Investment Q&A

Q: Hi, my wife has some cash sitting in a Corporate account and we are looking to invest the funds in stocks. I know you can invest in ETF's, stocks, bonds, etc. but can you tell me what kinds of stocks are best to invest in, considering taxes, withholding taxes, etc. Is it better to invest in growth stocks or dividend stocks, US or CDN stocks? What are some other factors to consider? We are well diversified in our personal accounts and looking for long term growth. Thanks for all your help!

Q: If one were to invest in VXUS to cover off international equity exposure in a registered & TFSA portfolio; is it better (taxation purposes for eg) to place this in registered or tfsa?

Q: Peter/Ryan, I have held 50 shares of BEP for a while now with my original cost being 1576.30 and have noticed that the book value is 1335.84, and that it has been going down through the years, how is that. Is it worth holding, or do I lose if I hold on to it over time. Thanks

Q: What effect on BAM would the taxation of carried interest at normal tax rates be?
Thanks
Bob Rose

Q: Hi 5i Team,
I do not have any international exposure and I am wondering if you would recommend a dividend ETF with some upside potential. What account would it be best held in? Do you think this is a good time to enter? Thanks so much.

Q: Within the context of tax loss harvesting, what would be good proxies for the following stocks: NFI, SIS, and VET. And can you assign an estimated "beta score" for the proxies. i.e. 1.0 should have very similar performance.
Also, with a year like this, should we expect heavy tax loss selling towards the end of the year?

Q: Hello, in the June issue of Canadian Money Saver, there is a section of an article on “pooled funds” by B. Stewart that says: “Depending on the prevailing tax law and your level of wealth, you would be subject to paying (possibly sizeable!) US estate tax if you were holding individual US securities at the time of death.” I know you are not tax experts, but what is the level of wealth she is referring to? Does that apply to all Canadian investors who hold individual US stocks in their cash account at the time of death? Thanks, Gervais

Q: Hi Peter, Ryan and Team,

I have a question about TFSA accounts. Are the maximum limits to the TFSA cumulative? For illustration purposes, say if the limit were $5,000 per year for 5 year period, the maximum to contribute is $25,000. But if during that 5 year period, I only contributed $10,000, am I able to make up the $15,000 difference in year 6?

Throughout year 6, would I be able to contribute $20,000 ($15,000+$5000) and does it have to be one lumpsum? I am a bit confused, because every time I make a contribution to the TFSA, the bank has a statement that warns about overcontributing for the year.

Thanks.

Q: I often see people make the following comment on your site, saying to the effect that they cannot realize a loss on a stock because it’s in their RSP/RIF. They really can, and usually to a much greater benefit than in a non-registered account. It’s how you look at the issue.

Withdrawals from RSP/RIF are taxed at your marginal tax rate. The taxman is sharing in your loss, should you decide to sell, they’re just not sharing in the same tax year when you sell. Their ‘sharing’ comes when you withdraw funds.

To give an example of this:

At a $50,000 income level, the combined Provincial (Ontario in this case, but all are similar) and Federal income tax rate is 30%, and the capital gains tax rate is 15%. If you took a $20,000 loss in an RSP/RIF, upon eventual withdrawal, you’ll be paying $6,000 less in tax (because you won’t be withdrawing what isn’t there - because you would have sold already). Had the sale been in a non-registered account - and you suffered the same $20,000 loss - you would only be saving $3,000 in taxes, because the capital gain rate at $50,000 income is only 15%.

At $93,000 income, tax rate is 38%, and capital gains tax is 19%. Using the same example, a $20,000 loss would mean that, upon withdrawal, $7,600 less will be paid in tax versus had the loss been realized in a non-registered account, the capital gains tax saved would only have been $3,800. The higher the income, the more this scenario plays out to the individual’s advantage.

It’s a different way of thinking about it, and I realize that one doesn’t want to see a loss in a registered account because the funds cannot be replaced, but putting that aside, the taxman most definitely shares in your loss in an RSP/RIF, to an even larger extent than they do with capital gains. it’s just that you can’t ‘see’ it, you have to think about it. But it is the long game.

