Hey Justin. Incredible value in this video for average people getting started so thank you so much. I'm currently invested in the couch potato strategy through TDs e-series index funds. However I'm considering switching to this format to reduce costs even further. One question I have is for the US portion why VUN over something like VFV?
Hi Justin, for the TFSA what could be done to not have new maintenance fee in excess ? There is always some money remaining in the TFSA (20 $ approx) because Questrade/Vanguard (VBAL) doesn't allow me to buy partial shares...
@impec - With ETF accounts, there's always going to be a little bit of a cash balance - it's nothing to be concerned about (it won't noticeably impact your performance).
Very helpful as always! I have been placing limit orders at Questrade, generally a few cents above the ask price. I reviewed my executions and they all were executed at exactly the fill price. Is this just a coincidence? It seems like it should sometimes be filling at the ask price (or slightly below the limit price).
Excellent, doing exactly this now. I've got $12,000 to invest and it's going into ETFs. I'm in it for the financial independence long-haul. One question: when rebalancing every 6 months to a year, do you essentially buy and sell the same ETFs just to reapportion them correctly? Or is there a strategy to rebalancing? Thanks!
@ianman6: First, try to use any available cash to top-up the underweight asset classes (i.e. buy more of them). If you have to, sell a portion of the overweight asset class (to bring it back to its target) and buy more of the underweight asset classes. www.pwlcapital.com/en/Advisor/Toronto/Toronto-Team/Blog/Justin-Bender/August-2015/Should-I-Rebalance-My-Portfolio-Now Also check out the rebalancing spreadsheet on my CPM blog: www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/calculators/
Wonderful, thanks! I'm all bought up with your 40% fixed-income, 60% equity portfolio dated Sept. 30th, 2017. Do you think 18 years is too short a time horizon for retirement at 32? My goal is to be financially independent the same year (or shortly after) my mortgage is paid off. I can put enough money in every year, I'm just wondering given the cyclical nature of the market it 18 years is too short to protect against downturns.
@ianman6: Remember that your time horizon is not just 18 years (unless you are spending all of your assets in that year). Your time horizon is more like 18 years plus another 35 years in retirement.
if i open an account on tfsa or rrsp and invest my cad to us stocks,bonds,cash does the usd dividends on my account is subjected for us federal tax or is it tax free too?
@robert cagalcal: In a TFSA, US foreign withholding taxes of 15% generally apply on dividends from individual US stocks (interest from US fixed income securities is generally exempt from tax). In an RRSP, dividends from individual US stocks and interest from US fixed income securities are generally exempt from the 15% US foreign withholding tax.
Thanks for the video. I am a bit lost on what I should exactly do for a TFSA account though. What model portfolios that you have listed on your website would you recommend?
@Chimera Thirteen: Perhaps start by watching my "Understanding ETFs" series of videos. Most of the model ETF portfolios on my blog are very similar to one another, and most are fine to hold in a TFSA (although the asset allocations ETFs would be the easiest to manage).
Great vid. Hey, Justin, I heard that investing in American companies via Questrade isn't that good of an idea and people should just stick to tsx listings instead. Some claim that Questrade "loans" you the USD to use on american stocks with interest. Any truth to this?
@Supa Ninja: These comments are from investors who are confused about how their margin accounts work. Basically, if you buy USD stocks or ETFs in a Questrade non-registered margin account without requesting a currency conversion from them, they'll loan you the US dollars (instead of automatically converting your Canadian dollars to US dollars to settle the trade) - your unused Canadian dollars will sit idle in the account, and margin interest will be charged on the outstanding USD "loan" until you request a currency conversion: www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceCanada/comments/2tbe6p/questrade_trading_platform_i_was_unknowingly/
Thank you for making this video! I've listened in on few podcast about the benefits of ETF and Questrade but never actually got any step-by-step tutorial on actually doing it. I'm 21 right now and will be starting a full-time job in May and want to start investing after I've saved up my emergency funds in savings account. I want to start with Tangerine because of no account minimums and I like the idea of automatic contributions. I'm thinking of putting in about $500 to investment every month. After I build enough to not be charged inactivity fee at Questrade, if I wanted to do the same with ETF with about $125 weekly or $250 bi-weekly, is that possible without incurring any fees? If so, what are some pointers you could give? Thank you again for the video!
