12 Feb 2013 13 Comments
Portfolio Update – January 2013
The market rally since the beginning of the year has been great for my overall portfolio value, but a bit crappy because I want to make some purchases. I know, I know, I shouldn’t be timing the market. 
I transferred a chunk of my savings over into my investment account for my TFSA contribution and to increase my investment account balance as well, and I will make purchases throughout the year.
Questrade announced in January that their ETF purchases are now free for their clients; I wonder when RBC will follow suit. I can dream, can’t I? 
So this is what my investment portfolio currently looks like:
TFSA – Stocks (CRS, SLF), ETFs (VTI, XSB, XBB)
RRSP – ETFs (XBB, XSP, XIN, VEU, VTI)
Non-registered investment account – ETFs (XIC)
My target allocation is:
Canadian equities: 30%
US equities: 25%
International equities: 25%
Canadian bonds: 20%
My current allocation is:
Canadian equities: 28%
US equities: 21%
International equities: 19%
Canadian bonds: 18%
Cash: 14%
Notes:
- My investment income is automatically set to reinvest in more shares, except for the Vanguard ones because RBC does not offer DRIP for them. In January, that resulted in 7 more shares of XIC, 2 more shares of SLF, 3 more shares of XSP, and 2 more shares of XBB for me. Nothing beats free stuff!
- I moved my SLF shares from my investment account to my TFSA account which will affect my TFSA contribution for the year.
How did your January end up? Did you make any moves in your own portfolio?
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Thanks for reading!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 11:55:07
You’ll probably think I’m crazy but I keep a lot more in equities then any financial advisor would ever advise for my age. My breakdown is roughly 60% in U.S. equities and the remaining 40% in Latin America, Asia and Europe. Are you doing anything to protect your gains? Early last year was a nice boom that turned into a bust. I’m not going to get caught in that trap again. http://wisedollar.org/asset-protection-strategy/
Feb 13, 2013 @ 10:10:33
100% equities? Wow, that’s pretty aggressive, but I’m sure you know your risk tolerance. Do you have anything in fixed income at all?
Feb 12, 2013 @ 14:57:25
Looks like you are well on your way to hit your target allocations. Thanks for letting me know about the free ETF purchases at Questrade, I’m going to check it out. Cheers
Feb 13, 2013 @ 10:10:47
Check it out and let me know how it goes!
Feb 12, 2013 @ 15:43:39
Hi Vicky!
A question if I may… were you able to transfer your SLF shares to your TFSA “in kind” or did you have to sell them and then re-buy them?
By the way, not sure if I would agree with your comment implying that DRIPs are “free stuff”. They reflect a conscious decision you have made regarding the price you are willing to pay for more shares of your current portfolio versus choosing an alternate investment.
Keep up the good work!
Regards,
MG
Feb 13, 2013 @ 10:12:09
You can transfer them “in kind” and the contribution amount was equivalent to the market value at the time of transfer.
Haha, ok, fair enough; I could have just received the cash from those dividends instead of re-investing them. How about “I like getting shares without paying any commissions?”
Feb 12, 2013 @ 22:06:10
I set up my 401(k) contribution allocations for the year. Let’s see if I can set it and forget it! I also set aside my 2012 Roth IRA contribution in cash, but I can’t contribute until I’m doubly sure what my income was for 2012 since I fall into the phaseout income range… Good problems to have, right?!
Feb 13, 2013 @ 10:12:34
That is a great problem to have!
Nice work, as always.
Feb 13, 2013 @ 20:09:29
Nice breakdown. Hasn’t January been great? I’m a little bummed that I got my bonus check and didn’t get to invest until 4 weeks into January. It seems I missed out, but I still made some purchases all the same.
Feb 14, 2013 @ 10:14:39
Definitely has been nice! The thing I keep telling myself is that I’m not going to need this money for another 30 years or so, and there’s no way I can know what the market will be like then. But that definitely doesn’t stop me from feeling just a little bit sad when I purchase something and it drops the day after.
Thanks for dropping by!
Feb 14, 2013 @ 06:41:54
I’d also have a look at Aussie stocks as well, the country is robust as an investment at the moment. The Chinese can’t get enough of what’s in the ground!!!
Feb 14, 2013 @ 10:15:55
Hey Mary,
I, unfortunately, don’t know too much about Australian stocks specifically, but I am exposed to international markets through my VEU and XIN holdings.
Thanks for dropping by!
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