees. |
| iShares S&P/TSX 60 Index ETF (XIU) | S&P/TSX 60 Index | 0.18% | Own the biggest names in Canada, get consistent 3% yield + long term growth. Win-win and one of my personal favourites. |
| Vanguard FTSE Canada All Cap Index ETF (VCN) | FTSE Canada All Cap Domestic Index | 0.06% | Exposure to small, medium and large cap stocks in the Canadian market, similar product to XIC but different provider of course. |
| BMO S&P TSX Capped Composite Index ETF (ZCN) | S&P/TSX Capped Composite Index | 0.06% | |
| BMO Low Volatility Canadian Equity ETF (ZLB) | Uses smart beta/rules based approach | 0.39% | Yes, higher MER but low-volatility fund for any defensive times. Think a better balance of financials, utilities, grocery stores/consumer staples and telcos as top holdings. |
You can read up about low-volatility funds and the rise of any smart beta investing approaches here.
U.S. equity ETFs
U.S. listed ETFs inside the U.S. dollar portion of your RRSP are the most tax-efficient way to invest in the U.S. stock market.
| ETF | Index | MER | MOA Comments |
| Remember with these U.S. listed ETFs below these do not have any 15% withholding taxes applied inside the RRSP, RRIF or LIRA! | |||
| Vanguard Total Stock Market ETF (VTI) | CRSP US Total Market Index | 0.03% | Own entire U.S. market in one fund, > 3,000 stocks! |
| Vanguard S&P 500 ETF (VOO) | S&P 500 Index | 0.03% | Own the biggest (~500) stocks in the U.S. |
| iShares Core S&P 500 ETF (IVV) | S&P 500 Index | 0.03% | |
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market ETF (ITOT) | S&P Total Market Index | 0.03% | Similar to VTI, own the U.S. market, > 3,000 stocks including smaller cap stocks. |
| Remember with these Canadian-listed ETFs below (that hold U.S. assets) withholding taxes will apply! | |||
| Vanguard U.S. Total Stock Market Index ETF (VUN) | CRSP US Total Market Index | 0.16% | Canadian equivalent of VTI. |
| Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF (VFV) | S&P 500 Index | 0.09% | Canadian equivalent of VOO. |
| iShares Core S&P Total U.S. Stock Market Index ETF (XUU) | S&P Total Market Index | 0.07% | “A fund of funds” with mostly IVV and ITOT. |
| BMO S&P 500 Index ETF (ZSP) | S&P 500 Index | 0.09% | Another great Canadian fund to track the U.S. S&P 500 and avoid CDN <> USD $$ currency conversions. Also available in USD units (ZSP.U) and trades in USD on the TSX. |
Check out my post about exchanging your Canadian to U.S. dollars for less using Norbert’s Gambit.
What about hedging?
Read on for this great article when comparing Vanguard products VFV and VSP specifically.
“When investing internationally, investors should consider whether to hedge currency exposure. Through hedging, VSP seeks to eliminate the effects of changes in the foreign exchange rate, while the unhedged VFV allows for positive or negative returns from fluctuations in the value of the Canadian dollar.”
Personally, I don’t mind the currency fluctuations and could live with them.
International equity ETFs
Admittedly there are more choices here as well but these are my favourites.
| ETF | Index | MER | MOA Comments |
| iShares Core MSCI EAFE IMI Index ETF (XEF) | MSCI EAFE Investable Market Index | 0.22% | Owns > 1,500 international stocks directly from mainly Europe, Asia and Australia developed markets. |
| Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap Index ETF (VEE) | Tracks FTSE Emerging Markets All Cap China A Inclusion Index (or any successor to) | 0.24% | Invests primarily in the U.S.-domiciled Vanguard FTSE Emerging Markets ETF VWO. |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex-North America Index ETF (VIU) | Tracks the FTSE Developed All Cap ex North America Index (or any successor to). | 0.22% | More diversified than XEF, owns > 3,500 stocks. |
| Want diversification away from just the U.S.? Check out these ex-U.S. ETFs below | |||
| Vanguard Total International Stock ETF (VXUS) – U.S.-listed ETF | FTSE Global All Cap ex US Index, which measures the investment return of stocks issued by companies located outside the United States. | 0.08% | In one fund, own the world of stocks outside the U.S. |
| Vanguard FTSE Developed All Cap ex U.S. Index ETF (VDU) | Tracks the FTSE Developed All Cap ex US Index (or any successor to). | 0.22% | Owns >3,800 stocks outside the U.S. |
Ex-Canada ETFs
Excellent idea!
