When it comes to ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) there are multiple ways to go about it. You can select ETFs that are Canadian listed or US listed.
Let's dive right into an example. Let's compare some Vanguard ETFs. Let's look at VFV.TO versus VOO. Notice from the screenshots below that both ETFs have a quasi identical descriptions:
VOO: Vanguard 500 Index Fund ETF
VFV: Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF
Their holdings are relatively the same, take a look at the top 10 holdings for VFV and VOO below respectively:
Both of these ETFs have the same objective, they seek to track the famous Standard & Poor 500 index, which consists of the 500 largest companies in the United-States.
So let's say you live in Canada, have a Canadian salary and earning Canadian dollars, you might ask: how am I to invest in the US listed ETF (VOO) which is traded in US dollars?
Well first you need to open an account with a broker that allows you to trade and hold US dollars. Questrade is by far the best and most popular option. They let you trade US dollars in a margin, TFSA or RRSP account.
So which one should you pick between VFV and VOO? It depends, there are Pros and Cons to both.
If you are earning US dollars, it's a no brainer, you would go with the US listed ETF. Here are some considerations:
MER (Management Expense Ratio)
The MER (Management Expense Ratio is lower by 0.05 %). For VOO, the MER is at 0.03% whereas for VFV, it sits at 0.08%. These fees may not seem very high with small amounts of money, but they do start to add up with larger sums. For example, let's suppose you have 100$ invested in VOO. You would be paying 0.03$ per year instead of 0.08$ with VFV. Now suppose you have accumulated 100000$ in VOO, you would be paying 30$ instead of 80$ per year with VOO. Yo
u get the pattern, the more you have invested the higher the fees.
Capital Gains
Looking at both graphs over time (in this case, over a 5 year period) you can see that VOO has gone up by 115.95% vs VFV with 98.43%. In other words, an investment of 1000$ over 5 years would now amount to 2
159.50$ with VOO, versus a lower amount of 1984.30$ with VFV.
Dividends
For US stocks (e.g. and US listed ETFs (e.g. VOO), there is a 15% withholding tax that gets taken away from your dividend payout before it evens reaches your account. However, if you hold those US stocks and ETFs in your RRSP, you will not be subject to this withholding tax, thanks to a treaty between the US and Canada for RRSP accounts. For all other accounts (cash, margin, and yes, even a TFSA) you will be paying this 15% tax on dividends, which can sum up to a lot of m
oney with large sums. For example, if your dividend amounted to 100$, the payout would only be 85$ to you. Note that this tax is waived if you utilize your RRSP account. The only way to avoid this is to invest in US listed ETFs or stocks in your RRSP account.
Currency
Assuming you do not hold any US dollars in a US account, you will need to convert Canadian dollars in US ones and pay a conversion fee in a shape or form. You can complete this using Norbert' Gambit (look out for another post to explain how this works). Another thing to consider is the fact that the US dollar has more buying power than the Canadian dollar. Assuming that the US dollar does remain higher than the Canadian one, it might be advantageous to hold US doll
ars that are compounding over time. That being said, if you live in Canada, chances are you are earning Canadian dollars, therefore you will likely want to convert US dollars back to Canadian dollars in order to spend in Canada.
Ease of Use
The considerations stated above do point towards using VOO instead of VFV.TO. However, as mentioned, you need to have US dollars and use a brokerage account that will allow you to hold and trade US dollars in order to buy VOO. If this is a little too advanced or complicated for you, don't worry too much about the 15 % withholding tax and other benefits with VOO over VFV. If you feel it's a bit too much, don't break your back and simply invest in VFV and you'll get great market returns over the long haul.
What do you think? Is it worth the hassle to obtain US dollars and invest in VOO to invest in VOO over VFV? Did I miss anything you'd like me to cover? Please leave your comments below!
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