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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 have received below email from Scotiaitrade since I have EPD shares in my RRSP account. My understanding was that in registered accounts I don't have to file a US tax return for PTPs disposition or distributions. I called Scotiaitrade and they did not provide any additional details for registered accounts and asked me to apply for US Tax Identification Number and consult my accountant for filing US tax return. Any details you may have would be appreciated.



In December 2022, Scotia iTRADE sent you an email advising of industry-wide changes that came into effect on January 1, 2023 and that impact your previous and/or current holdings of certain publicly traded partnership units (PTPs).

As part of these changes, a 10% withholding tax may be applied to certain distributions in addition to the usual 37% withholding tax on U.S. business income for non-U.S. persons. In the event of a disposition or transfer of the impacted PTPs a 10% withholding tax will also be applied to the gross proceeds in addition to the withholding tax on distributions.

Since you hold or have held impacted PTPs after January 1st, 2023, you must obtain a U.S. Tax Identification Number (TIN) and provide it to Scotia iTRADE by August 1, 2023. Scotia iTRADE is required to provide the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) with your name and address as part of our obligation to report beneficial ownership of impacted PTPs and thereby assist the IRS with reconciliation of US tax filings on an annual basis.

We ask that you apply for a U.S. TIN as soon as possible and call Customer Service at 1 -888-872-3388, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, to provide this information once you have received it.

If you have already obtained a U.S. TIN from the IRS though have not yet provided it to Scotia iTRADE, then please call Customer Service by August 1, 2023.

For help with requesting a U.S. TIN please refer to the following IRS website which outlines the application process: https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin and speak with your accountant and/or tax advisor should you have further questions.

Scotia iTRADE does not provide tax advice. If you have questions about the tax implications related to the PTPs held in your account, please consult with a tax advisor. If you have any questions about the transactions associated with the PTPs held in your account, please contact Customer Service at 1 -888-872-3388, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

Read Answer Asked by Ninad on June 01, 2023
Q: I am absolutely stunned by your constant promotion of BN.Why is this?
The dividend is almost none.
They have a high portion of their investments in commercial real estate,which looks more scary by the day.
The market keep telling us for a long time that BN is overpriced.
So why oh why do you keep mentioning BN in a favorable manner?
I know they are around for a long time,but so was Nortel and GE.
Read Answer Asked by Josh on June 01, 2023
Q: I am looking for a couple of US dividend-paying companies that provide decent yields for retirement income. Several of the companies that you have suggested are providing growing dividends and some equity growth but the yields are low. I am currently looking at AMGN, BX and EXR. I am leaning towards BX as I think property could be poised for growth but I am concerned that the dividend seems to jump around. Were special dividends paid in the past few years or has the payout been negatively affected by declining rental income?

Which of the three would you prefer given the desire for increased income, stability of income, future dividend growth and some equity growth? (or are there other suggestion you may have)

Appreciate your insight.

Paul F.
Read Answer Asked by Paul on June 01, 2023
Q: I tend to be a buy and hold investor and have held Trupanion for a few years. In my TFSA It has fallen quite a bit in the last year and more so in the last 3 months or so. Is there a readily apparent reason for this other than small company jitters in this type of market. What is your general opinion of the stock and is it worth continuing to hold?
Read Answer Asked by Todd on June 01, 2023
Q: Please compare P/E’s, cash flow yield , balance sheet leverage and future growth. How would you rank in order of most preferred to not interested. Ty.
Read Answer Asked by Chris on June 01, 2023
Q: In Saturday's Globe and Mail, Rob Carrick recommended investing in target maturity bond ETFs which, unlike traditional bond ETFs, pay the initial investment plus interest i on the maturity date. After having seen my bond ETFs go down dramatically over the past year, this seems like a good alternative. I would like your opinion . Do you see any potential negatives for these types of bond ETFs? Are if there are any such ETFs that you would recommend?
Read Answer Asked by Mary on June 01, 2023
Q: Thanks for your response to my question regarding what companies SU might consider for future acquisitions given they will have a need to replace production going forward. Would you please provide explanations for both MEG and BTE as to why they would be the potential targets by SU.
Thank you!
Read Answer Asked by Gordon on June 01, 2023