Lorne Steinberg
iShares MSCI World Index Fund
XWD-T
BUY
Feb 01, 2024
Global ETF to balance out the overweight in Canadian stocks?
A Morgan Stanley world index ETF would be good and simple. Because the US is so dominant in market-weighted indices, a Morgan Stanley ETF will have 70% in US stocks. But you're getting global diversification, not EMs. That will be somewhat of an offset.
ZGQ-T vs. XWD-T. ZWD-T is the world except for Canada. ZGQ-T is a world quality index. In a slowdown you want to own companies with the cleanest balance sheet and lowest leverage. That is the quality factor. He prefers ZGQ-T over ZWD-T.
Is it smart to buy two diversified ETFs then take a single position out? No, he doesn't recommend nor use single stock positions. If you want one single ETF, look at XWD. It spans the world (large-cap, blue-chip and diverse) and it has gotten off to a great start this year. He prefers ETFs that are cheaper than most, but not the cheapest, because he prefers ETFs that are factor-based which will cost 35 basis points. The 35 basis points are worth it than a no-frills, super-low MER ETF.
Growth potential? It's good for growth, especially with a long-term horizon. An even better way to harness market beta is XMW, which a minimum-volatility index ETF and reduces the risk of high-risk stocks by excluding them. You'll get the same long-term returns, maybe higher, but at lower risk. A smoother ride.
If you could build a portfolio with only 2 ETFs for the next 5-10 years. ZAG-T and XWD-T. ZAG holds bonds. XWD offers global diversity and it fairly cheap; you get 65 of the buggest international stocks.
VEQT vs. VFV vs. XWD He prefers VEQT and XWD, because he'd rather be all-world than just the U.S. He likes diversification. VEQT is all-cap vs. XWD is large-cap, and he prefers all-cap. So, VQET is his top choice here.
XWD vs. XAW He prefers XAW. Both are ETFs of ETFs. XAW includes emerging markets, a nice diversifier, with EM comprising 50% of the world's GDP. He likes global.
ETFs for university-aged people When you're that young, invest for growth. XWD and VGRO give you all of that in one place. It allows a globally diverse basket of stocks to be held for the long term.
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A Morgan Stanley world index ETF would be good and simple. Because the US is so dominant in market-weighted indices, a Morgan Stanley ETF will have 70% in US stocks. But you're getting global diversification, not EMs. That will be somewhat of an offset.
It'll be very conservative.