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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: Les'question today about Alcoa - I think it may be a bit more complex. Alcoa first did a reverse 1 for 3 split and then days later spun off 1 share of a new company for every 3 of the new shares of Alcoa. At the same time they named the new company Alcoa and the old company Arconic. Les' BV for Arconic should be the old Alcoa BV (before the 1 for 3) and his $2,000 BV for the new Alcoa is the BV of the spinoff, so adding the two together he should have GAINED $2,000 in overall BV (probably temporarily). There may be no tax implication for a Canadian holder IF CRA eventually approve the spinoff under S86.1 (they haven't yet, so Les may find the $2,000 reported as a taxable stock dividend in a T5). If and when they do approve Les will have to advise CRA how he wishes to proceed under S86.1 - see an accountant or google several good articles on foreign spinoffs. I intend to file assuming approval and ignoring any stock dividend with an accompanying letter to CRA electing to defer tax and at the same time reducing the Arconic BV by the amount of the new Alcoa BV thus cancelling the temporary increase in BV. Worked for me before on HPQ/HPE and DHR/FTV. Hope this helps.
Read Answer Asked by Fraser on January 03, 2017
Q: I hold the above stocks in my RRIF and plan on transferring 'in kind' one of the stocks into my non registered account. Which one do you consider most appropriate and why?
Thanks and enjoy your time off. RAM
Read Answer Asked by Ray on December 28, 2016
Q: MST.UN is mentioned often on the BNN Market Call Q&A sessions [excellent info show].
Good #'s and $'s, good prospects esp. with Trump/Perry and the pendingTexas oil boom.
My Q is about the dividend payout. What are the tax implications re CRA reporting and showing for tax year. Is the payout in US $? If so, the purchase exchange is offset by the falling Cdn $, the rising US$ and the creation of a US account for future US equity purchases. How is the future sale etc. treated by CRA?. I realize you are not tax people but I'm sure these are fundamental questions by novices. Thank you.
Read Answer Asked by Ryczard on December 22, 2016
Q: My question is about year end taxes for capital gains or losses. If I sell a stock on say Dec 28, is it considered a gain/loss for the 2016 tax year or 2017 tax year? The "settlement date" always appears to be three trading days after the sale date. I am guessing the "settlement date" is the date that is used for tax gains/losses - is that correct? Is there a specific date in 2016 when the gains/losses are considered to be in 2017 - Dec 28?
Read Answer Asked by David on December 21, 2016
Q: Hi Peter and Ryan, I'm just making sure I understand the withdrawal rules correctly in dealing with TFSA accounts. I have some cash accumulated from the payments of dividends during the last few months in my TFSA. Am I allowed to withdraw say $2,000.00 in cash from my TFSA account in the next few days (before December 31). Then after Jan 1st, 2017, does my new limit for 2017 become $7,500.00? If so can I transfer (in kind) shares from a cash account worth $7,500.00 into my TFSA without issues? Thank you so much for all you do and all the best in the new year. Mario.
Read Answer Asked by Mario on December 20, 2016
Q: Hello and Merry Christmas to all at 5I.
Moving forward I have new funds to add to my portfolio in the fixed income sector. My RRSP portion is fully utilized for fixed income using CBO and XBB so this is new fixed income funds outside of a sheltered account should I still use XBB/CBO or is there some other fixed income source that would be more beneficial that I should consider.
Read Answer Asked by Peter on December 08, 2016
Q: Hello, I know you do not recommend holding REITs in a taxable regular account. In that context, where is the best place to hold income funds such as Pizza Pizza (PZA) or Boston Pizza (BPF)? My understanding is that their distribution is in the form of a dividend portion plus a return of capital portion, is that effective from a tax perspective? Regards, Gervais
Read Answer Asked by Gervais on December 05, 2016
Q: I have a question about 1714,Hi,I would like to diversify out of Canada with a etf. If I bought VGG in my cash account,would I have to fill out a U.S. Tax form,or would it be included in my Canadian tax return? I file my own taxes and not interested in filing U.S.taxes as well.
Would Vgg be good for income 3-4% and a little growth or could you recommend something.
Thanks,Brad
Read Answer Asked by Brad on December 01, 2016