@Jenny Park: You may want to take a look at the new Asset Allocation ETFs from Vanguard Canada. You would just have to place one manual trade bi-weekly (on $250, the ECN fees would only be about $0.035 bi-weekly, or about $0.91 per year). www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/vanguards-hip-new-asset-allocation-etfs/
I saw the link to your blog post on the previous comment. Don't worry! :D But thanks again! I'll be sure to look over other posts from your blog and the Canadian Couch Potato blog. They're great help so far and much appreciated. I'd probably go with the growth portfolio. The link to the Vanguard questionnaire on your blog was helpful. Thank you!
I've opened a few accounts on Questrade at the same time. As a newbie investor, should I start in the TFSA or Margin account? I'm thinking of buying some dividend stocks. Thank you.
@brydon10: If you're investing for retirement, investing within your TFSA vs. a non-registered account is expected to reduce your taxes payable (as you do not pay income tax on any dividends, interest or capital gains earned in a TFSA account).
Thanks for your help. Do you think now would be a good time to setup a couch potato portfolio? I'm thinking of using the assertive or aggressive plan. I love your website too, so helpful.
@brydon10: As long as you don't require the cash in the next 20 years, setting up a low-cost diversified portfolio is an excellent choice. As a starting point, complete the Vanguard investor questionnaire in Step 1 of my blog, and then select the matching asset allocation from my model ETF portfolios in Step 2: www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/model-etf-portfolios/
Hi justin, I was wondering whether to use a 100% equity vs a 90/10 mix. I'm 25, have a good stable job that pays well with a pension, and I intend to invest for the long run (20-30 years +). I won't be taking any money out of my investments, only adding to it. I' d go with 100% stocks but I've heard some studies say that a 90/10 mix would actually be better for growth in the long run. Whats your take on that? thanks
@grou12343: Over the past 20 years (as of June 30, 2017), my 100% equity model ETF portfolio (taxable) returned 6.29% while my 80% equity/20% fixed income portfolio returned 6.39% (and with less volatility). Going forward, this relationship may not hold, as bond yields are much lower than they were 20 years ago. As you won't know the optimal decision ahead of time, I would just choose whichever allocation you are more comfortable with.
DIY Investing with Justin Bender some say that investing in total stock us market is all it takes for international diversification, since most of their big companies are international... Less risk, less MER... Have you heard about something like that?
@grou12343: I've heard this comment before, but over the long term, international diversification is still likely to provide benefits: www.aqr.com/library/journal-articles/international-diversification-works-eventually
When you buy American bonds in your ETF does your RRSP account require you to buy in American dollars or does it convert it for you? Just wondering if it works differently than a margin account borrowing USD from questrade
@TheHitmanLuke: If you are buying a Canadian-listed ETF that holds US bonds, you would not have to convert your Canadian dollars to US dollars prior to purchasing (the ETF provider will do this behind the scenes). The Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-hedged) (VBU) would be an example of a Canadian-listed ETF that holds US bonds.
Hi Justin I'd like to know your opinion concerning investing my RRSP in an index funds vs an FTQ fund? If you're not familiar with it, it's a fund in Quebec in which they give you a +30% tax credit for investing in it. (I would invest the tax credit in an index fund afterwards
@grou12343: I generally avoid any of these types of products (I have many clients that purchased similar investments because of the favourable tax credits - these investments are now worthless).
If you're constantly entering the Max ask price in the spread, or even higher than the ask price, I think you're leaving money on the table on large trades. Some stocks have large spreads, so why would you put the highest possible price in? You're just losing money.
