ETF Portfolio Update – December 2007

January 1, 2008January 2, 2008 by Phantasmix

This is the year end result of my hypothetical portfolio I started on May 1: -1.3% (including dividends).

It’s not especially spectacular or particularly bad, but it is much worse than the Canadian, American and EAFE markets did. In addition to the negative performance, had I actually bought these ETF’s, I’d also be hit with a tax bill for the distributions. Here’s more information on this topic.

Overall I’m unhappy with this passive portfolio. If not for these distributions I would give this setup a chance and track it for at least a couple of years longer. However this complete lack of control over the buys and sells of holdings within the ETF – and tax implications of this – makes me want to continue stock picking on my own.

So this is the end of the ETF Portfolio v. 1. I will work out a new passive hypothetical portfolio. This time I’ll make it a benchmark against which I’ll track my own results, as opposed to making random picks across the regions.

Click to enlarge the chart