Hi, and welcome!
You're me 7 years ago -- total Canadian newbie. Here are several resources that helped me get started.
This forum's Investment Order (Canada) post:
https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/investor-alley/investment-order/msg1351813/#msg1351813Canadian Couch Potato:
https://canadiancouchpotato.com/I kind of binge read this site, but the posts on the model portfolios was especially helpful (
https://canadiancouchpotato.com/model-portfolios/).
With regard to your questions, many people here like Questrade for their low fees. This might be a good option for you if you plan to invest small amounts frequently, like every week or every month. I personally went with TD Direct because my bank accounts are with TD, and it was easier for me to see everything on one dashboard. In addition, I only invest every quarter, so paying $9.99 for each ETF purchase doesn't break the bank. It was worth it to me to keep things as simple as possible. Also, I think if you buy TD's eSeries, there's no fee (I'm an expat and can't access eSeries, otherwise I'd probably be using those in my portfolio). Wealthsimple is more like robo-investing, but my understanding is that their fees are a bit higher because they help you rebalance and such. You could easily replicate Wealthsimple's robo-investing rebalancing function by purchasing an all-in-one fund like VGRO. Fees maybe
slightly higher than DIY.
Rebalancing is not all that difficult. Canadian Couch Potato has an excel spreadsheet that can help you figure out how to rebalance, if you do want to buy multiple funds and rebalance yourself. (
https://canadiancouchpotato.com/2019/02/04/a-new-rebalancing-spreadsheet-for-etfs/)
With regard to question two, here's an article specific to Canada:
https://www.buildwealthcanada.ca/what-investments-to-hold-in-an-rrsp-vs-tfsa-vs-taxable-account-asset-location/#:~:text=For%20your%20bond%20ETFs%2C%20it%E2%80%99s%20generally%20best%20to,likely%20to%20grow%20the%20most%2C%20in%20your%20TFSA.In general, you should put bonds in your RRSP, so that the dividends aren't taxed. Keep equity ETFs -- the ones that most likely to grow the quickest, in your TFSA since growth isn't taxed in your TFSA. Once you max out your RRSP and TFSA, then put any additional money into a taxable account. I'd recommend keeping equity in taxable as much as possible. Learn from my mistake -- I have some bonds in my taxable, and every month, without fail, 25% of my dividends gets lopped off for taxes, even if I automatically re-invest the dividends (DRIP).
Depending on your risk profile, at age 34, you may want to go for a more aggressive portfolio. I've found that the Canadian equity ETFs grow more slowly than the US ones. When you look at the make up of the top funds held in Canadian equity ETFs, it's mainly stable companies like financial institutions (banks, insurance companies) and communications companies (Bell, Rogers, etc.). In the US equity ETFs, it's mostly tech companies. So the Canadian equity ETFs tend to be more stable -- they tend to be less volatile. So as a Canadian, it's not as scary to go all equity ETF. At least that's how I've reasoned it out, and my portfolio is set up to reflect that. Except for the abovementioned bond mistake early in my investment journey, I've kept all other investments in a mix of Canadian equity ETFs and US equity ETFs.
Good luck on your journey! If you have any other questions, there are many many very well-informed people on this forum who can help guide you!