@MrBeverlyCleary - For broad market ETFs, this generally isn't an issue, but for larger trades, investors could also place the limit order directly on the current ask price (although they may need to adjust their order if it doesn't fill).
@Stephanie Descary: I post model ETF portfolios on my personal blog (which show the ETF allocations): www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/model-etf-portfolios/
@Khalid Alakoozi: Marketable limits orders are limit orders that are expected to be filled right away. For example, if the ask price for an ETF is $10.00, and you place a buy limit order at $10.02, this trade would be expected to be filled immediately. A non-marketable limit order would be if you placed a buy limit order at $9.98 in the same example.
@Bakuza B: They're from my CPM model ETF portfolios. The portfolios have changed slightly over the years, but here's a link to the most current portfolios: www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/model-etf-portfolios/
@grou12343: Market orders can be very dangerous if your ETF's price fluctuates during your trade. During the flash crash, many investors that placed market orders to sell their ETFs during this time found that they had inadvertently sold them at a huge discount to their fair value.
how about if you had the 5000 in RRSP but also had 3000 in TFSA which index's would you put in the TFSA account or does it matter really? they are both tax sheltered but since RRSP you pay when you take it out there must be a correct way to allocate this
@BigB: If both accounts are for retirement (and the expected retirement date is far in the future), investors generally allocate 100% of their TFSA account to equities, and hold the fixed income in their RRSP account.
Hey Justin, I'm curious, why not carry the same ETF tickers in both the TFSA and RRSP? I figured it would make things easier when tracking for tax purposes. So for example, if investing VSB, XAW and VCN in the TFSA, I would allocate the same ETFs in my RRSP. Not a good strategy? NOTE: By the way, I recall live chatting with a Questrade agent (Questrade is my brokerage) about the ECN fees and they explained that its not Questrade that charges the ECN fees, rather its the market/exchange that does because of removing liquidity from the market. Do you know if that's the case? I ask because I don't hear of any ECN fees with other brokerages like RBC DI, TD DI, etc. and I'm wondering if their ECN fees are simply reflected into their commission fees, just not transparent to investors.
@Vito C: That would be fine as well (it would make rebalancing the portfolio easier). Please keep in mind that there are no book value tracking requirements in TFSA and RRSP accounts, so you don't need to worry about that.
I'm sorry, I'm meant to type for "re-balancing" purposes, not for "tax" purposes, but you still answered my question, thanks! :) Also, I edited my post at the last second, so I'm not sure you saw my comment/question about ECN fees?
@Vito C: My apologies - I must have missed the second question. Questrade charges ECN fees to offset the costs they have to pay (whether they overcharge their clients and pocket the difference - I'm not sure). The ECN fees are likely included in the other brokerages' commissions.
I've been hearing that market is due for another crash soon. Would you recommend a young investor such as myself with around 10k to invest to get in the market now? Or should I wait for the inevitable market downfall? I'm 22 and willing to take the risk. I took the Vanguard questionnaire and scored 70% equity and 30% fixed income, which also aligns with what the couch potato portfolio recommended me for my age. I plan on opening a TFSA discount broker with Questrade. What do you think Justin?
@Joyo: If you do not need any of the funds until retirement, you likely have an investment horizon of well over 40 years (during which you will encounter many market crashes). However, if you're still unsure and are new to investing, perhaps start with a more conservative asset mix (you can always go more aggressive at a later time).
@Joyo: If you're investing with a discount brokerage that doesn't charge trading commissions (like Questrade), ETFs would be the cheapest option (as long as you are comfortable with calculating the number of shares to purchase, and you have the time to trade during market hours).
DIY Investing with Justin Bender, yes, I did, thank you. I also subscribed, and will continue to learn about this world of investing. Please continue this good work. Thank you.
Hey Justin, what's your opinion towards crypto currency? I know they're very volatile, but there is certainly profit to be made? Curious to know your position on that. thank you
i wasn't pleased with the way you pick your stock prices and it showed that most of the selected price automatically led you to have losses at execution of the purchase.