I believe there are two (2) low-cost ETFs in particular that can help you out:
| ETF | Index | MER | MOA Comments |
| iShares Core MSCI All Country World ex Canada Index ETF (XAW)* | MSCI ACWI ex Canada IMI Index | 0.22% | · Global diversification, beyond Canada, in one fund and ideal for TFSA, RRSP/RRIF for long-term growth. *I/we own this ETF. |
| Vanguard FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada Index ETF (VXC) | FTSE Global All Cap ex Canada China A Inclusion Index | 0.21% | · Greater U.S. exposure than XAW. |
All-in-One ETFs
There are some great all-in-one ETFs to consider owning:
| All-in-one fund | Ticker | Rationale to Own |
| Vanguard All-Equity ETF | VEQT | Long-term investing time horizon for growth |
| Vanguard Growth ETF | VGRO | A bias to growth over fixed income |
| Vanguard Balanced ETF | VBAL | Balanced for growth and fixed income |
| iShares Core Equity ETF | XEQT | Long-term investing time horizon for growth |
| iShares Core Growth ETF | XGRO | A bias to growth over fixed income |
| iShares Core Balanced ETF | XBAL | Balanced for growth and fixed income |
| BMO Growth ETF | ZGRO | A bias to growth over fixed income |
| BMO Balanced ETF | ZBAL | Balanced for growth and fixed income |
| Horizons All-Equity ETF | HEQT | Long-term investing time horizon for growth (used to be HGRO) |
This is a key post on that subject – I compared VEQT vs. XEQT vs. HGRO ETFs.
Q&A with Mark: Do you have any favourite dividend ETFs?
I sure do.
Get cash for life using these top dividend ETFs.
Top International dividend ETFs.
Q&A with Mark: What do you own?
Well, given I own lots of Canadian stocks in our taxable accounts and TFSAs, I own mainly the following equity ETFs:
- XAW for ex-Canada investing (including the U.S.)
- QQQ for a tech-growth kicker.
In owning these funds:
- I gain higher equity diversification beyond my basket of Canadian and some U.S. stocks.
- I can ride global equity returns without using an advisor or money manager using XAW.
- I can set-and-forget part of our investment portfolio with a mix of these funds.
- I feel I can get the best returns from the U.S. market by owning QQQ since the S&P 500 has become dominated by tech stocks ~ 25%-30%.
A reminder depending where you own QQQ or XAW, there could be foreign withholding taxes.
QQQ or any U.S.-listed ETF for that matter won’t have foreign withholding taxes applied held inside your RRSP, RRIF, LIRA or LIF. So, consider owning it there if you do decide to buy it.
XAW will also have some tax implications depending on asset location. *Remember that foreign withholding taxes (*FWT) will apply to Canadian ETFs that own U.S. ETFs. Additional costs are estimates only:
| ETF | Cost – TFSA | Cost – RRSP | Cost – Non-Reg |
| XAW | 0.53% (0.22% MER + 0.31%*) | 0.53% (0.22% MER + 0.31%*) | 0.26% (0.22% MER + 0.04%*) |
Q&A with Mark: Can you share some withholding tax considerations when it comes to ETFs?
Sure thing.
Be aware Canada has tax treaties with the U.S. and many other countries.
Those tax treaties waive foreign withholding taxes on U.S. stocks or U.S. ETFs in registered accounts like RRSPs/RRIFs or LIRAs/LIFs.
TFSAs and assets held inside TFSAs don’t apply to these tax treaties. In a TFSA you must pay 15% withholding taxes on distributions earned owning a U.S. ETF or a U.S. stock.
Consider this older post on asset location to be tax efficient.
Let’s look at some examaples…
Own a U.S. ETF that holds stocks
iShares S&P 500 (IVV) or Vanguard Total Stock Market (VTI)
- In a taxable account, US withholding taxes apply, but are recoverable.
- In a TFSA, US withholding taxes apply and are not recoverable.
- In an RRSP, US withholding taxes do not apply.
Own a Canadian ETF that holds a U.S.-listed ETF that holds U.S. stocks
iShares S&P 500 (XSP) or Vanguard MSCI U.S. Broad Market (VUS)
- In a taxable account, US withholding taxes apply, but are recoverable.
- In an RRSP or TFSA, US withholding taxes apply and are not recoverable.
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