The summer solstice is upon us, and while I won’t pretend to be an astrology connoisseur, for the markets, we are entering what is typically a seasonally flat and low volume time of the year.
However, 2025 has been quite the wild ride, and while it’s easy to be a “good” investor during bull markets, it’s during times of extreme volatility where the patience and emotions of investors are truly put to the test.
I follow someone on X named Brian Feroldi (@BrianFeroldi) who posts easy to read and succinct charts that highlight different finance and investing topics targeted for a general audience. It was from reading one of his recent posts on index investing that gave me the idea behind this lesson.
I’ve put together a simple table that showcases a number of ETFs from a variety of providers that track different markets and investing strategies ideal for the average long term investor. I didn’t go into detail for specific market sectors, but instead selected what I thought are the most common areas where the majority of long term investors seek interest in. Doing a quick google search of any of these ETFs will direct you to their prospectus page on the respective ETF provider website.
| Strategy | Vanguard | BMO | iShares | State Street | TD | Charles Schwab |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN Dividend | VDY | ZDV | XDV | N/A | TQCD | N/A |
| US Dividend | VYM | ZDY | DGRO | SDY | TUED | SCHD |
| CAN Growth | VGRO | ZGRO | XCG | N/A | TGRO | N/A |
| US Growth | VUG | ZGRO | IVW | SPYG | TGRO | SCHG |
| CAN Value | N/A | ZVC | XCV | N/A | TCLV | N/A |
| US Value | VTV | ZVU | IVE | SPYV | TULV | SCHV |
| US Small Cap | VB | ZSML | IJS | SPSM | TQSM | SCHA |
| US Mid Cap | VO | ZMID | IJH | MDY | TQSM | SCHM |
| US All Cap | VTI | ZACE | XUU, ITOT | SPTM | TPU | SCHB |
| S&P 500 | VFV, VOO | ZSP | IVV, XUS | SPY | N/A | SCHX |
| TSX | VCN, VCE | ZCN | XIU, XIC, XEQT | N/A | TTP | N/A |
| Global Stocks | VT | ZGQ | URTH | SPGM | TEQT | N/A |
| Global Stocks (ex-CAN) | VXC | ZEA | XAW | N/A | TPE | N/A |
| Global Stocks (ex-US) | VXUS | ZEA | IXUS | CWI | TPE | SCHF |
| Fixed Income | BND | ZAG, ZDB | XSB | STOT, SPAB | TDB, TUHY | SCCR |
Whether it’s dollar cost averaging into any of the ETFs above, or remaining committed to stocks that are already a part of your portfolio, it’s this type of consistent and emotionless behaviour that will ensure you remain a good investor during bull markets, bear markets, volatile markets, or during whatever solstice it is outside.