Hey Justin, I recently came across a tool called "passiv" - it makes the rebalancing on Questrade (free when connected with Questrade) like a breath... wondering if you think that's a good idea for your upcoming videos?
Take something complicated and make it as simple as it can be, but not simpler. Very informative and helpful video, thanks Justin!
@hoesboy37: You're very welcome - hopefully the video was helpful :)
Thanks for the video. It gave me that extra little motivation to finally make an account with them.
@Sensible Sound: Glad I could help give you a push in the right direction :)
This was extremely helpful. Thanks so much.
Hey Justin. Incredible value in this video for average people getting started so thank you so much. I'm currently invested in the couch potato strategy through TDs e-series index funds. However I'm considering switching to this format to reduce costs even further. One question I have is for the US portion why VUN over something like VFV?
i would like to know where i can find and revue etfs to make a choice, select and buy. where do i find a list to chose from?
Awesome! Just what I was hoping to see! Another super useful "How to." Thanks Justin!
You're very welcome, Maciej! :)
Maciej Bialy j
Hi Justin, for the TFSA what could be done to not have new maintenance fee in excess ? There is always some money remaining in the TFSA (20 $ approx) because Questrade/Vanguard (VBAL) doesn't allow me to buy partial shares...
@impec - With ETF accounts, there's always going to be a little bit of a cash balance - it's nothing to be concerned about (it won't noticeably impact your performance).
Very helpful as always! I have been placing limit orders at Questrade, generally a few cents above the ask price. I reviewed my executions and they all were executed at exactly the fill price. Is this just a coincidence? It seems like it should sometimes be filling at the ask price (or slightly below the limit price).
Thanks for the video. I've only traded single stocks on Questrade so far, but will moving to ETF's soon!
Excellent, doing exactly this now. I've got $12,000 to invest and it's going into ETFs. I'm in it for the financial independence long-haul. One question: when rebalancing every 6 months to a year, do you essentially buy and sell the same ETFs just to reapportion them correctly? Or is there a strategy to rebalancing? Thanks!
@ianman6: First, try to use any available cash to top-up the underweight asset classes (i.e. buy more of them). If you have to, sell a portion of the overweight asset class (to bring it back to its target) and buy more of the underweight asset classes.
www.pwlcapital.com/en/Advisor/Toronto/Toronto-Team/Blog/Justin-Bender/August-2015/Should-I-Rebalance-My-Portfolio-Now
Also check out the rebalancing spreadsheet on my CPM blog: www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/calculators/
Wonderful, thanks! I'm all bought up with your 40% fixed-income, 60% equity portfolio dated Sept. 30th, 2017. Do you think 18 years is too short a time horizon for retirement at 32? My goal is to be financially independent the same year (or shortly after) my mortgage is paid off. I can put enough money in every year, I'm just wondering given the cyclical nature of the market it 18 years is too short to protect against downturns.
@ianman6: Remember that your time horizon is not just 18 years (unless you are spending all of your assets in that year). Your time horizon is more like 18 years plus another 35 years in retirement.
Is it not possible to create a portfolio on the platform and then just send one lump sum to that whole portfolio every month?
Thanks Justin. This was super helpful to help me get started!
if i open an account on tfsa or rrsp and invest my cad to us stocks,bonds,cash does the usd dividends on my account is subjected for us federal tax or is it tax free too?
@robert cagalcal: In a TFSA, US foreign withholding taxes of 15% generally apply on dividends from individual US stocks (interest from US fixed income securities is generally exempt from tax). In an RRSP, dividends from individual US stocks and interest from US fixed income securities are generally exempt from the 15% US foreign withholding tax.
So, what was the outcome of your trade?
which is the better site to buy Bitcoin in Canada, bit buy or shake pay? any help would be appreciated. Thanks
@832elf - Shake 'n Bake
Thanks for the video. I am a bit lost on what I should exactly do for a TFSA account though. What model portfolios that you have listed on your website would you recommend?
