Search found 565 matches

by westcoastfella
11 Mar 2024 11:49
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)
Replies: 12
Views: 610

Re: Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)

she has extreme OCD/misophonia such that she cant leave her home My SO is going through this process right now. In order to do this, she first had to go to a doctor and have the doctor submit a form to the government detailing the disability and severity. The government then assesses the disability, and if they agree and approve, they will allow you to begin using the DTC (and also reassess prior years tax returns if the disability was pre-existing). At this point they also offer you the option to open up an RDSP. We haven't gotten to the RDSP part yet, but I'm going to guess you'll need supporting paperwork in the form of government forms to do so. did her form get approved? what wording is gonna be easier to get approval for....psycholog...
by westcoastfella
07 Mar 2024 16:17
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)
Replies: 12
Views: 610

Re: Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP)

what are the easiest psychological conditions to get RSDP qualification for? Does your colleague have the opportunity to pick and choose which “psychological condition” to claim? Eligibility to open a RDSP hinges on eligibility for the Disability Tax Credit (DTC) … and eligibility for DTC hinges on the effects of the condition, not on the name of the condition (ie. two people with the same diagnosis could be suffering vastly different severity of effects) she has extreme OCD/misophonia such that she cant leave her home My SO is going through this process right now. In order to do this, she first had to go to a doctor and have the doctor submit a form to the government detailing the disability and severity. The government then assesses the ...
by westcoastfella
04 Mar 2024 13:59
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: How to transfer my private pool funds RRSP out of my investment company over to a DIY brokerage
Replies: 6
Views: 499

Re: How to transfer my private pool funds RRSP out of my investment company over to a DIY brokerage

Why would you transfer "in kind" to self-directed? I am assuming you want to change your investments, not just move the company that holds them.
It depends what you're holding in your group RRSP (or any RRSP that you're transferring), and whether or not you want to keep those investments in the new one. In some cases the transfer may be simply for account consolidation, and you may not want to sell everything in one account before moving it over.
by westcoastfella
01 Mar 2024 11:30
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: How to transfer my private pool funds RRSP out of my investment company over to a DIY brokerage
Replies: 6
Views: 499

Re: How to transfer my private pool funds RRSP out of my investment company over to a DIY brokerage

I went through this a few years ago, when I switched employers and had to transfer my group RRSP from old employer into my personal RRSP, and had the same issue - group RRSP were in funds that could not be transferred. When transferring any account, you should have the option of transferring "in kind" (keep all the investments as-is and transfer them), or liquidating the assets and transferring cash. Either way, if you use the correct form this will be a within-RRSP transfer, and should not trigger any taxable events for you.

I was able to get the group RRSP to liquidate everything to cash, and then transfer the cash to my RRSP
by westcoastfella
26 Feb 2024 10:47
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Questrade where to park cash?
Replies: 17
Views: 5316

Re: Questrade where to park cash?

I park my cash in CASH (Horizons CAD cash ETF) and PSU.U (Purpose USD cash ETF). Both are purchas-able on on Questrade, there is a minimal fee for purchasing (basically the ECN fees, no buying fee), and you pay a regular fee when you liquidate. Both are hovering around 5% monthly distributions right now. The price changes daily to reflect daily interest accumulation for the month, so if you buy it early in the month and sell it later in the month, you'll still see an appreciation without having to wait for the month end distribution.

I'm not sure if I would bother for a few days interest.... but if you needed to park for a few weeks or a month, and your gain > than the fees to buy/sell, why not.
by westcoastfella
20 Feb 2024 13:30
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: How reliable are prenups in Ontario?
Replies: 31
Views: 1750

Re: How reliable are prenups in Ontario?

My partner and I are in a relationship and she wants to get married. I only realized how important marriage was to her after 6 months of living together. Prior to moving in together, I said I wasn't interested in marriage. It seems that we poorly communicated and now one of us may need to compromise. The idea of getting married scares me because I have 10x more assets than she does. She is okay with signing a prenup. My question is on the topic of prenups. Do we know how reliable these are in Ontario? Although I would like to stay optimistic, I fear divorce (because anything can happen), the prenup being nullified in court for whatever reason, and then losing half of my assets. You definitely need to see a family lawyer and have this drawn...
by westcoastfella
23 Jan 2024 11:25
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: Ratio of Living Expenses to Total Income
Replies: 7
Views: 1076

Re: Ratio of Living Expenses to Total Income

My current expenses to total income (after tax) ratio is 70%. is this too high for someone living in Vancouver? I've heard the rule of thumb of 60% being used. Any thoughts? Also, Id like to negotiate my salary with my employer. My reasoning is that my job is in downtown Vancouver. My employer requires me to work in the office (no remote work allowed). in order for me purchase small 600 ft^2 flat in vancouver (valued at 850k) I need 170k for pay. I currenly make 124k and it is not enough to purchase while maintaining my lifestyle. If my employer does not allow remote work whereby allowing me to work in a more affordable location, then i expect a pay raise to be able to live in the city where my employment is. Is this a good negotiation str...
by westcoastfella
19 Jan 2024 11:46
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: BCE (Symbol-BCE)
Replies: 1860
Views: 286378

Re: BCE (Symbol-BCE)

The dividend yield was not a specific concern, but the slipping revenues and stagnant growth were - at which point the rising yield becomes a potential signal. I'm sure BCE will be able to maintain this level, but will they be able to grow it at the same rate they have in the past? Dunno.

