John Hood BMO S&P 500 Index ETF ZSP-T BUY Jan 10, 2025

Way for Canadians to get exposure to US markets.
Does not like valuation of US equity markets right now.
Would advise to wait for weakness before buying. 
Better investments that are undervalued. 

He and his team are not tax experts, and the answer is very individual-specific. Consult your tax advisor.

XSP or ZSP are good starting points. One is hedged, one is not. HXS is another option, though it doesn't pay distributions, just accumulates as capital.

Is very liquid. Only a 0.09% MER. Great to own for S&P exposure. 

With the CAD declining vs. USD, it's time to think about locking in gains. Consider ZSP (S&P) vs. ZUE (S&P currency-hedged) where the difference lies in the exchange rate. Also consider if you're trading in a taxable account or not. As CAD weakens, ZSP (having more US exposure) will outperform. Therefore, ZUE (hedged) will outperform once the CAD gets stronger. In a registered account, sell ZSP and buy ZUE. If in a tax account, this is an individual financial planning decision. 

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. Here, you're buying about 37% in 10 companies. In other words, the top 10 companies represent about 37% of the S&P 500. So the ZSP and VOO are a bit top heavy. There's some risk if mega-cap tech names start to sell off, which they will at some point.
 
So take a look at diversifying. 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.

The CAD has weakened, and ZSP has the USD in it. So, he much prefers ZUE. Because interest rates are much lower than the U.S., it will cost you 1.25% in hedging. Weigh that 1.25% over, say 5 years, to where the CAD-USD exchange will go. If you expect the CAD to strengthen, then ZUE will give you a better payout than ZSP. Be hedged over not.