Rob Carrick’s ETF Buyer’s Guide 2024: The complete series

This first instalment of the 2024 Globe and Mail ETF Buyer’s Guide makes the case quite well for the simplicity of buy-and-hold investing with exchange-traded funds. It almost sounds too easy to just buy some good ETFs and hold on to them, but the strategy flat-out works.

Investing in ETFs requires an online brokerage account. For help choosing an online broker, consult the latest Globe and Mail Online Brokerage Ranking.

Best Canadian equity funds Each of the 12 Canadian equity funds included here delivered annualized returns of roughly 9 to 10 per cent over the past five years of dramatic stock market ups and downs.

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Best Canadian bond funds Among the financial oddities of the past few years, almost nothing stands out like the two consecutive money-losing years for bonds.

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Best U.S. equity funds The case for investing in the U.S. market is that it’s much better diversified than the Canadian market, particularly in technology.

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Best international equity funds The case for international investing is that you get exposure to markets beyond Canada and the United States, without a big tech presence.

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Best Canadian dividend funds Quite a few big blue-chip dividend stocks have slumped badly in the past year or more, hurting returns from dividend ETFs that hold a significant weighting in them.

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Best Asset Allocation Funds Asset allocation ETFs are investing’s great problem-solver. Decide whether you want a conservative, balanced, growth or all-equity focus, and then choose a fund.

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