Ideas & Insights Our Advisors Our Teams Resources White Papers Market Statistics Model Portfolios Important Documents Recommended Readings Calculators What We Do Who We Are Our Story Our Board Members Management Team Governance & Internal Controls Compliance Safe-Keeping your Assets World Class Partners Research Department Perspective Newsletter Careers Contact Us Justin Bender CFA, CFP, B.Comm., Portfolio Manager With more than a decade of experience managing portfolios, Justin is focused on keeping costs and taxes low for his clients. His skills as an analyst and researcher have made him widely respected in the ETF industry. Ideas & Insights Team Contact Menu Ideas & Insights Team Contact After graduating from the University of Guelph, Justin spent two years with a large mutual fund company and quickly learned that the financial industry doesn’t always serve its clients well. He spent his lunch hours reading books by John Bogle (the legendary founder of Vanguard) and hoped to one day work with a firm that put investors first. Justin joined PWL in 2007 and obtained his Certified Financial Planner designation the following year. He earned the Chartered Financial Analyst designation in 2010. Justin became the lead portfolio manager in the Toronto office in 2013. Under his leadership, the team enjoyed a sixfold increase in assets under management in five years. As a firm believer in evidence-based investing, Justin backs up his portfolio management strategies with hard data. His pioneering white papers on tax-efficient investing with ETFs have earned him the respect of fund providers and the advisory community. In 2013, Justin’s innovative idea for a tax-efficient bond ETF won first place in the First Asset Search for Canada’s Next Top ETF, which came with a $10,000 donation to his chosen charity, the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). Justin enjoys sharing his knowledge and skills on his website, Canadian Portfolio Manager, which includes a host of downloadable tools. He has also created a YouTube channel, DIY Investing with Justin Bender, which includes detailed video tutorials for ETF investors. An avid musician, Justin has been known to turn the Toronto office into a jam room after business hours. Read More Hide Contact Justin Bender DIY Investing Justin Bender More Alternatives To Vanguard’s Asset Allocation ETFs PWL Capital 2019-07-15T10:15:38 July 15, 2019 In my recent blog post, Breaking Up With Your Vanguard Asset Allocation ETF, I shared a 5-ETF portfolio you could consider for your RRSP accounts. DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender MSCI: On A Slow Boat to China A Shares 2019-06-25T12:00:51 June 25, 2019 Like it or not, many ETF investors are about to get an extra dose of China in their portfolios this year, thanks in part to index provider MSCI. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is certainly not a fan of their decision. He has recently written to MSCI’s CEO, looking for answers as to why the company has included China A shares in their emerging markets indexes. DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender Breaking Up With Your Vanguard Asset Allocation ETF 2019-06-19T10:32:39 June 19, 2019 “It’s not you, it’s me”. These words have been professed during breakups throughout history, so we all know what they really mean: “I can do better”. DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender GICs vs. Bond ETFs: A Case Study and Bold Adventure 2019-06-12T10:30:13 June 12, 2019 Star Trek may have introduced the expression, “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” but we’re the ones who actually get to do it in today’s post. To my knowledge, nobody has ever compared the before- and after-tax returns of Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) ladders versus bond ETFs. At least I’ve not found an unbiased, historical comparison anyplace online. DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender Tax-Efficiency of Vanguard’s Asset Allocation ETFs 2019-06-6T11:17:17 June 6, 2019 As the reader correctly notes, the tax-inefficiencies in Vanguard’s AA ETFs mainly lie with the underlying bonds (not with the equities) – at least in taxable accounts. You see, many of the bonds in fixed income ETFs are currently trading at what’s called a “premium” to their maturity value. Toronto Team IIROC AdvisorReport Testimonials PWL has provided me with the peace of mind that comes from knowing my investments aren’t exposed to unnecessary risks. They’ve always made a point of promptly answering any questions I’ve had and processing all my instructions in an expeditious manner, which has led to a very positive working relationship. Justin, Shannon and PWL Capital have demonstrated a confident professionalism and realistic understanding of my financial situation and expected requirements. They have given me the sense of security and trust that I am looking for: I feel that I am in good hands. Shannon and Justin are a rare find in the industry. Before switching I was being charged up to 2.5% in hidden fees. PWL took the time to set me up with a plan that openly states their fees and clearly articulated the nature of the investments. It’s refreshing to meet a team so up-to-date with the latest technology. I can’t recommend this team’s services enough. PWL Capital has handled my finances for about 10 years. My confidence level is high as I start into a time of