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Investment Q&A

Not investment advice or solicitation to buy/sell securities. Do your own due diligence and/or consult an advisor.

Q: I would appreciate clarification about US estate taxes. I have found conflicting information on the internet as to when they apply. A BMO FAQ ( http://www.cetfa.ca/files/1551199672_bmo_etfs_-_faq_tax_season_en%20(1)%20-%20Updated.pdf ) states:

High net worth Canadians with worldwide assets exceeding US$11.4M
(2019, indexed to inflation) or have U.S. assets with a value that
exceeds US$60,000 may be required to pay U.S. estate tax on
the value of their U.S. assets. Canadian ETFs are generally are not
considered U.S. assets.

My understanding is that if Canadians held US ETFs, and their net worth was less than $11.4M US, then Canadians did not pay US estate tax. Is my understanding correct? On the internet, I have also seen references ( https://www.taxtips.ca/personaltax/usestatetax.htm ) to a $1.2M US cutoff figure before US estate taxes apply.

Thank you in advance for clarifying this information, and for this wonderful service.
Read Answer Asked by Dale on September 28, 2020
Q: Hi 5i,

So CSU spins out Topicus and the stock trades on the venture. Globe and mail states that Topicus’ equity value is $1.86B ($1.2 billion euros). Assuming that this is also the market cap, this would Topicus the largest stock on the venture. Some institutional money may have to sell due to restrictions (e.g. like not being able to hold companies that trade on the venture).

This puts downward pressure on the stock. It trades at a discount.

It then starts getting traded on the TSX and large institutional money flow back in. In addition, being a stand alone company gives it a higher multiple.

What do you think?
Read Answer Asked by James on September 28, 2020
Q: good morning
I've been reading about Ford committing to manufacture electric vehicles in Canada, starting in the not so near future. What, if anything, does this mean for MG, for a longer term investor? Also, are there any other Canadian companies that will derive significant benefit from the Ford decision, and what would be the timely approach to investing in this direction? As always, many thanks.
Read Answer Asked by alex on September 28, 2020
Q: Tax question. If a Canadian donates to a charity not in the Canada, can the donation still be tax deductible? I would like to donate to the wild fire relief in the Pacific NW and can only find US charities accepting donations for that purpose.

Google has an easy way to donate but they say "If you are a resident of Canada, your donation may not be tax deductible. You should check your local tax regulations and consult with a local tax professional to make sure."

I don't have a tax professional so I thought I'd ask here.

Thanks!
Read Answer Asked by Dennis on September 28, 2020
Q: Jeff Brown and Chris Hunt who work for a financial firm - they have been online recently predicting the market will drop 92%. They have a picture with red arrows and charts, etc. I do not know them. Apparently Chris Hunt made many predictions over the last while which have come true he claims. The last one being his prediction of the sell-off in March. Larry Berman who is well-known is also bearish on utube - his recommendations are usually short plays. Is this just standard when the market has more downs than ups? Should we take these comments seriously? I appreciate your advice - thanks, Dennis.
Read Answer Asked by Dennis on September 28, 2020
Q: when reporting US-CDA conversions for capital gains and losses, does one use the trade date or the settlement date? Thanks
Read Answer Asked by george on September 28, 2020
Q: Greetings!
RE: Trying to get the hang of Tax loss selling

Our holdings in Chartwell is down 17% and Sienna down 13%.
Comparing both on a 12 month chart seems to indicate more resilience with Chartwell.

Does it make sense to sell Sienna, take losses then on the same day buy Chartwell?

Cheers!
Read Answer Asked by Arzoo on September 28, 2020
Q: My daughter is selling BNS for a tax loss. For a replacement would you favor a US bank like JPM at this time or another Canadian bank like TD or RY? Her other financials are BAM and GSY.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on September 28, 2020
Q: Thank you to the entire 5I team for your wise advice which helps us make important decisions for our lifelong savings. That said. There are many uncertainties as a second wave of COVID approaches, the American elections which are already problematic, not to mention the results which could be contested and which would plunge the market into great uncertainty. Couple this with the tax season losses and you have a month of October and November that should certainly be very volatile. This leads me to ask a question of market timing, yes I know no one can predict the market but for stocks that have fallen a lot this year like those offered in this question and that I own, is it not timely to sell before sales season and buy them back or other bargains during tax season?

Thank you

Yves
Read Answer Asked by Yves on September 28, 2020
Q: If we found a Covid-19 vaccine tomorrow, what are the most depressed companies now that would benefit the most?
Read Answer Asked by James on September 28, 2020
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