How SmartFolio works
Welcome to investing on autopilot! Once we get to know you and your investing goals with a few simple questions, our team will match you with an (ETF) portfolio and take care of the rest.
The SmartFolio process
We get to know you
Getting to know who you are helps us match you with the right investing portfolio. Tell us about your investing objectives and risk tolerance and we’ll find a solution that gets you to your goals.
Together, we evaluate your:
- Investment goals
- Investing knowledge
- Current financial position
- Risk tolerance
- Time horizon
We manage your portfolio for you
Your SmartFolio model ETF portfolio is carefully managed by our team of industry-leading global experts. Your portfolio is constantly monitored to track and match your goals.
- Our experts leverage BMO ETFs to optimize your portfolio’s performance.
- The GAM (Global Asset Management) team identifies the trends that are driving market activity in their local regions.
- We keep your investments in sync with your goals – simply let us know if your priorities change and we’ll adjust your portfolio.
SmartFolio FAQs
We will help you discover your risk tolerance through a questionnaire and will invest your funds in an affordable ETF Model Portfolio that matches your objectives. A team of expert BMO portfolio managers then actively manages the Model Portfolio.
An ETF (Exchange Traded Fund) is an investment fund that represents a basket of stocks, bonds or other investments. Unlike conventional mutual funds, an ETF is traded on a stock exchange and often tracks a market index or may have a specific investment strategy.
ETFs are an attractive investment for several reasons. They offer investors:
- Liquidity – through buying and selling during the trading hours of the stock exchange.
- Diversification – potentially lower risk than individual securities.
- Exposure – to a portfolio of stocks or bonds.
- Portfolio transparency – on a daily basis.
- Cost-efficiency – low management fees.
- Tax efficiency – with potential for low capital gains distributions.
We use ETFs when building portfolios as they provide excellent diversification while simultaneously reducing trading expenses for you.
This is because the funds allow access to an entire index worth of stocks or bonds with a single ETF purchase, with the savings passed on to you. If you find yourself needing access to your money quickly, ETFs give you the ability to liquidate your portfolio.
In addition ETFs have the benefit of transparency. They are required to update their holdings daily rather than quarterly in the case of Mutual Funds.
We are not able to transfer in outside investments into your BMO SmartFolio account. We ask that all investments are transferred in cash, which will promptly be invested to match your Model Portfolio.
We do not allow for non-model portfolio holdings to be purchased within your SmartFolio account; however we have other great offerings that allow you to transfer your alternative holdings should you wish.
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