I got out of BCE late last year, it was one of my OG holdings from 2011 when I started building a dividend-focused portfolio. I certainly liked the dividend, but capital appreciation was nearly zero and I'm not sure what will happen to the stock price overall if it does not continue to grow at its current rate into the future.
by westcoastfella
04 Jan 2024 11:13
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: What and why did you Buy? What might you buy? (2024)
Replies: 49
Views: 6675

Re: What and why did you Buy? What might you buy? (2024)

I added to my existing BNS position, with my 2024 TFSA contribution and a small residual cash holding that was also in my account. Not as low as it was in late 2024, but I still lowered my ACB. Long term hold for me.
by westcoastfella
16 Nov 2023 15:50
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: WealthSimple Trade
Replies: 73
Views: 10316

Re: Bribes from Discount Brokers

FWIW, I talked to a Wealthsimple representative today, I was intrigued by the offer and am looking to leave Questrade. Some downsides for me

- No NG
- no trading in preferred shares, bonds, and some other "exotic" shares

the prefs were what killed it for me, the guy I talked to seemed apologetic and didn't understand why the don't trade in those securities (I'm guessing the fee structure is higher than they'd like). So pass for now.
by westcoastfella
21 Sep 2023 12:01
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: ETF - Annuities "look alike"
Replies: 33
Views: 2563

Re: ETF - Annuities "look alike"

The main advantage of the annuity that I see is the constant income stream. That $600 per 100k invested per month never changes, there is zero risk of it ever falling below that amount. Investing into stocks, no matter what company it is, has a non-zero chance of lowering or eliminating their dividend, thus lowering your income. Certainly some companies are less at risk of lowering/eliminating regular payout, and it seems that the majority of the "safe" ones increase regularly. But, it is still a risk that you have to be ready to accept. It sounds like you are ready for that. If that is the case, I would echo Mordko's suggestion - just buy the few bank stocks directly that you want to own, and avoid the ETF in this case FWIW, this...
by westcoastfella
18 Aug 2023 17:56
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: HISA ETFs / Cash ETFs
Replies: 64
Views: 7577

Re: HISA ETFs / Cash ETFs

AltaRed wrote: 17 Aug 2023 14:43 As a reminder, a number of brokerages prohibit the purchase of these cash ETFs.
do you know which ones? I have bought successfully at Scotia iTrade (CASH) and Questrade (PSD.U), and would have had success buying others mentioned here.
by westcoastfella
17 Aug 2023 14:34
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: HISA ETFs / Cash ETFs
Replies: 64
Views: 7577

Re: HISA ETFs / Cash ETFs

I've been using CASH as well, for CAD$, and am now using PSD.U for US$. I'm only doing this in RRSP or TFSA for now, so no tax implications yet.
by westcoastfella
19 Jul 2023 13:16
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: Bribes from Discount Brokers
Replies: 301
Views: 24265

Re: Bribes from Discount Brokers

Marcus Aurelius wrote: 11 Jun 2023 18:51
bbsj wrote: 11 Jun 2023 17:33 Can someone post a link to this $5,000 offer. I see on BMO investorline an offer of $3,100 only.
It may well be targeted. On the public site I can only see the 3100 offer, as well:

https://www.bmoinvestorline.com/selfDir ... 3100-e.pdf
from the small print:
There may be tax implications to the Award. For registered accounts, no tax receipt will be issued for the
Award. If you require tax advice, please contact your personal tax advisor.
Typically, are these types of awards into RRSP accounts considered RRSP contributions?
by westcoastfella
12 Jul 2023 12:41
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Laurentian Bank (Symbol-LB)
Replies: 47
Views: 10933

Re: Laurentian bank - (held in TFSA)

it would depend on the nature of the deal, if it happens. You may get all cash, all stock, or a combination of cash/stock, from whoever is purchasing
by westcoastfella
26 May 2023 16:29
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Where's the money in AI?
Replies: 29
Views: 2499

Re: Where's the money in AI?

