The Canadian Couch Potato strategy is one of the most well-known approaches to DIY investing in Canada. Popularized by Dan Bortolotti, the concept is elegantly simple: build a diversified portfolio of low-cost index ETFs, contribute regularly, rebalance annually, and resist the urge to tinker. No stock picking. No market timing. No expensive advisors.
The Couch Potato strategy is grounded in decades of evidence showing that passive index investing outperforms active management after fees. By minimizing costs and behavior (overtrading, panic selling), the strategy aims to capture market returns as efficiently as possible.
The simplest Couch Potato portfolio today is a single all-in-one ETF. Buy VGRO or XGRO, contribute monthly, and you're done. These ETFs automatically hold global stocks and bonds in the right proportions and rebalance themselves.
The traditional approach uses three funds to build a globally diversified portfolio:
This gives more control over geographic allocation and slightly lower MER than all-in-one ETFs. Requires annual rebalancing.
Your stock/bond ratio should reflect your timeline and risk tolerance:
Once per year, check if your portfolio has drifted significantly from your target allocation. If stocks have surged and you're now 90/10 when you want 80/20, sell some stocks and buy bonds to restore balance. All-in-one ETFs do this automatically — another reason they're ideal for hands-off investors.
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