From the Globe and Mail:
Back in 1980, when I was in B-school, the book, Japan as Number 1 was required reading. Japan was the world’s largest creditor, its people enjoyed the world’s highest quality of life, biggest per capita gross domestic product and longest life expectancy. Robots in Japanese factories were replacing U.S. rust belt manufacturing jobs. The economy was on a tear and the Nikkei index was soaring.
And now there is a new, low-fee, no hassle way to achieve that …
Claymore Investments has launched a new ETF that emulates a laddered bond strategy: The Claymore 1–5 Year Laddered Government Bond ETF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange. (Which means you can buy units through your discount brokerage account.)
The ‘bond ladder’ has always been a primary way to diversify a bond portfolio, so this fund offers a convenient, one-stop solution.
The management fee on the ETF is 15 basis points. (Contrast that with an average bond fund fee of 150 basis points.) A basis point is 1/100 of a percentage point. It is available in common (symbol: CLF) and advisor class (symbol: CLF.A).