Canadian index fund advice
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Hello,
ETFs are a useful tool, but it depends on your individual preferences. Your comfort level with portfolio volatility would be the driving factor. If you are looking for a static portfolio I'd suggest looking at the Ishares ETFs or the Vanguard ETFs.
If you can handle the volatility, I'd say build it yourself, if you don't feel you can, attain the advice of a qualified advisor.
Happy investing,
Goodguy
ETFs are a useful tool, but it depends on your individual preferences. Your comfort level with portfolio volatility would be the driving factor. If you are looking for a static portfolio I'd suggest looking at the Ishares ETFs or the Vanguard ETFs.
If you can handle the volatility, I'd say build it yourself, if you don't feel you can, attain the advice of a qualified advisor.
Happy investing,
Goodguy
Index funds and an advisor charge fees. My free advice and you take it or not at your own risk is to buy the banks and utilities and sock them away.If you can handle the volatility, I'd say build it yourself, if you don't feel you can, attain the advice of a qualified advisor.
You mean build your own portfolio of individual stocks? How would that mirror an index of funds?.If you can handle the volatility, I'd say build it yourself, if you don't feel you can, attain the advice of a qualified advisor.
I heard an finance professor claim that mutual funds are a bad idea because of their MER. They do not beat the average and do not provide security in a downturn because they are actively controlled, as is their big claim as to why they are a wise investment. While some, of course, do beat the average they do so by chance and the ones that beat the average the last few years will not be the ones beat the average in the future
First of all Index Funds are not the same thing as ETF's. Read this as a start and think carefully about your decision: http://www.moneysmartsblog.com/index-funds-vs-etfs/ My other comment would be that you are looking at all time highs in the N.A. equity markets so I might consider waiting for the coming correction or at least reserve some cash for when that (inevitably) occurs. So 30-40% in now, reserve the balance. Good luck.
The funds that don't beat the average get terminated (just like bad employees), that is why you never see a fund with a bad 5 year return because the bad ones get killed early in their lives.While some, of course, do beat the average they do so by chance and the ones that beat the average the last few years will not be the ones beat the average in the future
Hello there, yes advisor and etf/index funds/financial instruments do charge fees however like anything you would need to value that advice. Canadian banks and utilities have done well, but with a rising rate environment they may not be the same investments they've been over the last 20 years. For an individual who doesn't have much experience, he may benefit from a qualified advisors guidance.Index funds and an advisor charge fees. My free advice and you take it or not at your own risk is to buy the banks and utilities and sock them away.
Goodguy
Hello there,You mean build your own portfolio of individual stocks? How would that mirror an index of funds?.
I heard an finance professor claim that mutual funds are a bad idea because of their MER. They do not beat the average and do not provide security in a downturn because they are actively controlled, as is their big claim as to why they are a wise investment. While some, of course, do beat the average they do so by chance and the ones that beat the average the last few years will not be the ones beat the average in the future
I meant building portfolios with ETFs, thus for someone like the OP who doesn't have the experience the volatility is not as high.
Your finance professor does have a point, however he/she should also take into consideration that most of the investing public could not handle the volatility of a 100% index portfolio. They do need to include fixed income, alternative assets or other instruments to reduce volatility. If you look at the performance of most funds during the 2007-08 period they outperformed the indexes, some by a big margin. But there's a longer discussion on this topic but fund "classifications" are mostly wrong. Thus their benchmarks aren't accurate.
Thanks,
Goodguy
