What Is a Non Registered Brokerage Account?

We’ve actually managed to save enough money in our chequing and savings accounts that I’m considering opening a new kind of brokerage account: a non-registered account. The very thought makes me nervous which should tell you how risk-averse I am. I can put money within a brokerage account into a daily interest savings account fund or into GICs, though, as I remind myself. I don’t actually have to bet the money we’re saving for our next car on Okinawan penny gold stocks or Russian computer-chip manufacturer high-yield bonds.

So What Exactly Is a Non-Registered Online Self-Directed Brokerage Account?

Basically, it’s an account this is NOT

  • a RRSP
  • a RRIF
  • a RESP
  • a RDSP
  • a TFSA

See I’d say it’s an account without the word “registered” at the beginning, but then they invented the TFSA which IS a registered account but doesn’t have an R in its acronym.

Do Non-Registered Accounts Offer Tax Advantages?

No.

Non-registered accounts are “real money” accounts.

Putting money into the account doesn’t get you a tax refund.

You have to pay taxes every year on any realized profits you make in the account. For example, you have to pay taxes if you

  • earn interest
  • receive dividends, even if you use the dividends to automatically buy more shares
  • are paid distributions
  • receive a return of capital
  • etc.

You don’t have to pay taxes on any “paper” capital gains you make when the value of your shares or bonds etc go up. You only pay the taxes when you actually sell the shares or investments and “realize” the profit. So if this year you buy some shares of Cineplex at $40 and they climb to $42, you don’t have to pay tax on the $2 per share capital gain if you don’t sell the shares. Once you sell the shares, though, you have to pay income tax on the capital gain.

Because you have to pay tax each year on your earnings, you don’t have to pay any extra tax when you take money out of the non-registered account. (This is different from a RRSP or RRIF where you must pay tax when you take money out unless you have an incredibly low income.)

Unlike a RRSP, RRIF, RESP, RDSP, or TFSA your money does NOT grow tax-free. You pay taxes each year.

Any money you make within the account is taxable under the regular tax rules.

That means if you sell an investment and make a capital gain, you have to pay capital gains tax on the amount.

It also means that if you sell an investment and suffer a capital loss, you can claim the capital loss on your taxes against taxable capital gains to hopefully reduce how much tax you pay on other gains.

Remember if you use a “self directed” brokerage account then you personally are responsible for tracking your investments for tax purposes. While your brokerage might provide you with some of the information you need to do the math, it’s up to you personally to ensure you get all of the information and that you use it properly. It’s not like a RRSP where you can just ignore capital gains, return of capital, adjusted cost bases and the like. Nor can you expect an accountant to sort out your mess. You have to give the accountant useful numbers before she can prepare your tax return!

What Can You Invest In with a Non-Registered Account?

For most online self-directed non-registered brokerage accounts, you can buy

  • American Depositary receipts, ADRs
  • Bonds
  • Equities
  • Exchange traded funds, ETFs
  • Guaranteed investment certificates, GICs
  • Mutual funds
  • Shares
  • Stocks
  • Term deposits
  • Units in a high interest savings account fund (that acts like a savings account)

There may be some other things you can buy as well depending on the brokerage.

CAUTION: Don’t buy anything if you don’t know how to collect the tax information and perform the tax calculations for it! For example, do you know what withholding tax you will face on a specific ADR? Do you know if and how you can re-claim some of that withheld tax? If not, don’t buy that ADR in your account!

(OK, here’s a hint for someone tripping over the word ADR. If you want to buy shares in a company like Toyota on the New York Stock Exchange you can’t. You can buy an ADR for Toyota on the NYSE though. It is NOT the same as buying shares of an American company listed on the NYSE though. Among other things, the taxes are handled differently.)

Who Offers Non-Registered Self-Directed Brokerage Accounts?

The list of financial institutions offering these types of accounts is almost identical to the list of brokerages for RRSP and TFSA accounts.

For example, you can open an account with

  • BMO InvestorLine
  • CIBC Investor’s Edge
  • HSBC InvestDirect
  • National Bank Direct Brokerage
  • RBC Direct Investing
  • Scotia iTrade
  • TD Direct Investing

There are also brokerages that are not tightly linked to banks, including but not limited to

  • Qtrade
  • Questrade
  • Interactive Brokers

Newspapers like the Globe and Mail, magazines like MoneySense and various websites provide reviews and comparisons of the various brokerages.

