I was reading up on the differences between XGRO and VGRO. Other than slightly higher global exposure in one over the other, and a very slight difference in MER, it seems that both are comparable and equally good choices for an all-in-one easy portfolio.
Personally I can see one major advantage: fund company diversification. If Vanguard or BlackRock crash and burn, at least the other one should still be alive.
Yes, hopefully your assets will still be there (although fraud is always a possibility), but in that kind of situation it might take a while to get to your money. If you diversify across 2 funds in the same index, then at least half your funds should always remain tradable.
(Yes there are other risk this doesn't help against, e.g. broker issues/fraud, markets shuttiing down, etc. And if one of BlackRock or Vanguard fail, then markets are likely to be affected majorly. But at least you're increasing safety slightly, on an admittedly low-probability scenario.)
I would encourage caution in making statements like this.
It's clear from the original question, the followup response, and the OP's other posts that the inclination to invest in all-in-one funds, and also to split the difference between two all-in-one funds is likely because of skittishness about investing, and about investing without her financial advisor (who IMO sounds like a thief).
The chance of a company like Vanguard or Blackrock shutting down and taking your assets with it is astonishingly small, and even then most countries provide government insurance that covers this (SIPC in the US, probably something similar in Canada). While you're technically correct that it's a possibility, I think the potential harm of making the OP more skittish about investing at all or investing on her own to avoid outrageous fees is greater than the potential harm of mammoth companies like these somehow losing her money.
Julia, don't give this concern even a second of thought. Just get invested and let those investments ride. You'll be fine!
