u/AshamedSoil5514

22yo Canadian investor. Opened my TFSA at the start of 2022 and got lucky picking NVDA early, rode it to over 1000% gains. My plan was always to use individual stocks to try to outperform over 2-3 year windows, then rotate profits into ETFs for long term compounding. Today I finally executed on that.
The strategy (Core and Satellite):
Pick a handful of high conviction individual stocks, attempt to outperform the market over 2-3 years, then rotate gains into a core ETF position for long term compounding. I got lucky with my picks NVDA and GOOG both worked out but the rotation into ETFs was always the end goal, not just a reaction to gains.
What I did today:
Sold ~70 NVDA shares and CP inside my TFSA. Deployed ~$20k CAD into VFV (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF). Zero tax consequences since it was all within the TFSA.
Current TFSA:
VFV — ~$20k CAD (core, S&P 500)
GOOG, AAPL, MSFT — US tech satellites
NVDA — trimmed but still holding a small position
BMO, ENB, TRP — Canadian dividend income
L (Loblaws) — Canadian defensive
Non-reg account (leaving alone for now):
NVDA (+1059%), GOOG, AAPL, MSFT, AMD — not touching these to avoid capital gains. Have one losing position (CSU, -38%) I may harvest to offset future gains.
Going forward:
All new contributions go into VFV. Keep Canadian dividend stocks for income and stability. May open an RRSP soon. Done stock picking for now — letting the index carry me from here.
Questions:
VFV or XEQT as core given I already hold Canadian stocks individually for income?
Any reason to trim ENB, TRP, BMO given ~4-5% dividend yields?
Should I harvest the CSU loss in the non-reg now or wait?
Is the core and satellite approach reasonable or should I have just done ETFs from day one?
Timeline: 3–10 years. Risk tolerance: medium-high. No financial advisor self directed on Wealthsimple.

Kind of a rant because I’m tired. Recently graduated with honours coop and deans list that I worked ridiculously hard for in cs. Markets forced me to accept a contract position for a no name doing unrelated work with 2 and a half hour daily commute which cuts my hourly to about 15/ hour plus and feel like I’m being exploited. All my family and friends of family say I’m “lucky” that I’m employed but don’t realize this shit takes a toll on you. 11 hour days wasted making pennies, no opportunity for growth and not even being given a chance to grow within my field or build a career.