In my wife’s personal RRSP account she held the Vanguard VDY-T ETF. It had outperformed the TSX Composite by about 1% annual. We can thank the financials overweight for that. The Canadian financials XFN-T and the Canadian banks ZEB-T have a long history of outperformance. In June of 2023 we moved to a Canadian blue […]
Tech stocks lift markets on the Sunday Reads.
Here we go again. Or with respect to our stock portfolios and net worth perhaps the right framing is ‘here we grow again’. And once again, it is tech stocks driving the market in the U.S. While a stellar earnings report from Shopify gave the Canadian markets a jolt. Shopify is once again the most […]
We’re looking for U.S. ETFs on the Sunday Reads.
Most Canadian self-directed investors are hybrid investors. They build a blue chip Canadian stock portfolio, they diversify with U.S. and International ETFs. They might choose a Global X-Canada ETF that covers the international markets in one ETF. The hybrid approach is a mix of stocks and ETFs. It’s a wonderful way to build wealth; the […]
The blazingly simple portfolio shines in a Canadian’s TFSA.
In 2010 the Globe & Mail offered a simple Canadian stock portfolio idea. It was also called the Canadian Essentials Portfolio. The portfolio concept was courtesy of political science professor Mike Henderson who singled out the companies for the essential roles they play in the Canadian economy. He identified the companies in the year 2000 […]
Global portfolios are up nicely in the first half of 2025. Plus, the Sunday Reads.
The first half of 2025 is in the books, and perhaps in the history books. Against all odds global stocks have delivered over 10% in U.S. Dollars in 2025. The U.S. market (S&P 500) offered about 5.7%. Of course the economic backdrop (noise) is a U.S. President hell-bent on a global tariff war and an […]
Canadian stock portfolios on the Sunday Reads.
The good news for Canadians who build their own stock portfolios is that if you simply buy enough of those blue chip companies, and then get out of your own way, you’ll likely be a very successful investor. At least on the Canadian equity front. Research shows that big ‘boring’ blue chip stocks outperform the […]





