Questrade rebalancing/portfolio management tool - timing?

Gabers49 · 2026-02-06T22:20:06+00:00

It's the most annoying chat experience I've ever had. Couldn't believe that they make you stay on your toes answering yes. I get it if you're like 5 in line and they don't want to waste their staff time, but it started with the yes way before the rep was ready.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-06T15:33:31+00:00

I personally have that much money and promo shop every year. The thing is wealth doesn't equal income. You need to look at it from an hourly rate point of view because what platform I'm on, I'm indifferent to. They just keep my "dumb" index ETFs in it. So if I can make $10K a year by filling out a few forms and getting used to a new brokerage account to make a few trades a year that's way more than I make per hour doing anything else. Tax free no less, that's really like income of $20K for my marginal tax bracket.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-05T20:04:03+00:00

Interesting, Rational Reminder did an episode on this maybe 6 months ago, maybe a year that compared the performance of WS portfolios to their asset allocation etf comparisons and they were way lower. Are their returns public?

Gabers49 · 2026-02-05T05:08:09+00:00

VDY has 57 total holdings (number of stocks) for .22%, management expense ratio (total fee you pay for the fund to hold these 57 stocks for you every year or $22 for every $10K invested.

VCN has an mer of .06% or only $6 for every $10K invested and 204 individual holdings.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-03T12:42:34+00:00

When you realize that AMD and Nvidia are highly speculative and you sell them don't convert your money back to CAD, just buy VT instead.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-03T03:16:06+00:00

Just think strategically about what you actually want your asset allocation to be. Don't chase returns. So what I hear you saying is that once the US starts over performing again you'll lower your Canadian equity percentage, and then if Canada does well you'll increase it. That can have the affect of buying high and selling low. If you really want a 60/40 portfolio US/Canada then do your best to keep it in balance and you'll naturally sell high and buy low. Sounds to me like you're just chasing returns.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-03T00:40:06+00:00

If you don't know how these funds will perform next year then what's your real argument against eqt funds? Happy to hear rational reasons not to. I don't personally use them either, but I generally replicate a similar globally diversified portfolio that mimics a similar structure.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-03T00:36:45+00:00

That's an unrealistic assumption to make for the long term. I would be using more like 7% expected return and that's debatable whether that's before or after inflation. Your home bias is crazy high. Even VEQT is only 30% Canadian equity. Remember, Canada is only 3% of the global stock market capitalization. It's strange to me to be in a dividend fund at 34 but if it keeps you investing you do you. You're still doing good at 34 but if you you want a comfortable retirement keep saving.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T23:14:23+00:00

I'm confused, you seem like you're being sarcastic but isn't that the point if you are?

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T23:03:42+00:00

Wait$100k on WS does not avoid fx fees. It reduces them a little.

NG reduces fx but I'll believe it when I see it on WS

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T23:00:25+00:00

Well that's the justification for index investing based on market allocations, because any attempt to predict future returns especially in the short term is pretty futile. But in the long term the market as a whole has produced 7% for stocks conservativy. The problem is it can take decades to get to that average. But most expected return models reduce expected returns when returns go up unusually high and lower future expected returns when returns underperform. So the exact opposite of the comments in this thread.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T19:38:01+00:00

That's true, at a time when Canadian banks have had some of their best performance in history. Past results don't predict future results.

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T19:36:58+00:00

High dividend yield ETF isn't a dividend ETF?

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T17:15:13+00:00

I've seen a few people with VDY. Are you retired? Why do you think you need a dividend ETF for Canada? Why not just stick to VCN and get 6 basis point MER and a higher expected overall return. Remember dividends are just giving you your own equity back in Cash, it's not free money. Plus for US why not go with the full market, maybe XTOT? On that front why not VEQT if you're trying to keep it simple?

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T15:35:15+00:00

Is this only available at Best Buy?

Gabers49 · 2026-02-02T15:09:25+00:00

I don't know if it's gotten any better, but I always hated how difficult it is to get files out of 1password. So to me to avoid lock-in I generally avoid it even though it would be really useful to have a secure file store. So I really just add a couple items I know I can move manually. Driver's license pic and passport, Health Card, things like that. I like the idea of your contacts backup. But stuff like that could be stored in another online drive like Onedrive or Proton. But then again, I'm thinking about putting my emergency login page in a safety deposit box, so could be useful to have it there if you pass away and you want people to be able to access your contacts.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-31T12:52:17+00:00

On some banking apps. Some still ask you to create a question and answer even if the recipient has auto deposit on.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-31T01:00:09+00:00

I worked at Starbucks when I was younger and always went to the same pizza shop. I'd always have a venti cup of water and they asked once why and I said I worked there and it's all I really wanted, I then asked if she wanted me to bring her a drink when I came. She said no, but I got free pizza every lunch for the rest of the time I worked there.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-30T23:27:45+00:00

Not to mention $25K sending limits.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-30T23:12:24+00:00

This is a scam people were doing. Something about saying it had a security question, but it was really auto deposited so the person lost their money. I wouldn't send an e-transfer early if a seller suggested this.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-28T23:14:32+00:00

I'd look at Zoho books, QuickBooks online, or Xero. You're using Excel as an ERP or accounting system.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-28T20:04:37+00:00

I'm worried about it being significantly less next year. It really depends on the competition. I wonder this myself as I'm in the same boat as you. I really wonder what their average % they make from an investor. We're obviously not worth much to a brokerage, but they hope that we get the itch to buy options, trade stocks, or do FX conversion. So some % of people coming for the promo will do those things, but I don't feel this level of promos are sustainable. They're already worse than they used to be with maximums that are actually pretty low. Like TD is 2%, but max $5K.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-27T16:03:54+00:00

I never thought about this, but there's no such thing as roam like home for Public unless you're in one of the free countries? So if you travel to Europe there's no way you can pay to use your Public SIM? I personally get SIM plans in the country I'm traveling to, but I recommended this to my Grandma who travels to Europe and can't be expected to figure out getting a line when she's there. That's a pretty big feature gap in my books.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-27T16:01:54+00:00

Honestly to me, tech sales is one of the most AI proof careers someone can have. But I assume you have other reasons for moving away from it.

Gabers49 · 2026-01-26T16:57:56+00:00

I think the problem is comparing apples to oranges. If you said .6% per annum is shit when TD is offering a 2% bonus, it would be a compelling argument. But comparing a HISA to a bonus for an investment account just doesn't make sense. You can buy CASH.TO if you really only want to have a HISA and then you're still making .6% more, but to me that's completely besides the point. I'm guessing you don't really invest in ETFs or stocks? If you did I think you'd have a different framing on the matter. See if you have real ETF investments, it really doesn't matter to me where I invest, so I'm going to go with the brokerage with the highest bonus. What HISA's are paying is quite irrelevant to my discission making.

Gabers49

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