Related Strategy & Insights
All-in-one core solutions
In our first ‘Tax Efficient’ Portfolio, we are following the same fundamental rationale as our ‘Balanced Portfolio’ with a few caveats. First, we are prioritizing capital gains over income. This means focusing more on discount bonds in the fixed income sleeve of our portfolio while also continuing to prioritize shorter duration products.
As an example, we have removed ZBI and replaced it with ZCDB (BMO Corporate Discount Bond ETF) at a lower weight. We are also increasing the weight of ZDB in this portfolio to 10% (from 5% in our balanced fund).
Second, we are prioritizing Canadian and U.S. underlying holdings over international investments. That means a greater weight for core exposures in ZCN and ZUQ. At the same time, we are removing ZIQ and ZEM.
For the tactical exposures, we have elected to go with a covered call strategy for Tech ZWT (BMO Covered Call Technology ETF) as well as a covered call strategy for Utilities ZWU (BMO Covered Call Utilities ETF). Both allow us to earn tax efficient income in sectors that we think should still continue to perform.
Additionally, both of the aforementioned strategies will help to make up for the relatively lower income that comes with utilizing discount bond ETFs in the fixed income sleeve.
We are also removing our exposure to ZGI (BMO Global Infrastructure Index ETF) and reallocating that to ZLSC (BMO Long Short Canadian Equity ETF).
Related Trade Ideas & Podcasts
Asset allocation ETFs offer simplicity, diversification, and low fees — making them an increasingly popular choice for Canadian investors. But with more than 90 options on the market, finding the best fit can be challenging. In today’s episode, Alain Desbiens joins host Danielle Neziol to explore the unique benefits of these all-in-one solutions and highlight BMO ETFs that can help investors build wealth and manage income more effectively — whether starting out or planning for retirement.
As the year winds down, we’re taking a moment to reflect. In today’s episode, host Erika Toth is joined by Bipan Rai and Matt Montemurro to unpack the biggest ETF trends that shaped the Canadian equity space in 2025 — and explore what they could mean for the year ahead.
Portfolios are only as strong as their foundations. In today’s episode, Alain Desbiens joins your host, Erika Toth, to take a deep dive into low-cost core ETFs and how they can do the heavy-lifting for investors’ financial goals at any stage of life. Erika Toth is Director and Head of ETF and Portfolio Consultants at BMO Global Asset Management (BMO GAM). She is joined on the podcast by Alain Desbiens, Vice Chair, BMO ETFs, BMO GAM. The episode was recorded live on Thursday, November 27, 2025.
As 2025 nears its close, your host Erika Toth sits down with special guests Dante Rossi and Erin Allen to talk about tax-loss harvesting — including important dates to remember — and tips to help investors navigate year-end.
As markets continue to send contradictory signals, ETF and Alternatives Strategist, Bipan Rai and host, Michelle Allen, analyze which parts of the prevailing narrative are fact — and which are fiction. Michelle Allen is a Senior Associate, Online Distribution, at BMO Exchange Traded Funds. She is joined on the podcast by Bipan Rai, Head of ETF Strategy, Exchange Traded Funds at BMO Global Asset Management. The episode was recorded live on Wednesday, October 15, 2025.
Tools and Performance Updates
Momentum report
Full transparency on how BMO GAM voted, by ETF