Canadian Capitalist

The recovery in the equity markets is reflected in the Sleepy Mini Portfolio, which swung from a 7.5% loss at the time of the last update to a gain of 1.1% at the end of May. The current portfolio holdings are:
TDB909 - Canadian Bonds - $570.05 (18.8%)
TDB900 - Canadian Equities - $621.73 (20.5%)
TDB902 - US [...]

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The following question is from Ed, who wants to switch from index mutual funds to ETFs:
Many years ago I set up my RRSP using TD’s low MER e-Series index mutual funds. I learned quite awhile ago that most actively managed funds cannot beat the indexes over the long haul. I’m now thinking of [...]

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GK sent me an e-mail noting that E*Trade has joined TD Waterhouse and Qtrade in offering some form of “wash trade” capability when buying and selling US dollar stocks in a RRSP. A slightly edited version of GK’s note is posted below with permission:
I followed your post about Questrade allowing customers to hold US Dollar [...]

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The following query is from JU (slightly edited):
I presently have all my investments in mutual funds (locked-in and regular RRSP) and would like to switch to ETFs. I don’t believe there are any DSCs or fees payable if I sell these funds. My question is this: What is your strategy for ETFs as far as [...]

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Many readers are interested in learning more about the possibility of capturing exposure to most world markets in one fund through the Vanguard FTSE All-World Ex-US ETF, which trades on the AMEX under the ticker symbol VEU. The Vanguard website says that the FTSE All-World Ex-US Index tracks the performance of approximately 2,200 stocks in [...]

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The following question is from AJ:
I am wondering about an online article titled ETF Sector: Slop du jour published in the summer 2007 issue of Canadian Business magazine. The relevant section says: ‘The other building block advisers typically recommend is an emerging markets ETF. John De Goey, a senior adviser at Toronto-based Burgeonvest Securities, cautions [...]

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If you invest in US-listed stocks or foreign stocks that trade on U.S. exchanges as American Depository Receipts (ADRs), you need to be aware of some tax implications:

If you hold American stocks in your investment account, you will be subject to a 15% withholding tax on dividends (for Canadian residents; Check with your broker that [...]

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In an earlier post, we discussed how investing in funds that hedge the exposure to foreign currencies entails a significant cost in terms of a large tracking error. There is a further cost involved in holding these funds: taxes. It is no surprise that currency-neutral funds could generate large taxable distributions - by their very [...]

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With the steep increase in the value of our dollar compared to other currencies, hedging against currency fluctuations has become popular and many US and international equity funds are now available in currency-neutral flavours. There are two schools of thought on currency hedging: one holds that currency fluctuations “cancel out” for a long-term investor and [...]

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Stocks have staged a significant recovery after falling sharply in the first quarter of 2008. The TSX Composite is up about 19% from its low in January and the S&P 500 is up about 11% from its mid-March swoon. If the lows reached in the first quarter was indeed the market bottom, we can classify [...]

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