At any rate, just another idea, and please publish if you feel it is worthwhile for your subscribers.

Q: Hello 5i, Currently managing a cash/dividend investment account for 90 year old mother. Dividends and capital gains from this account are used to supplement OAS, CPP and RIF income. Also trying to manage overall personal income for her so as not to exceed OAS clawback net income of $79,054 for 2020. Question - can I use a net capital loss in the year against taxable capital gains to ensure I stay below the 2020 clawback amount ? Many thanks, Steve

Q: Hi 5iTeam,
My question is on withholding tax on US equities/etfs. If I purchase dividend-paying US equities in a non-registered account, there will be tax withheld which I can use at tax time as foreign tax credit to reduce my Canadian tax. What if I purchase a dividend-paying US etf, how would withholding tax come into play in this scenario?
Also there is no withholding tax on dividend-paying US equities if they are purchased for a registered account. Would US withholding tax apply if a dividend-paying US etf is purchased for a registered account?
Cheers,

Q: In response to a recent question on BIP.UN, you mentioned it is best in a RRSP or non-registered rather than a TFSA. Is that the same with BAM.A:CA and BRF.PR.E:CA as well? Is the RRSP the best account tax wise? I understand this is true for all US Dividend paying stocks and US Reits, but is it also the same for any TSX listed stocks that make income outside of Canada? Then for TFSA accounts, are they best for Canadian and US growth Stocks, and Canadian Reits?
Thank you!

Q: I am about to become a Canadian non-resident for tax purposes. (once borders reopen). I understand I can keep my TFSA in Canada with no tax issues, but cannot contribute anything more to the TFSA. Does that make sense to you? If so, would ZGQ be a good all purpose ETF to leave in my TFSA. Any issues with this etf being in a TFSA? Any other ideas? Thanks.

Q: Dear 5i,

I wish to purchase the following US listed ETF's;
VGT, VIG, ARKK, ARKW

Can they be held in a TFSA and NonReg account?
Is there a rule of thumb one can use to determine the eligibility of other US listed ETF's?
Who will provide me with the year-end tax statement for the NonReg account? Is it the online broker or the ETF provider? In this case TD Direct Investing or Vanguard and Ark?

thanks

Q: Not a question. Just to let your client know that have been claiming the subscription fee on my income tax for pass three years. Claim under investment advice. No problem. As long as it aids you in making decisions on your investments.
Another example subscription to G&M.
Thank you Peter and your team for your excellent unbiased advice.

Q: My Virtual Brokers account still shows shares of Guestlogix (gxi:ca) and Newnote Financial (neu:ca). Both companies went out of business several years ago. Can I get anything for these, ie some bankrupsy settlement? Should they be removed and junked, or is there any benefit to do nothing and wait?

Q: greetings.
It would seem that CRA is getting a bit more aggressive on their review of Capital gains and losses based on my last audit. Although i did everything correctly according to the rules they still tried to push their view of superficial losses. Just wanted to clarify as l try to lock in some losses for this year, if i sell my bank stocks and buy an ETF covering the banks within the 30 days, i can claim these as losses?

Q: Good morning, quick question. If I sell a bank share (say CIBC) at a loss and immediately buy a different bank share (say RBC) does the loss stand for CRA purposes? Do I have to buy outside the financial category if I want to ensure my capital loss from CI stands? Is this clear with CRA or am I best to wait thirty days before buying another financial? Thanks

Q: I am working on setting up an RESP for my Granddaughter. We have about 10 years to grow the RESP before changing it to a more conservative approach. Looking for 3 to 5 solid Canadian ETF's - one of them being the best to track the S&P 500. What 3 to 5 ETF's would you recommend for growth and diversity? I would like to keep dividends in Canadian dollars to avoid withholding taxes. Thank you, Patrick

Q: If I sell BIP,UN at a loss and buy BIPC would the loss be considered a superficial loss by CRA.
Thank you.