If you live and plan to retire in Canada, then a significant weighting to domestic stocks makes sense. You also want a good wedge of your portfolio in the high-flying U.S. market, but there’s a limit. The S&P 500 is 30 per cent weighted to technology stocks these days, and there are seven dominant stocks within that sector.
For help in picking an international equity fund, check out this fourth instalment of the 2024 Globe and Mail ETF Buyer’s Guide. All funds presented here are core funds, which means they’re suitable as your one and only international fund. Many of these funds come in versions with and without currency hedging, which eliminates the effect of fluctuations in the value of our dollar on returns. Unhedged funds are more popular for the most part, and thus they’re the focus in this edition of the ETF guide.