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CTV News
33 minutes ago
- CTV News
All in on ETFs? Experts share how to diversify your portfolio — without overdoing it
TORONTO — Exchange-traded funds have exploded in popularity, and so have investment strategies based only on ETFs, but some investors might be wondering whether that could lead to their portfolio being too diversified. Financial experts say allocating an entire portfolio to ETFs can be a viable strategy, but it's important for investors to know what holdings are in the funds they're buying. When looking at portfolio diversification for ETF-focused investors, Jonathan Rivard, general principal at Edward Jones, said it's important to consider the individual's time horizon and risk appetite. 'You could absolutely be 100 per cent invested in ETFs. But you want to know what's in the ETF and what the allocation looks like. Some ETFs will be balanced; they'll have a mix of stocks and bonds in them. Some will be sector products,' Rivard said. 'The important thing comes down to understanding what does this basket hold? And if I own multiple ETFs, what does it look like across multiple ETFs in terms of asset allocation?' Prerna Mathews, Mackenzie Investments' vice-president of ETF product strategy, said there are a few key points to keep in mind regarding diversification, notably, it is important to think beyond just diversifying by geography. 'So (if) you're starting with the core Canadian, U.S., international exposure, don't stop there. Think about how fixed income plays a role in your portfolio, real assets, there are thematic products, and there are alternative ETFs. There are a lot of different drivers of return that can be added to a portfolio available in ETF form,' she said. Another consideration is buying ETFs with different investment styles, she said, which may include combining traditional index ETFs with others that are actively managed or have low volatility. Time horizon is also an important consideration, where those with a longer investment horizon may want to focus on growth, she said, taking on more risk with higher equity exposure. Regarding fixed income, Mathews said to be aware of the differences between short- and longer-term yields, adding that most investors will likely not have exposure to every duration of fixed income and should know the relevant trade-offs. 'In some cases, you can get a very attractive yield at the short end of the curve without taking on significant risk as you would on the long end,' she said. 'Really understanding the trade-off there and likely having some short-term fixed income in the portfolio would be viable. But aggregate bonds over a 30-year time period are generally a good place to be.' Mathews said there is also a growing number of investors opting for an asset allocation ETF. She said this type of ETF is essentially eight to 12 ETFs 'all packaged up in one,' and has served as a core holding for those looking for a 'set it and forget it' investment. Despite the benefits of diversification, Mathews said there are dangers to being overly diversified. This might occur for someone investing in Canadian equities through an ETF but also buying into an asset allocation ETF, Mathews said. In that case, the investor may end up with more Canadian equity exposure than anticipated. Similarly, with the TSX financials sector representing around 30 per cent of the overall index, an investor with a TSX-focused ETF and a Canadian banks-focused ETF could end up with too much exposure to Canadian bank stocks. 'There is a risk of having too much product in your portfolio. Sometimes that can creep up on us when we're not doing a full look through to what each ETF might be investing in,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press
CBC
34 minutes ago
- CBC
Whole new neighbourhood proposed for Rothesay, with 1,277 housing units
Ali Kamkar moved to New Brunswick six years ago to have a more relaxing life and focus on raising kids after leading a busy life running manufacturing and property development businesses in the Middle East. He and his wife settled in Rothesay and began to put down roots, with his daughter enrolling at Rothesay Netherwood School. Another daughter was born a year after they arrived. Kamkar soon became restless because of his entrepreneurial nature. "Business is in my blood," he said. "After six months, I needed to go back to work. I start to look around for opportunities. I thought, how can I do something positive for our community? How can I bring something that the community needs?" With a business partner from B.C., he opened a self-storage operation in Millidgeville with 440 units and began looking around for housing development opportunities. In Rothesay, he saw the need for a better mix of housing and has submitted a proposal for a mixed-use development that would add nearly 1,277 units over a 20-year period in a commercial and residential area near the highway. The town now has about 12,000 residents, so the development could provide a significant boost to the population and housing availability over time. Kamkar said the community has mainly single-family homes, which is great for young families but not for seniors or younger people. "Many people born here, raised here, they love to be here, but they are older," he said. "They want to move somewhere smaller. They want to stay close to friends and family, but they don't want to take care of the grass and shovel the snow. They want to be in the community, but there is nothing available in the community. "There are also young people that want to have their own place but not much is available or affordable." 