@Chimera Thirteen: Perhaps start by watching my "Understanding ETFs" series of videos.
Most of the model ETF portfolios on my blog are very similar to one another, and most are fine to hold in a TFSA (although the asset allocations ETFs would be the easiest to manage).
Great vid. Hey, Justin, I heard that investing in American companies via Questrade isn't that good of an idea and people should just stick to tsx listings instead. Some claim that Questrade "loans" you the USD to use on american stocks with interest. Any truth to this?
@Supa Ninja: These comments are from investors who are confused about how their margin accounts work. Basically, if you buy USD stocks or ETFs in a Questrade non-registered margin account without requesting a currency conversion from them, they'll loan you the US dollars (instead of automatically converting your Canadian dollars to US dollars to settle the trade) - your unused Canadian dollars will sit idle in the account, and margin interest will be charged on the outstanding USD "loan" until you request a currency conversion:
www.reddit.com/r/PersonalFinanceCanada/comments/2tbe6p/questrade_trading_platform_i_was_unknowingly/
It may have been asked already, how would this corelate to a TFSA?
@Jeff LaPlante - The Norbert's gambit process works the same way in a TFSA
Thank you for making this video! I've listened in on few podcast about the benefits of ETF and Questrade but never actually got any step-by-step tutorial on actually doing it. I'm 21 right now and will be starting a full-time job in May and want to start investing after I've saved up my emergency funds in savings account. I want to start with Tangerine because of no account minimums and I like the idea of automatic contributions. I'm thinking of putting in about $500 to investment every month. After I build enough to not be charged inactivity fee at Questrade, if I wanted to do the same with ETF with about $125 weekly or $250 bi-weekly, is that possible without incurring any fees? If so, what are some pointers you could give? Thank you again for the video!
@Jenny Park: You may want to take a look at the new Asset Allocation ETFs from Vanguard Canada. You would just have to place one manual trade bi-weekly (on $250, the ECN fees would only be about $0.035 bi-weekly, or about $0.91 per year).
www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/vanguards-hip-new-asset-allocation-etfs/
Oh wow. That's a pretty good option. I'm glad Vanguard is offering that. I will do more research on it. Thank you for replying!
www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/vanguards-hip-new-asset-allocation-etfs/
I saw the link to your blog post on the previous comment. Don't worry! :D But thanks again! I'll be sure to look over other posts from your blog and the Canadian Couch Potato blog. They're great help so far and much appreciated. I'd probably go with the growth portfolio. The link to the Vanguard questionnaire on your blog was helpful. Thank you!
I've opened a few accounts on Questrade at the same time. As a newbie investor, should I start in the TFSA or Margin account? I'm thinking of buying some dividend stocks. Thank you.
@brydon10: If you're investing for retirement, investing within your TFSA vs. a non-registered account is expected to reduce your taxes payable (as you do not pay income tax on any dividends, interest or capital gains earned in a TFSA account).
Thanks for your help. Do you think now would be a good time to setup a couch potato portfolio? I'm thinking of using the assertive or aggressive plan. I love your website too, so helpful.
@brydon10: As long as you don't require the cash in the next 20 years, setting up a low-cost diversified portfolio is an excellent choice. As a starting point, complete the Vanguard investor questionnaire in Step 1 of my blog, and then select the matching asset allocation from my model ETF portfolios in Step 2: www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/model-etf-portfolios/
Thanks so much Justin.
You're very welcome!
Hi justin, I was wondering whether to use a 100% equity vs a 90/10 mix. I'm 25, have a good stable job that pays well with a pension, and I intend to invest for the long run (20-30 years +). I won't be taking any money out of my investments, only adding to it. I' d go with 100% stocks but I've heard some studies say that a 90/10 mix would actually be better for growth in the long run. Whats your take on that? thanks
@grou12343: Over the past 20 years (as of June 30, 2017), my 100% equity model ETF portfolio (taxable) returned 6.29% while my 80% equity/20% fixed income portfolio returned 6.39% (and with less volatility).
