Thanks for your wisdom
Such decisions do need to be personal, and our Portfolio Analytics platform might be able to help here. The issues noted in the question become a trade off of simplicity and goals. ETFs will provide instant diversification and less volatility than stocks, and many are one-stop solutions (such as VBAL). For simplicity and ease-of-mind they are hard to beat. ETFs are also very easy and simple to sell when one needs to make required withdrawals for a RRIF. This simplicity though simply comes with a cost (the fees). In addition, tax management can be a bit trickier (with a group of stocks one can sell losers to reduce overall tax burden). For most investors, we think a mix of stocks and ETFs works best, but for those looking to simplify, an all-ETF portfolio, properly set to one's own asset allocation goals, can work very well.