life when significant transitions are made. I rest assured that PWL and its staff are on top of my financial affairs and work within a conservative, reliable and standards-driven organization. We both felt very comfortable with the planning process and the obvious skills of Shannon and Justin. We feel confident about working together in the future with all members of the team. We decided to sign on with Justin and Shannon at PWL Capital for several reasons: the passive investment model, good interpersonal skills, transparency with regards to fees, and adherence to the fiduciary standard. I would have no hesitation to recommend this team. Justin and Shannon offer a level of personal service and expertise that I have not found from any other advisor. The ability to have nearly all of my financial needs met in one place is invaluable and, even more importantly, I appreciate knowing that I will always receive a prompt response to my questions. We have received outstanding guidance and support from Justin and Shannon. We especially value the math-based rationale and emphasis on asset location and tax implications. And then there is the highly responsive and accommodating style—including custom performance reports—reasonable fees, and willingness to go above and beyond. I sought out the services of Dan Bortolotti at PWL after being frustrated with several other advisors over the years. He has exceeded my expectations: Dan is the ultimate professional, very thorough in all aspects of his work and an excellent communicator who makes even complex issues easy to understand. He takes the time to understand my family’s financial needs and always acts in my best interest. I have finally found peace of mind with Dan and PWL Capital Toronto as my advisors. Canadian Portfolio Manager Tips, tools and tutorials for do-it-yourself ETF investors Canadian Couch Potato Your complete guide to index investing Contact the Toronto Team * TitleMr.Mrs.MissMs.Dr.Prof.Rev. Title First Last * Phone*CityProvince*AlbertaBritish ColumbiaManitobaNew BrunswickNewfoundland and LabradorNorthwest TerritoriesNova ScotiaNunavutOntarioPrince-Edward IslandQuebecSaskatchewanYukonInvestable Assets*$1,000,000 - $2,000,000$2,000,000 - $3,000,000$3,000,000 - $4,000,000$4,000,000 - $5,000,000$5,000,000 - $10,000,000More than $10,000,000 In order to keep our fees low and our service level high, PWL’s Toronto team is only able to work with clients with household accounts totaling $1 million or more. If you do not meet our minimum, please visit the Canadian Couch Potato and Canadian Portfolio Manager websites for a host of resources that we offer for free to all investors. __________ How did you hear about us?*How did you hear about us?Canadian Couch PotatoCanadian Portfolio ManagerReference from a friendYouTubeSocial MediaAdvertisingMedia and PressGoogleOtherMessage / CommentYES, I want to subscribe to Toronto's PWL Weekly Insights YES, I want to subscribe to Toronto's PWL Weekly Insights This iframe contains the logic required to handle Ajax powered Gravity Forms. Ideas & Insights Our Advisors Our Teams Resources All Resources White Papers Market Statistics Important Documents Model Portfolios Recommended Readings Calculators Checklists What We Do Who We Are Our Story Our Board Members Management Team Governance & Internal Controls Compliance World Class Partners Research Department Contact Us Client Login FR
DIY Investing Justin Bender More Alternatives To Vanguard’s Asset Allocation ETFs PWL Capital 2019-07-15T10:15:38 July 15, 2019 In my recent blog post, Breaking Up With Your Vanguard Asset Allocation ETF, I shared a 5-ETF portfolio you could consider for your RRSP accounts.
DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender MSCI: On A Slow Boat to China A Shares 2019-06-25T12:00:51 June 25, 2019 Like it or not, many ETF investors are about to get an extra dose of China in their portfolios this year, thanks in part to index provider MSCI. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio is certainly not a fan of their decision. He has recently written to MSCI’s CEO, looking for answers as to why the company has included China A shares in their emerging markets indexes.
DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender Breaking Up With Your Vanguard Asset Allocation ETF 2019-06-19T10:32:39 June 19, 2019 “It’s not you, it’s me”. These words have been professed during breakups throughout history, so we all know what they really mean: “I can do better”.
DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender GICs vs. Bond ETFs: A Case Study and Bold Adventure 2019-06-12T10:30:13 June 12, 2019 Star Trek may have introduced the expression, “to boldly go where no man has gone before,” but we’re the ones who actually get to do it in today’s post. To my knowledge, nobody has ever compared the before- and after-tax returns of Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) ladders versus bond ETFs. At least I’ve not found an unbiased, historical comparison anyplace online.
DIY Investing PWL Capital Justin Bender Tax-Efficiency of Vanguard’s Asset Allocation ETFs 2019-06-6T11:17:17 June 6, 2019 As the reader correctly notes, the tax-inefficiencies in Vanguard’s AA ETFs mainly lie with the underlying bonds (not with the equities) – at least in taxable accounts. You see, many of the bonds in fixed income ETFs are currently trading at what’s called a “premium” to their maturity value.