Try to keep commissions below 1 percent. If it costs $9.99 per trade, don’t invest less than $1,000 at a time. Let’s assume that a Canadian investor has $4,000 to invest in Vanguard’s global stock ETF. If the price is $28.24, the investor can afford 141 shares. The investor may want to round down to ensure that they have enough money to cover the

Over the years, your salary will most likely rise. If it increases by $1,000 in a given year, add at least half of it to your investment account, while putting the rest in a separate account for something special. That way, you’ll get rewarded twice for the salary increase.

But ETFs Have Drawbacks

To stay out of harm’s way financially, we need to build assets, not debts. One of the surest ways to build wealth over a lifetime is to spend far less than you make and intelligently invest the difference.

Compound Interest—The World’s Most Powerful Financial Concept

Introducing the Couch Potato Portfolio

Table 7.11 lists three portfolios. Each has similar asset allocations that provide exposure to US stocks, international stocks, and international bonds. US estate taxes could slap the first portfolio once the investor dies. But the other two would be safe because the ETFs trade on the Canadian and UK stock exchanges.

My lessons are simple. For Americans (as an example), I recommended a US stock index, an international stock index, and a US bond market index. Investors should add money every month. Ignore investment forecasts. Rebalance once a year to maintain a constant allocation.

“Some Non Residents with U.S. Assets Must File Estate Tax Returns,” IRS, www.irs.gov/individuals/international- taxpayers/some-nonresidents-with-u-s-assets-must-file-estate-tax-returns.