r/JustBuyXEQT

To start I only invest in XEQT in both the accounts. Here’s what you need to know:

I have a db pension
TFSA is maxed
42k contribution room left
210k cash - sold home 2 weeks ago to buy another with my girlfriend.
I want to retire latest 55 maybe 50, so I may need to bridge before I take out my pension because I only started at my current job 3 years ago - 2022 - so that’s only 26 ish years, won’t qualify for full pension unless I defer taking it?
I’m 31 years old.
I have a maxed RDSP
3% salary increase per year

I think that’s about it, I have a large chunk of change now and don’t know what’s best, if I invest it all into RRSP now my compounding over 24 years until retirement will be juicy then waiting for higher income years, right?

Idk, looking for some solid advice here

My parents have never invested before and I finally got them to make a self-directed investment account. They are about 12 years from retirement. I feel like XBAL is more appropriate due to their lower overall risk tolerance as XBAL is a 60/40 split.

But I'm also contemplating moving their funds to XEQT for about 6 years and adjusting their portfolio in the later years as they reach closer to retirement.

Any thoughts?

Obligatory all time high post.

Hey everyone, 26 years old based in Toronto. I know borrowing to invest isn’t a new concept at all — I just want to share exactly what I’m doing and get honest feedback from people who know more than me or have done something similar.
My Situation
• Total net worth ~$416k CAD
• Margin account: $147,534 (already invested)
• TFSA: $72,854
• FHSA: $36,506
• HYSA: $33,070
• Crypto: $112,674
• Currently Wealthsimple Premium, hitting Generation (~$500k) soon
The Plan
Wealthsimple is giving me $154k of available margin at 4.45% CAD. I’m deploying it all at once into XEQT and holding forever. I never plan to pay back the principal. The ~$556/month interest gets automatically added to my debt — I never write a cheque or make a manual payment.
The math is simple — borrow at 4.45% (dropping to 3.95% at Generation), XEQT historically returns 10-12% annually, keep the difference and let compounding do the rest.
Why XEQT
XEQT holds ~9,000 stocks globally, costs only 0.20%, and its worst ever drop was 29.74% during COVID 2020 — recovering in about 8 months. The global diversification is a big reason I chose it specifically. My entire portfolio is already 100% equities — TFSA, FHSA, margin account, and ~20% in BTC — so XEQT fits naturally. It’s also basically what I already own, so deploying margin into it just scales up what I’m already doing.
The Margin Call Math
• Existing portfolio: $147,534
• New margin: $154,000
• Total position: ~$297,534
For a margin call to happen my portfolio needs to drop to ~$216,000 — roughly a 27% drop on the entire position. XEQT’s worst ever crash was 29.74%. Only a once-in-a-generation event would actually threaten me.
Why It Gets Safer Every Year
Every year the market goes up, my portfolio grows but my debt stays roughly the same — so the drop needed to margin call me gets larger every year. I plan to add ~$15k of new margin annually, specifically calculated to keep my safety buffer locked at ~30% of the total position forever. Year 1 is my most dangerous window. After that it gets safer every single year.
When I Hit Generation
Rate drops from 4.45% to 3.95% automatically — no action needed. ~$750/year saved on $154k+, growing as I add margin over time.
My Plan Going Forward
Deploy full $154k into XEQT immediately, add ~$15k of margin annually to keep the 30% buffer intact, never pay back the principal, and let both the debt and portfolio grow forever. The portfolio grows much faster than the debt.
My Main Concerns
Year 1 is my most vulnerable window. Liquid cash is ~$41k — enough for emergencies but not huge. The real stress test would be a job loss and a market crash at the same time.

Am I missing something? Am I disregarding any risks I haven’t thought of? If you’ve done something similar and can share what worked, what didn’t, or anything you wish you knew before starting — I’d love to hear it. Any tips on how to do this better are more than welcome.
Thanks 🙏​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

XEQT is all one needs for equity as we all know, but when I want to start adding bonds, is there an equivalent ETF that’s another one stop shop but for bonds? The closest I can find is XBB but it’s 100% Canadian bonds with no international diversification.

Does it matter?

My money has already been taxed btw

Just doing some legwork before investing(maybe, I don't know about waiting 10-20 years).

I’ve been DCA’ing into XEQT. Reasonably pleased with the “steady as she goes” uptick. But can’t shake off the feeling of leaving returns on the table with individual stocks.

Context- I built up mostly a tech stock heavy portfolio over the last decade and it’s done very well. I have since withdrawn funds for life expenses and rebuilding my portfolio. With 20 years to retirement, an ETF like XEQT makes sense but I sure miss the well above average returns.

How do you handle FOMO? I’m considering building a foundation around XEQT (75% of my portfolio) with remaining 25% for individual stocks. Curious what others are doing or do you accept that 8-9% is good enough and just plough 100% in XEQT?

As the title explains... should I go all in on XEQT? Especially after it just hit all time high?