Investing Series: Where I invest my money in index funds (ETFs) in Canada

This is a part of the Investing Series.

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I have almost every single penny of my investments (except for about $14,000 that is locked-in and I can’t move from a bank) with Questrade

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ALL THE INDEX FUNDS (ETFS) I INVEST IN:

I have holdings in USD and CAD. I’d say I hold more cash in USD than CAD.

I plan on keeping it that way (not converting from USD to CAD unless rates really drop and I can make a killing doing so) since I will be earning in CAD going forward.

I also invest in index tracking exchange-traded funds (ETFS), not in index tracking mutual funds.

• Read: What is the difference between a mutual fund and an exchange-traded fund?

CANADIAN INDEX FUNDS

• In USD: N/A
• In CAD: VCE.TO – Vanguard FTSE Canada

U.S. / AMERICAN INDEX FUNDS

• In USD: VTI – S&P 500 Index
• In CAD: VFV.TO – S&P 500 Index

CANADIAN / AMERICAN INDEX FUNDS

• In USD: N/A
• In CAD: XIU.TO – iShares S&P / TSX 60

INTERNATIONAL INDEX FUNDS

• In USD: N/A
• In CAD: XEF.TO – EAFE Index

CANADIAN BONDS

• In USD: N/A
• In CAD: VSC.TO – Short-Term Bonds

WHAT MY CURRENT PORTFOLIO PERCENTAGE IS

These are my actual holdings as of February 2014.

BY HOLDINGS / MER:

 

NOTES:

My highest MER is the EAFE index at 30% (Europe, Australia, Far East) for some risk, but if you look at my actual weighted MER, it’s 0.05%.

Read below for my notes on region.

MORE POSTS:

• How to invest in index funds
• How do I set up an index fund portfolio?
• What is an “MER” or Management Expense Ratio?

BY REGION:

NOTES ON MY REGIONAL HOLDINGS:

U.S.

Currently I am very heavily weighted in the U.S. market (about 82% of my holdings are in the U.S. stock market).

CANADA

I am waiting for a bigger dip in the Canadian market to invest more money in it, seeing as I dipped in about 1% and it hasn’t been doing well.

Once the prices drop a bit and the Canadian economy slows, I’ll funnel more money into the Canadian economy and take advantage of the lower prices for long-term gain (over 20+ years).

CANADIAN BONDS

I am not weighted much in bonds at all because I am young (0.25%). As decades pass, I will shift more money into bonds.

INTERNATIONAL

I am about 16% in the international / foreign market (EAFE) which are developed markets outside of U.S. and Canada (Europe, Australia, Far East Asia).

CANADA / USA

The last 3% of my holdings are in a split between the Canadian and American economy.

WHERE THE REST OF MY MONEY IS

The rest of my money is in individual stocks (dividend investing and capital gains for fun), and in cash for an emergency fund in a high interest savings account while I wait for contracts.

If you’re interested, here are some posts on dividend investing:

• Overview of dividend investing
• How to pay less than $200 in taxes in Ontario on $50,000 of income
• How to build a dividend investing stock portfolio

MORE POSTS

• What is ‘investing’, exactly?
• How I started investing
• Trust your instincts when you invest
• Is investing partly a crapshoot?
• What to look out for when you’re investing: Fees and other Tactics
• What kind of investor ar you?
• What does re-balancing a portfolio mean?
• How should most people invest their money?
• How do you get money to get started in investing?

But I have plenty more on investing located here.

At ING Direct Canada, use my referral code: 32726976S1 to get $25 CAD FOR FREE!

Use my Questrade referral ID: o0soehds and get $50 CAD in free trades