ETFs · 12 TOP PICKS · MER FROM 0.05%

One ETF. 13,000 stocks.

A single share of VEQT gives you ownership in 13,000+ companies across 40+ countries — for $45. Mutual funds charged you 2.50%/yr for the privilege. ETFs charge you 0.20%. Over 30 years that fee gap is worth $250,000+.

★ YOUR PORTFOLIO$50,000
VFVS&P 50060%
XICTSX25%
VABBonds15%
MER (BLENDED)0.05%
ANNUAL COST$25
VS MUTUAL FUND$1,225 ↓
$250kOVER 30YRvs mutual funds
★ INTERACTIVE PORTFOLIO BUILDER ★

Pick your ETFs. See the math.

Add up to 5 ETFs. Adjust weights. Watch the blended MER, projected return, and 25-year value update live.

★ 25-YEAR PROJECTION
$1,131,818
from $50,000 + $500/mo · blended MER 0.08%
★ QUICK START
★ YOUR PORTFOLIO (100%)
VFVVanguard S&P 500
60%
XICiShares S&P/TSX
25%
VABVanguard Aggregate Bond
15%
Blended MER0.08%
Expected return10.0%
Dividend yield2.12%
MER drag (25 yr)−$6,797
★ ADD ETFs
★ PROJECTION INPUTS
★ 12 TOP CANADIAN ETFs ★

All-equity · balanced · bonds · international

Full details on the most-traded ETFs in Canadian portfolios.

VEQT
Vanguard All-EquityVanguard
ONE-FUND PORTFOLIO
ALL-EQUITY
MER0.24%
YTD RETURN9.4%
DIVIDEND1.80%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS13,000+ stocks · 47% US · 30% Canadian · 23% international

Set-it-and-forget-it. 100% stocks across Canada, US, developed and emerging markets. Auto-rebalanced quarterly.

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XEQT
iShares Core All-EquityiShares
CHEAPEST ALL-EQUITY
ALL-EQUITY
MER0.20%
YTD RETURN9.7%
DIVIDEND1.70%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS9,000+ stocks · 45% US · 28% Canadian · 27% international

iShares' competitor to VEQT. Slightly lower MER (0.20% vs 0.24%). Very similar performance, tighter US/intl split.

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VFV
Vanguard S&P 500Vanguard
US MARKET EXPOSURE
US LARGE-CAP
MER0.09%
YTD RETURN12.4%
DIVIDEND1.30%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGSTop 500 US stocks (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, etc.)

Tracks the S&P 500. 10-year avg return ~12% USD. Best US equity exposure at the lowest MER in Canada.

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ZSP
BMO S&P 500BMO
BMO-FAMILY INVESTORS
US LARGE-CAP
MER0.09%
YTD RETURN12.4%
DIVIDEND1.30%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGSTop 500 US stocks · CAD-hedged variant: ZUE

BMO's S&P 500 ETF — identical to VFV in performance and MER. Pick based on broker ecosystem.

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XIC
iShares S&P/TSXiShares
CHEAPEST CANADIAN
CANADIAN
MER0.06%
YTD RETURN8.2%
DIVIDEND2.90%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS230+ Canadian stocks (Royal Bank, Shopify, Brookfield, etc.)

TSX Composite Index. Cheapest Canadian-equity ETF at 0.06% MER. Higher dividend yield than US ETFs.

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VCN
Vanguard FTSE CanadaVanguard
TRUE CANADIAN MARKET
CANADIAN
MER0.05%
YTD RETURN8.0%
DIVIDEND3.00%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS180+ Canadian stocks (FTSE Canada All Cap Index)

Tracks the FTSE Canada index. Slightly cheaper MER than XIC at 0.05%. Nearly identical performance.

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VBAL
Vanguard Balanced 60/40Vanguard
MODERATE RISK · RETIREES
BALANCED
MER0.24%
YTD RETURN6.8%
DIVIDEND2.20%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS60% stocks (globally diversified) + 40% bonds

Classic 60/40 split for moderate risk tolerance. Auto-rebalanced. Single ETF replaces a 7-fund portfolio.

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XBAL
iShares BalancediShares
BALANCED · LOWER MER
BALANCED
MER0.20%
YTD RETURN7.0%
DIVIDEND2.30%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS60% stocks + 40% bonds · slightly different allocation than VBAL

iShares' answer to VBAL with a slightly lower 0.20% MER. Excellent for IRA/RRSP and tax-deferred accounts.

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VGRO
Vanguard Growth 80/20Vanguard
LONG-TERM GROWTH
GROWTH
MER0.24%
YTD RETURN8.2%
DIVIDEND1.90%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS80% stocks + 20% bonds · globally diversified

Growth-oriented (80/20). Best for 30+ year time horizons. 15-year backtested return: ~7.5% annualized.

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VAB
Vanguard Aggregate BondVanguard
CASH-LIKE STABILITY
BONDS
MER0.09%
YTD RETURN3.4%
DIVIDEND4.10%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS1,200+ Canadian bonds · government + corporate

Canadian aggregate bond exposure. 4%+ yield as of 2026. Use for the "safe" portion of your portfolio.

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VUN
Vanguard US Total MarketVanguard
BROADER US THAN S&P 500
US BROAD
MER0.16%
YTD RETURN11.8%
DIVIDEND1.30%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS3,800+ US stocks (large/mid/small caps)

Total US market vs S&P 500 — includes mid and small caps. Slightly more diversification, similar long-term return.

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VXC
Vanguard ex-CanadaVanguard
GLOBAL · EX-CANADA
INTERNATIONAL
MER0.20%
YTD RETURN10.5%
DIVIDEND2.10%
RISK LEVEL
HOLDINGS12,000+ global stocks · US, EU, Asia · NO Canadian

Pair with VCN/XIC for total diversification. Useful if you already have heavy Canadian exposure (e.g., Big-6 bank shares).

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YOUR QUESTIONS

ETFs · straight answers