Stock price when the opinion was issued
Capital gains are generally the most tax-efficient in a non-registered account, which is likely why it seems most individuals hold VGG in a registered account as it pays a distribution. However, the distribution is small (1.6%), so we would not be overly concerned with the slight tax efficiency downside within a non-registered account. We would be comfortable holding with a non-registered account.
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Great that the viewer is starting her son out early. Years of compounding growth is the best thing that any investor can do.
For anything that's related to just the S&P 500, you really need to know what you're buying. Make sure you diversify beyond the top 10 S&P names. Perhaps VGG, where you still get exposure to tech but more dividend appreciation. Another approach is to look at ETFS that focus on quality, such as QUAL or ZUQ among other names. These two screen for strong ROEs and low leverage.
He likes it. It's a good way to own U.S. stocks that are dividend growers which can keep pace with rising interest rates. But if trade tensions continue, then all bets are off. He still recommends this.