In Episode 10 of the Canadian Portfolio Manager Podcast, Justin analyzes the historical returns of gold from 1972 to 2019 to help Canadian investors decide whether the shiny yellow metal deserves a place in their portfolio. Using the data, Justin sets out to determine if any of the hype is warranted – has gold historically been a decent safe haven, portfolio diversifier, return enhancer and/or inflation hedge for Canadian investors? At the end of the show, we pit two gold ETFs (IAU and GLD)...

In Episode 9 of the Canadian Portfolio Manager Podcast, we discuss whether currency-hedged ETFs make sense for Canadian investors. Steven Leong, of BlackRock Canada, joins us once again to share his insights on the purpose of currency-hedging, as well as the firm’s currency-hedging process.  We then break for an ETF Kombat between XSP (the granddaddy of currency-hedged ETFs), and its younger rival, XUH. We’ll then take a deep dive into the historical risk and return data to help you decide...

In Episode 8 of the Canadian Portfolio Manager Podcast, Justin starts off by answering a listener question regarding the currency exposure of two U.S. equity ETFs in the CPM model portfolios. Steven Leong, of BlackRock Canada, also drops in to provide his currency insights throughout the episode. We then embark upon a most excellent currency adventure with Bill and Ted - two pals who are trying to wrap their heads around the confusing world of currencies. The currency exposure of...

In Episode 7 of the Canadian Portfolio Manager podcast, Justin takes investors on an epic journey through the new “Plaid” model ETF portfolios. During the show, investors will learn the asset location strategies necessary to manage their very own Plaid portfolio. Michael James (creator of the popular personal finance blog, Michael James on Money) will also drop by to share his personal experiences managing a Plaid-like portfolio. As always, there will be an exciting ETF Kombat – this time,...

If you’re wondering whether you’re holding your ETFs in the right accounts, this episode of the CPM Podcast is for you. During the show, investors will learn how to properly implement a traditional asset location strategy with the new Ludicrous Model ETF Portfolios. Justin will also reveal why a Ludicrous portfolio can be a superior choice to simply holding the same asset allocation ETF across each account. We’ll then break up the discussion with an ETF Kombat between two popular U.S. equity...

In Episode 5 of the CPM Podcast, Justin continues to fine-tune his portfolios. He shows investors how they can cut the cost of their Vanguard or iShares asset allocation ETF by switching to one of his “Ridiculous” model portfolios. During the discussion, investors will discover the many benefits of using U.S.-based foreign equity ETFs in their RRSP, and also learn how tax-efficient bond ETFs can help to reduce their tax bill in taxable accounts. And in this episode’s ETF Kombat, the BMO...

Justin has recently updated his Canadian Portfolio Manager (CPM) model ETF portfolios. There are now four CPM portfolio levels of complexity to choose from: Light, Ridiculous, Ludicrous or Plaid. Each of the models’ four levels is more difficult to manage than the last … and arguably, more powerful. In this four-part podcast series, Justin will discuss each of his four model ETF portfolio levels in painstaking detail, starting with the Light portfolios. We’ll also lighten up the discussion...

In this tax-heavy episode, Justin discusses his part-time obsession – foreign withholding taxes. Throughout the show, he explains which specific ETFs are best held in each account type in order to reduce this largely hidden tax drag. He is joined by industry experts from BMO, BlackRock and Vanguard, who each discuss their company’s approach to mitigating this cost. ZEM and XEC also go head-to-head in the latest ETF Kombat. As a side-bar, Justin’s popular model ETF portfolios have been updated...

In Episode 2, Justin gets into the weeds of tax loss selling with ETFs. You’ll learn the core rules to follow, common pitfalls to avoid, and the best “portfolio-tested” ETFs for implementing this tax-efficient strategy. Back by popular demand, the show also features another ETF Kombat, this time with VCN and XIC facing-off in an epic battle you can’t miss. And if you don’t have time to listen to the entire episode, skip ahead to the TLDL (too long, didn’t listen) segment, where the entire...

In the debut episode of the Canadian Portfolio Manager podcast, we kick things off by helping you choose which Vanguard Asset Allocation ETF is right for you. During the show, Justin estimates the future expected returns of these one-fund solutions, and also discusses the reasons for their overweight to Canadian stocks. At the end of the podcast, personal finance expert, Robb Engen (of Boomer and Echo fame), asks Justin whether he should optimize his portfolio to save on product fees and...