Cash ETFs to protect your portfolio

riskparity

Member
Mar 9, 2025
50
61
18
What would be the best investment to make with 20k USD for a 5 year stint? Is Hamilton ETF worthy, or should I look in to a US ETF since I have the US funds?

I have limited knowledge but want to do something intelligent with this gift.
If its money you can live without, wait fora big red drawdown and buy TQQQ $1k on each down day so that you dont end up buying a falling knife. If you cant afford to lose it then just buy some index fund on a daily/monthly basis over a 6month period and hold on for dear life
 
  • Like
Reactions: jackie_white

riskparity

Member
Mar 9, 2025
50
61
18
For C$ stuff, I am in a PC Money account. 3.50% on a chequing account. No strings attached. Keep below FDIC amount obviosuly. great canadian rebates gets you $50 referral
 

jackie_white

Elite Member
Mar 18, 2023
7
2
3
If its money you can live without, wait fora big red drawdown and buy TQQQ $1k on each down day so that you dont end up buying a falling knife. If you cant afford to lose it then just buy some index fund on a daily/monthly basis over a 6month period and hold on for dear life
I don't need it. It's play money. I took a look and it's down significantly from January. Thank you sir.
 

stinkynuts

Super
Jan 4, 2005
8,417
2,768
113
What would be the best investment to make with 20k USD for a 5 year stint? Is Hamilton ETF worthy, or should I look in to a US ETF since I have the US funds?

I have limited knowledge but want to do something intelligent with this gift.
50% BRK.B
50% QQQ
 

Zoot Allures

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,319
1,015
113

Interesting that a interest savings account and a bond account have little difference
 

riskparity

Member
Mar 9, 2025
50
61
18
Disagree, Buffet recommends index funds only with the S&P being the best investment




yeah bread and butter investment which gets you safely to the finish line in an index etf low cost (10 bps in fees or less) preferably S&P, QQQ probably works too and gets u there faster. anything else is just huffing and puffing. long term nearly impossible to beat the index
 

Zoot Allures

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,319
1,015
113
yeah bread and butter investment which gets you safely to the finish line in an index etf low cost (10 bps in fees or less) preferably S&P, QQQ probably works too and gets u there faster. anything else is just huffing and puffing. long term nearly impossible to beat the index
I am a Buffet guy and he says S&P index, QQQ is NASDAQ-100 Index


  • The legendary investor Warren Buffet famously bet $1 million that an S&P 500 index fund would outperform a basket of hedge funds over a 10-year period.
  • In 2008, Tom Seides of Protégé Partners accepted the challenge.
  • Buffet prevailed, with Seides conceding the bet even before the decade had finished.
  • The lesson for the average investor is that low-cost index funds are likely the best long-term option.
 
  • Like
Reactions: riskparity

Zoot Allures

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,319
1,015
113
Last edited:

riskparity

Member
Mar 9, 2025
50
61
18
I am a Buffet guy and he says S&P index, QQQ is NASDAQ-100 Index


  • The legendary investor Warren Buffet famously bet $1 million that an S&P 500 index fund would outperform a basket of hedge funds over a 10-year period.
  • In 2008, Tom Seides of Protégé Partners accepted the challenge.
  • Buffet prevailed, with Seides conceding the bet even before the decade had finished.
  • The lesson for the average investor is that low-cost index funds are likely the best long-term option.
S&P is the textbook thing to do. Qs have more zip vs the spooz. I said if you want a boring but accurate way to invest then you have to buy S&P index etf with low fees and keep investing into that for the most likely way of reaching your long term financial goal. However, given how well QQQ's have done off late, meh I dont mind rolling the dice on that one and going half and half or all in on the QQQs. Bur thats a personal preference.

Regardsless these are like multi decade trades that you have to sit and wait to get a meaningful pay off vs a quick 20-30% pop kind of investment
 
  • Like
Reactions: Zoot Allures

Zoot Allures

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,319
1,015
113
Not if it’s in your rrsp i think
Correct but TFSA does not avoid American 15% witholding tax on american dividends

That is why pure dividend stocks, such as banks, are held in Canadian companies
also dividends are taxed less than capital gains but that is another topic
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: stinkynuts

jackie_white

Elite Member
Mar 18, 2023
7
2
3
S&P is the textbook thing to do. Qs have more zip vs the spooz. I said if you want a boring but accurate way to invest then you have to buy S&P index etf with low fees and keep investing into that for the most likely way of reaching your long term financial goal. However, given how well QQQ's have done off late, meh I dont mind rolling the dice on that one and going half and half or all in on the QQQs. Bur thats a personal preference.