'Times are changing in the region' Mayor Nancy Grant said Kamkar's proposal reflects the changing character of the community. "Rothesay has traditionally been a community of single-family homes, but times are changing in the region," Grant said. "We're trying to increase the population. There's a housing shortage, and there's a demand for various types of other types of housing." The proposed development by Landmark 661 Ltd. would include a mix of commercial businesses, apartment buildings, townhouses and single-family homes. It would happen in five phases, beginning with six, four-storey apartment buildings with 427 residential units and commercial businesses on the ground floors. Grant is impressed that the development is being designed to fit into the existing neighbourhood with the single-family homes on the part of the 22.8-hectare site adjacent to existing single-family homes along Wedgewood Drive. The townhouse units and 16 four-storey apartment buildings, seven of which would have ground-floor commercial spaces, would face the Campbell Drive-Millennium Drive area overlooking a Kent Building Supplies store and the Atlantic Superstore mall area. "The whole thing is beautifully designed," Grant said. "The apartment buildings are organized into four quadrants. Each has four apartment buildings and each is organized around a central courtyard and green space. "It will have a lighted landscaped main street with shops and restaurants … this will provide what planners like to call the complete neighborhood or the complete community. It's mixed-use. It's walkable, family-oriented, with a variety of housing, courtyards, trail system and green space incorporated." 'We need more walkable streets in Rothesay' Kamkar said the community needs more neighbourhoods like this. "We don't just design homes. Our design team wants to make a community — a village-style place where people have everything they want," Kamkar said. "We need more walkable streets in Rothesay like there are in places like uptown Saint John, with a coffee shop, restaurant, bar and hair salon." The large wooded plot of land doesn't need to be rezoned, but council will need to vote on whether to approve a development agreement. The next council meeting is Aug. 11.
CBC
34 minutes ago
- CBC
Londoners react to record-high income inequality in StatCan report
Some Londoners said they're frustrated, but not surprised, by the revelations from a Statistics Canada report showing the gap in wealth between Canada's top earners and the rest of the population is at a record high. The Statistics Canada's report released this month details that in the first three months of this year, the difference in the share of disposable income between households in the top 40 per cent of the income distribution and the bottom 40 per cent grew to 49 percentage points. It also said the gap has increased each year following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That's no surprise to Londoner Glenn Garinther, who said he's watched his purchasing power decrease swiftly since then, all while hearing about increasing bottom lines for the wealthy. "The whole structure maybe sounded great at first, but something has got to change," he said. "I just don't think the government cares about the poor, because if they did, there would be structures in place to stop this." Many of his peers are also feeling the economic pressure on a day-to-day basis, he said. "I think it definitely looms on all of us unless you're doing extraordinarily well. It'll affect your soul," he said. Garinther was loading two shopping bags of groceries and a case of soft drinks into his car while speaking with CBC News. "This was like 70 bucks right here. No meat in there at all," he said, noting the financial pressures many are facing. On top of the widening wealth gap, shopper Hannah Perlini said she is feeling the pinch facing the high cost of living that haven't subsided since prices skyrocketed during the pandemic. "It's a crazy statistic to me. I feel like there is a pretty big gap right now," Perlini said. "There should be more help for people and less of that gap." Perlini said she's just on the other side of her post-secondary education, and groceries and housing top the list of difficulties when it comes to finances. Even the traditional advice of making home-cooked meals and limiting time spent eating out isn't cutting it, she said. "I usually just spend my money at the grocery store. I don't go out for dinners or anything like that, just stuff to live, and it's still so expensive." Londoner Mike Bates said he believes the high cost of living makes the wide wealth gap even more unacceptable. "I think it's no surprise that the rich keep piling up cash while the rest of us make that cash for them," he said. "But, do I think it's fair? No." Statistics Canada said the wealth gap also increased as the top 20 per cent of the wealth distribution accounted for 64.7 per cent of Canadians' total net worth, averaging $3.3 million per household. Meanwhile, the bottom 40 per cent accounted for 3.3 per cent of net worth, which averaged out at $85,700 per household.
