Optimal strategies
Using the official TFSA contribution limits, see which single-ETF strategy performed best historically and which year-by-year hindsight choices would have maximised value. Results below are shown from tax year 2015/2016 onward.
Valuation date: 2026-10-16 · Total contributions to date: R421000.00
Top single-ETF outcomes
The best performing TFSA ETFs if all contributions bought the same fund. Sorted by total current value.
Year-by-year hindsight plan
Each year's contribution is invested in the ETF that would have grown to the highest value by the valuation date. Earlier holdings are never sold.
| Tax year | ETF bought | Amount | Purchase date | Value now |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015/2016 | SYGUS | R30000.00 | 2015-03-02 | R159236.74 |
| 2016/2017 | STXRES | R30000.00 | 2016-03-01 | R190109.71 |
| 2017/2018 | STXRES | R33000.00 | 2017-03-01 | R179085.31 |
| 2018/2019 | ETF5IT | R33000.00 | 2018-03-07 | R282139.96 |
| 2019/2020 | ETF5IT | R33000.00 | 2019-03-01 | R222196.49 |
| 2020/2021 | ETF5IT | R36000.00 | 2020-03-02 | R172627.99 |
| 2021/2022 | ETF5IT | R36000.00 | 2021-03-01 | R122075.62 |
| 2022/2023 | ETF5IT | R36000.00 | 2022-03-01 | R102874.58 |
| 2023/2024 | ETF5IT | R36000.00 | 2023-03-01 | R97896.77 |
| 2024/2025 | STXRES | R36000.00 | 2024-03-01 | R93922.84 |
| 2025/2026 | STXRES | R36000.00 | 2025-03-03 | R75689.39 |
| 2026/2027 | ETF5IT | R46000.00 | 2026-03-02 | R61728.75 |
| Total | R421000.00 | R1759584.14 | ||
Hindsight allocation
Which ETFs the year-by-year hindsight strategy chose and how much each contributed to the final value.
Comparison
The year-by-year hindsight versus the best single-ETF strategy and a 7% annualised benchmark.
These results are educational and historical. They are not a prediction of future returns. The model uses adjusted close as a total-return proxy and may not perfectly capture dividends, fees, spreads, platform costs, or real-world execution details. Past performance does not guarantee future results.