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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 am cleaning up my portfolio and have to deal with a $35k loss on Terra Energy (TTRHF) .. what is the best way to do this? I was sent a form to sign by my online broker (Letter of Authorization - Direction to Remove and Assign Securities (Delisted)) .. is this a good idea? And what about the case of a stock that is still listed (e.g. Knighthawk - KHA) at 2 cents?
Your advice is much appreciated in dealing with these matters.
Read Answer Asked by Patrik on February 23, 2017
Q: RRSP question: Assume I am an Alberta resident with $0 income in 2017. How much can I withdraw from from my RRSP account while maintaining a 0% tax rate (disregard withholding tax)? 2017 Basic Alberta Personal Amount is $18,690 at 10% and Federal amount is $11,635 at 15%. And, can I make this withdrawal now (Feb. 17) for 2017 or does the March 1st RRSP cutoff date apply for withdrawals as well? Thanks.
Read Answer Asked by Curtis on February 21, 2017
Q: Regarding Bill's RRSP transfer to Questrade from a brokerage, the main issue of selling the investments to reinvest the funds is the tax implication. The sold RRSPs would be taxed, likely at 25%, and depending upon his RRSP contribution limit, he might not be able to reinvest the net sum. The RRSP amount would be included in his taxable income for the year of withdrawal and if large enough would "bump" him into a higher tax bracket. He would pay tax on the withdrawal at his marginal rate.

As you suggested, the transfer in kind is the only way to make this transfer without incurring any tax.
Read Answer Asked by Michael on February 13, 2017
Q: Hello 5i team. My question is in regards to taxation. I have an investment account at a CDN discount brokerage in US dollars. If I was to buy a cdn company say TD bank that trades on the US market and buy it in US dollars how would the dividends be treated? Would the dividends be paid in US dollars or paid in CDN dollars then converted back to US dollars? If they are paid in US dollars then are they subject to the 10-15% US withholding tax? I am trying to find investments that I can buy with US dollars but not be subject to the US withholding tax. Thanks
Read Answer Asked by pietro on January 27, 2017
Q: I am not quite clear on tax implications for the following scenario. Could you please confirm (or not !) if I am correct or if there are other implications ?

If, in a Non-Registered Account, I hold a Canadian-domiciled ETF or Mutual Fund that owns a mix of Canadian, U.S. and possibly other international companies, then:

1) 15% of the U.S. company dividends will be withheld by the U.S. (Or whatever equivalent withholding tax if non-U.S.but international) This amount is reported at year end through the Fund/ETF, and reflected on the tax slip I receive from my brokerage. When I fill out my return, I can then apply for a foreign tax credit which means I should get back all the tax that was withheld.
2) The portion of dividends from the Canadian companies held by the Fund/ETF will be eligible for the Dividend Tax Credit but NOT the portion from the U.S. or international companies.

Thank you for your help !

Read Answer Asked by Alexandra on January 25, 2017
Q: The answer to a t1135 question by Sylvia 2 days ago wasn't correct:

T1135 - This form has nothing to do with the USA or USA estate taxes. It is a form required by the Canadian government. The purpose of the form is to make taxpayers more forthcoming about assets they have outside Canada. The problem is that the people that file the forms are the same ones that would report their foreign income anyways and the ones that have hidden foreign assets will just ignore the T1135 requirement. The penalty for not filing / late-filing is $25/day to a maximum of $2,500. Registered assets don't have to be reported on the T1135.



Read Answer Asked by Christopher on January 25, 2017
Q: I have about 110,000 dollar that I will be investing in your balanced portfolio and the etf ViG. About 45,000 dollars will be in a non registered account and 65,000 in TFSA. I am avoiding RRSP because I have a good pension. My tax person said that I would save tax by putting the non dividend equities to the non=registered account. I plan to leave the investments in for 7-8 year As well will vig be taxed at a higher rate because it is non-Canadian if it is in the non-registered?
Read Answer Asked by Stephen on January 25, 2017