Regardsless these are like multi decade trades that you have to sit and wait to get a meaningful pay off vs a quick 20-30% pop kind of investment
QQQ not recommended for short term?Id like to do 5 yr investment and maximize return. The 20-30% is intriguing but you say that's a long term thing? I'm only interested in short term at this time.

Thanks.
 

stinkynuts

Super
Jan 4, 2005
8,417
2,768
113
QQQ not recommended for short term?Id like to do 5 yr investment and maximize return. The 20-30% is intriguing but you say that's a long term thing? I'm only interested in short term at this time.

Thanks.
Qqq is grossly overpriced. With the way things are going, short term very risky. Try tech stocks that have decent valuations like Netflix, Google, Microsoft.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jackie_white

riskparity

Member
Mar 9, 2025
50
61
18
QQQ not recommended for short term?Id like to do 5 yr investment and maximize return. The 20-30% is intriguing but you say that's a long term thing? I'm only interested in short term at this time.

Thanks.
dont have a crystall ball sadly. just saying if 5 year equity indices are up, not unreasonable to assume that QQQ will outperform S&P. At same time, if mkts drop, your QQQ drops more than the S&P.

Really hard to give advice. Keep it in cash and get aggressive when there's a major correction. But always hard to time the market.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jackie_white

Zoot Allures

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,319
1,015
113
What would be the best investment to make with 20k USD for a 5 year stint? Is Hamilton ETF worthy, or should I look in to a US ETF since I have the US funds?

I have limited knowledge but want to do something intelligent with this gift.
 

Zoot Allures

Well-known member
Jan 23, 2017
2,319
1,015
113
What would be the best investment to make with 20k USD for a 5 year stint? Is Hamilton ETF worthy, or should I look in to a US ETF since I have the US funds?

I have limited knowledge but want to do something intelligent with this gift.
First thing is put money into high interest ETF so you are making safe money while you decide
and the pressure to invest is off

Now decide the risk you want to take .

Number one concern is can you handle a 30% loss without worrying?

If you think you can you need to realize others who thought they could bail and sell low
then buy high after market recovers so they sell low and buy high.
You will never make money market timing as the market moves too quick
Do not even think about trying to market time. Buy and hold


Once you have decided acceptable risk that lets you sleep at night finding
the right ETF is the easy part

For 5 year stint I would go all in to the S&P but 20 K is no biggie for me
and I know it will come back even if I lose 50% but that is me, not you

As to when to sell or buy that is tricky but if, for example, you go 50% safe and 50% risk
what you can do is keep that balance. At the end of every day you buy and sell.

If market went up then you have over 50% in risky stock so you sell stock and buy
more safe bonds, or whatever safe is to you. And visa versa.

You do not have to do it because a computer will do it cheaply

They are called roboadvisors
 
Last edited:

jackie_white

Elite Member
Mar 18, 2023
7
2
3
First thing is put money into high interest ETF so you are making safe money while you decide
and the pressure to invest is off

Now decide the risk you want to take .

Number one concern is can you handle a 30% loss without worrying?

If you think you can you need to realize others who thought they could bail and sell low
then buy high after market recovers so they sell low and buy high.
You will never make money market timing as the market moves too quick
Do not even think about trying to market time. Buy and hold


Once you have decided acceptable risk that lets you sleep at night finding
the right ETF is the easy part

For 5 year stint I would go all in to the S&P but 20 K is no biggie for me
and I know it will come back even if I lose 50% but that is me, not you

As to when to sell or buy that is tricky but if, for example, you go 50% safe and 50% risk
what you can do is keep that balance. At the end of every day you buy and sell.

If market went up then you have over 50% in risky stock so you sell stock and buy
more safe bonds, or whatever safe is to you. And visa versa.

You do not have to do it because a computer will do it cheaply

They are called roboadvisors
Thank you. The 20k is play money so a loss is within scope and a known risk.

The 50/50 seems like a solid plan. I've known people who are in to bitcoin and lose sleep because they aren't awake or monitoring in the nano seconds it can take to lose your shirt.

The Hamilton ETF seems like a "safe" bet ATM. Your thoughts are appreciated.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stinkynuts
Ashley Madison
Toronto Escorts