Going forward, this relationship may not hold, as bond yields are much lower than they were 20 years ago. As you won't know the optimal decision ahead of time, I would just choose whichever allocation you are more comfortable with.
DIY Investing with Justin Bender some say that investing in total stock us market is all it takes for international diversification, since most of their big companies are international... Less risk, less MER... Have you heard about something like that?
@grou12343: I've heard this comment before, but over the long term, international diversification is still likely to provide benefits: www.aqr.com/library/journal-articles/international-diversification-works-eventually
I've read about Board lots, that you are supposed to buy them in 100 share increments or you have to pay some fee. Can you clarify?
@TOBWake: Please refer this article on board lots and ECN fees at Questrade:
www.moneysense.ca/columns/understanding-ecn-fees/
When you buy American bonds in your ETF does your RRSP account require you to buy in American dollars or does it convert it for you? Just wondering if it works differently than a margin account borrowing USD from questrade
@TheHitmanLuke: If you are buying a Canadian-listed ETF that holds US bonds, you would not have to convert your Canadian dollars to US dollars prior to purchasing (the ETF provider will do this behind the scenes). The Vanguard U.S. Aggregate Bond Index ETF (CAD-hedged) (VBU) would be an example of a Canadian-listed ETF that holds US bonds.
Hi Justin I'd like to know your opinion concerning investing my RRSP in an index funds vs an FTQ fund? If you're not familiar with it, it's a fund in Quebec in which they give you a +30% tax credit for investing in it. (I would invest the tax credit in an index fund afterwards
@grou12343: I generally avoid any of these types of products (I have many clients that purchased similar investments because of the favourable tax credits - these investments are now worthless).
If you're constantly entering the Max ask price in the spread, or even higher than the ask price, I think you're leaving money on the table on large trades. Some stocks have large spreads, so why would you put the highest possible price in? You're just losing money.
@MrBeverlyCleary - For broad market ETFs, this generally isn't an issue, but for larger trades, investors could also place the limit order directly on the current ask price (although they may need to adjust their order if it doesn't fill).
Where can I find a company's target allocation ("20%" and "16%") that you use to figure out the share amount?
@Stephanie Descary: I post model ETF portfolios on my personal blog (which show the ETF allocations):
www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/model-etf-portfolios/
Do any of those ETFs bay dividends? If yes, which ones?
@Zaevian Dawson: Yes - all of them pay dividends.
In the video you mentioned there's a commission -- I thought Questrade did commission free ETFs?
@Anastasia: Questrade charges ECN fees if you place marketable limit orders or market orders for your ETF purchases.
@Khalid Alakoozi: Marketable limits orders are limit orders that are expected to be filled right away. For example, if the ask price for an ETF is $10.00, and you place a buy limit order at $10.02, this trade would be expected to be filled immediately. A non-marketable limit order would be if you placed a buy limit order at $9.98 in the same example.
Where do you get the percentage ? The percentage that you multiply with 5,000
@Bakuza B: They're from my CPM model ETF portfolios. The portfolios have changed slightly over the years, but here's a link to the most current portfolios:
www.canadianportfoliomanagerblog.com/model-etf-portfolios/
@@JustinBenderCPM thank you alot i literally just went through it and it made so much sense
Why can't I see the bid or ask amount. its just blank.
@RIV: Not sure - you should contact Questrade if you're having issues with their platform.
why do you always use limit as the order? Isn't market good also?
@grou12343: Market orders can be very dangerous if your ETF's price fluctuates during your trade. During the flash crash, many investors that placed market orders to sell their ETFs during this time found that they had inadvertently sold them at a huge discount to their fair value.
DIY Investing with Justin Bender so you always use limit orders?
@grou12343: Yes, I use limit orders for all trades.
