Canadian Capitalist

Today’s question is from Christine:
How can I move a self-directed RRSP account from my broker to a self-directed RRSP account with TD Waterhouse?
It’s quite simple to transfer a RRSP account between different institutions — look for a transfer authorization form from the institution you want the account transferred to (the TD Waterhouse form for transferring [...]

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A survey conducted by Sun Life Financial found that one in five Canadians who have access to a group RRSP in which the employer provides some sort of a match, do not take full advantage of the benefit. A bit of a head-scratcher from the survey: when asked why, 6% said they preferred to invest [...]

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Mike from Four Pillars mentioned in a comment that the TFSA offers us a new horse to beat to death because we can now endlessly argue over whether a RRSP is better than a TFSA or does it make more sense to pay down the mortgage instead. In that spirit, let’s first consider the easier [...]

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While a RRSP contribution probably makes sense for most people, there are some situations where other alternatives make more sense:

Carrying consumer or credit card debt: Credit card debt is typically very expensive with double-digit interest rates. Even an unsecured loan from a financial institution will typically charge interest in the high single digits for clients [...]

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Have a plan: It is all too common that Canadians invest in “something” when they scramble to make their RRSP contribution before the deadline. Often, the “something” is an investment recommendation from an advisor that unfortunately results in a potpourri of holdings that turn out to be yesterday’s winners. This year, when investing your contribution [...]

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As I’m fighting a cold and fever, I thought I’d get away with a short post on RRSP statistics today:

Deadline for a contribution for the 2007 year: February 29, 2008
Maximum contribution amount for 2007: $19,000
Percentage of tax filers eligible to contribute to a RRSP*: 88%
Percentage of eligible tax payers making a contribution*: 31%
Percentage of contribution [...]

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I participate in the Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) offered by my employer. The plan allows me to contribute a percentage of my salary and buy company stock at a discount twice a year. I always sell the shares purchased under the ESPP plan immediately and use the proceeds to contribute to our RRSPs. Since [...]

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Money management firms are bombarding us with ads touting their latest best performing mutual fund that returned 30% last year and 20% over the past three and if you are tempted to buy based on the performance, consider the following statistic cited in The Smartest Investment Book You’ll Ever Read:
One telling study involving mutual fund [...]

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It is best to hold a diversified portfolio of stocks, bonds and cash within the RRSP and stay away from investments that are risky or very expensive. Here are some investments you may want to avoid:
Venture Capital Funds: Even with the tax kickbacks, Labour-Sponsored Investment Funds are poor investments. The long list of negatives includes [...]

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Let’s say that you have decided that making a RRSP contribution makes sense for you. You are ready to contribute but you are not sure how you should invest your money. What do you do? It is very important that you don’t buy some mutual fund just because you want to beat the deadline.
It is [...]

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