Taking ETF Trades to the Next Level
Experienced investors know the theory: ETFs are supposed to trade very close to their net asset value (NAV). And most of the time they do. But this week my PWL Capital colleague Justin Bender and I en [...]
Understanding ECN Fees
The promise of commission-free ETFs has steered many index investors toward independent brokerages such as Questrade and Virtual Brokers. These deep discounters have a lot to offer, but before you sig [...]
The Limits of Limit Orders
For some time now I’ve been suggesting that ETF investors use limit orders—never market orders—when placing trades in their accounts. A market order will be filled (usually immediately and in full) at [...]
An Interview With Wealthsimple: Part 2
Earlier this week I published an excerpt from my interview with David Nugent, portfolio manager of the online investment service Wealthsimple. In this second part of our interview, Nugent goes into mo [...]
ShareOwner: Canada’s First ETF Robo-Advisor
Back in February I wrote about the rise of robo-advisors, the online services that allow you to build an ETF portfolio that’s maintained by a computer. These services are already operating in the US, [...]
Ask the Spud: How Are Investors Protected?
Q: My father lost a large sum of money when the company holding his investments in his home country defrauded its clients. As a result, I worry whether it is safe to keep all our investments in one in [...]
Will Robo-Advisors Ever Come to Canada?
Every investor who's fired a bad advisor and become a do-it-yourselfer has probably had mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s liberating to get away from a costly strategy that was performing poorly. But [...]
Norbert’s Gambit: The Complete Guide
[This post was updated in February 2015 to reflect recent changes at some brokerages.] Norbert’s gambit remains the least expensive way to convert Canadian and US dollars at a discount brokerage. For [...]
The Hidden Cost of Bid-Ask Spreads
Trading commissions get a lot of attention from ETF investors, and rightly so. But depending which ETFs you use and the size of your trades, the impact of bid-ask spreads may be larger than you though [...]
Norbert’s Gambit at CIBC: A Case Study
Norbert’s gambit is an excellent way to reduce the cost of converting Canadian and US dollars, but not every brokerage makes it easy. Recently Justin Bender helped a client of our DIY Investor Service [...]