Just what I needed.. thank you!
Limit price has changed to "What's the highest price U want to pay per share?" in 2021
I don't understand why you are multiplying. Cant you just take your 5000 and divide by the ask price to get your shares. You have left me confused.
how about if you had the 5000 in RRSP but also had 3000 in TFSA which index's would you put in the TFSA account or does it matter really? they are both tax sheltered but since RRSP you pay when you take it out there must be a correct way to allocate this
@BigB: If both accounts are for retirement (and the expected retirement date is far in the future), investors generally allocate 100% of their TFSA account to equities, and hold the fixed income in their RRSP account.
Hey Justin, I'm curious, why not carry the same ETF tickers in both the TFSA and RRSP? I figured it would make things easier when tracking for tax purposes. So for example, if investing VSB, XAW and VCN in the TFSA, I would allocate the same ETFs in my RRSP. Not a good strategy?
NOTE: By the way, I recall live chatting with a Questrade agent (Questrade is my brokerage) about the ECN fees and they explained that its not Questrade that charges the ECN fees, rather its the market/exchange that does because of removing liquidity from the market. Do you know if that's the case? I ask because I don't hear of any ECN fees with other brokerages like RBC DI, TD DI, etc. and I'm wondering if their ECN fees are simply reflected into their commission fees, just not transparent to investors.
@Vito C: That would be fine as well (it would make rebalancing the portfolio easier). Please keep in mind that there are no book value tracking requirements in TFSA and RRSP accounts, so you don't need to worry about that.
I'm sorry, I'm meant to type for "re-balancing" purposes, not for "tax" purposes, but you still answered my question, thanks! :)
Also, I edited my post at the last second, so I'm not sure you saw my comment/question about ECN fees?
@Vito C: My apologies - I must have missed the second question. Questrade charges ECN fees to offset the costs they have to pay (whether they overcharge their clients and pocket the difference - I'm not sure). The ECN fees are likely included in the other brokerages' commissions.
I've been hearing that market is due for another crash soon. Would you recommend a young investor such as myself with around 10k to invest to get in the market now? Or should I wait for the inevitable market downfall? I'm 22 and willing to take the risk. I took the Vanguard questionnaire and scored 70% equity and 30% fixed income, which also aligns with what the couch potato portfolio recommended me for my age. I plan on opening a TFSA discount broker with Questrade. What do you think Justin?
@Joyo: If you do not need any of the funds until retirement, you likely have an investment horizon of well over 40 years (during which you will encounter many market crashes). However, if you're still unsure and are new to investing, perhaps start with a more conservative asset mix (you can always go more aggressive at a later time).
Thanks for your reply Justin! Would you recommend investing in index funds or ETFs for my situation? Or possibly a mixture of both?
@Joyo: If you're investing with a discount brokerage that doesn't charge trading commissions (like Questrade), ETFs would be the cheapest option (as long as you are comfortable with calculating the number of shares to purchase, and you have the time to trade during market hours).
Susan Delay sent us here.
Thank you.
AJ Hubbell: Very cool - hopefully you found some useful information.
DIY Investing with Justin Bender, yes, I did, thank you. I also subscribed, and will continue to learn about this world of investing. Please continue this good work.
Thank you.
Hey Justin, what's your opinion towards crypto currency? I know they're very volatile, but there is certainly profit to be made? Curious to know your position on that.
thank you
@grou12343: I don't understand it well enough to feel comfortable investing in it (seems like a speculative investment to me).
i wasn't pleased with the way you pick your stock prices and it showed that most of the selected price automatically led you to have losses at execution of the purchase.
Thanks Justin Bieber
Holy%$#$ Way too fast. I will look for help elsewhere.
Hey Justin, I recently came across a tool called "passiv" - it makes the rebalancing on Questrade (free when connected with Questrade) like a breath... wondering if you think that's a good idea for your upcoming videos?
@oldfatcrab - That would certainly be a great video idea (I'll put it on the list! :)