As for investing: There's an old saying that, during a gold rush, the best investment is in selling picks and shovels. I would look at the equivalent: chips, raw computing power (quantum computing, cloud computing), and so on. Better yet, buy the haystack, i.e. broadbased index ETFs. George This seems to be where the "real" money is at the moment - NVDA up dramatically, I own AVGO which has gone up 20-ish % in the past 5 days, most of it since Wednesday.... It seems that the mere mention of "AI" in a future direction/forward looking statement is enough to get people falling over themselves to propel a stock higher. Devil's in the details though, on how much application there is and how much value there may be. But there...
by westcoastfella
26 May 2023 11:30
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: What and why did you Buy? What might you buy? (2023)
Replies: 193
Views: 30508

Re: What and why did you Buy? What might you buy? (2023)

JaydoubleU wrote: 25 May 2023 15:50
hopefully more TD a bit cheaper.
Ditto. It seems to be in freefall. The end of the world is nigh.
Ditto. 100 more TD in non-reg account this morning
by westcoastfella
16 May 2023 10:52
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: Funding mortgage from your own RRSP
Replies: 17
Views: 3080

Re: Funding mortgage from your own RRSP

thanks for the insights all. Some more details from me, they may add some colour. I'm considering this right now for a couple of reasons: 1. interest rates are higher right now. I would not be considering this if we still had the low rates of 2021, but at 5%, its not a bad rate of return 2. I have a pretty large mortgage, 930k. When it comes time to renew in late 2024, I'll still owe about 900k. Interest payments on that mortgage, at 5%, equal roughly 45k per year, to the bank. However, the downsides that I've considered 1. opportunity cost - this would take about 80% of my RRSP, so only 20% left to for stocks/higher return. I'm OK with getting a 5% return on a chunk of my RRSP, using something that I consider to be a safe investment. But I...
by westcoastfella
15 May 2023 17:23
Forum: Financial Planning and Building Portfolios
Topic: Funding mortgage from your own RRSP
Replies: 17
Views: 3080

Funding mortgage from your own RRSP

I ran across an article about self-directed mortgages, and specifically using your own RRSP to fund the mortgage on your own home: https://www.fundscraper.com/using-your- ... -products/

I'm curious to know if anyone here has done this, and if so what the process was like and what you need to do to make it happen. I've read this article and done some other research on the process, it doesn't appear to be very popular or used very often. But I'm starting to explore it for the mortgage on my own home.

Any feedback or insights?
by westcoastfella
18 Apr 2023 14:55
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: Preferreds
Replies: 2578
Views: 318378

Re: Preferreds

brady wrote: 18 Apr 2023 14:41
Springbok wrote: 19 Feb 2023 12:26
westcoastfella wrote: 17 Feb 2023 15:24 It looks like not enough were happy with the deal, no conversion will happen
Same thing with ENB.PF.K that has same reset date. It is a Min Reset (4.9%) and will reset at 6.212%. In my case 7% on cost. Or 6.6% at Friday's close ($23.52),which still seems quite good. I have seen some questions about ENB credit rating, but I believe the preferreds are still P2L (S&P)
https://prefblog.com/?p=44726#:~:text=T ... he%20terms
What does it use for its reset base? the 5 year gov't bond rate?
yes, according to the prospectus
by westcoastfella
14 Apr 2023 17:40
Forum: Stocks, Bonds, ETFs, Funds, REITS and More
Topic: What and why did you sell? What might you sell? (2023)
Replies: 104
Views: 15392

Re: What and why did you sell? What might you sell? (2023)

trimmed a few long terms positions yesterday: - ABBV - its up over 100% since I initially bought it in 2020, and has become very overweight. They are going to start getting some headwinds now that the revenue from Humera is all but gone, and they have started guiding revenue projections downwards. Take some profits while they're good. I still have a sizeable holding there, about 10% of my USD RRSP - RTX and GD - also both bought in late 2020, both are up substantially. I wanted to diversify away from military/government industrials though, they overlap in quite a few places. Sold about 1/3 of each, and used proceeds to buy into another industrial but in a different space. I still like the prospects of all 3 of these, just diversifying a bit...
by westcoastfella
28 Feb 2023 16:12
Forum: Under the Mattress: Protecting Your Money
Topic: How do couples deal with finances?
Replies: 22
Views: 2222

Re: How do couples deal with finances?

I don't know the detailed differences between prenup and cohabitation agreements (other than the former being done before a marriage, and the latter being done when there are no plans to marry). My lawyer said in the event that we do get married the cohab could convert to a prenup, but thats down the road a bit and we'll deal with that bridge when we come to it. Any legal agreement can be challenged, and in some cases can be overturned. My lawyer suggested to me that cohab's are generally hard to overturn, and when they do get overturned its usually for situations where the cohab was not regularly reviewed and updated and the partners situations have changed dramatically in that time (one partner takes time off to support the other, signifi...