Things to consider when evaluating brokerages include

  • minimum account balance fees,
  • inactivity fees,
  • trading costs if you plan to buy shares or ETFs,
  • minimum purchase sizes for GICs and daily interest savings account funds
  • which ETFs and mutual funds are offered for sale
  • fees to withdraw money from the account
  • what reporting is provided
  • how and when tax slips are provided
  • etc.

Why Am I Rambling On About Non-Registered Brokerage Accounts?

This isn’t just a theoretical topic. I’m actually considering opening a non-registered account. When I started writing a bit about some information I had found, though, it didn’t make sense as I’ve never provided an overview of these types of accounts. So this is meant to be the overview and gradually I will start reporting some details as I investigate further.

Please feel free to chime in with your opinions of and questions about non-registered accounts at any time! Why my articles usually start from a question I’m researching for myself, I often learn about new issues and considerations from email and comments from readers.

And for those of you thinking: “Why would she invest the money they’re saving for their next car?” I should mention that due to someone illegally driving on the 400-series highways two years ago, we have a car that’s only a year and half old. Based on our previous cars, that means we have 14-21 years before we’ll need this money.

Related Reading

  • [Will I Have to Pay a Fee to Take Money Out of my Non-Registered Brokerage Account?]

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Do you already have a non-registered brokerage account? Does anything about your account bother you? Did you trip over any unpleasant surprises during your first year or two of using the account? All views are welcome and please share them with a comment!

How to Accept an Email Money Transfer Sent to You by a Tangerine Customer

So you’re at the ticket line at the movies and your friend realizes she doesn’t have her wallet. You agree to pay her way in and she pulls out her phone and emails you the money from her Tangerine chequing account. You thank her and go watch the show. It’s not till you get home that you wonder exactly how you can accept this Tangerine email money transfer and what you have to do to get your money back.

Here’s how you’ll actually get the money deposited into your own bank account and what you’ll need to do it.

What’s In the Tangerine Email Transfer Message?

First, you need to receive the email message that contains the details of the money transfer.

Check your Inbox for a message from the person sending you the money. It will have a Subject or Title line that says:
[Your Friend/Colleague/Relative’s] Name has sent you a Tangerine Email Money Transfer

Open the message.
The email message will say you have until a specific date to accept the money.
For my test, the transfer was sent on July 14.
The note says it must be accepted by August 13.
(Both are business days.)

The message will also include an Email Money Code and the last name of the person who sent you the money.

To Accept Your Email Money Transfer to Permit the Deposit of the Money In Your Bank Account

If you are a Tangerine banking customer and wish to deposit the money in a Tangerine account, you just need to know your client number, security answers and PIN to sign in to Tangerine.

For any other bank, credit union, or trust company, before you start trying to get the money, make sure you know

  • the institution number
  • the transit number and
  • the account number

for the branch and account in which you want to have the money deposited.

You can find all three numbers on your cheque, if you have a chequing account.

You can also look up institution numbers online. Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Routing_transit_number and look for the Canadian transit number, which is a 3-digit code for banks etc.

For example,

  • BMO is 001;
  • TD is 004;
  • CIBC is 010.

To Get the Money Sent by a Tangerine Email Transfer If You Are NOT a Tangerine Customer

To get your money, first you have to accept the email transfer. Then Tangerine will send the money to your bank account electronically. Like a bill payment, it will take several business days for the money to arrive in your account, unless your account is also with Tangerine.

Your bank may also put a temporary hold on the money when it is deposited, just like it may put a hold on a cheque you deposit into your account.

Go to: tangerine.ca/transfers

The Email Money Transfer / Transfer Authentication Page

  1. In the Email Money Transfer code field, type the Email Money Code that was in the message you received.
  2. In the Sender’s last name field, type the sender’s last name, or other word as specified in the message you received.
  3. Click on the Next button.

The Transfer Question Page

  1. In the Email Money Transfer answer text field, type the answer to the security question asked by the person sending you the money.
  2. Click to select the button Yes or No to answer the question Would you like your money to be deposited into a Tangerine account?
    I clicked No.
  3. Click on the Next button.

Transfer Details Page

  1. In the Transit number (Branch) field, type the transit number for your bank account.
  2. In the Institution number (Bank) field, type the institution number for your bank, trust company or credit union.
  3. In the Account number field, type your bank account number.
  4. In the Confirm account number field, type your bank account number again.
  5. Read the details about transfers to non-Tangerine accounts: Tangerine will send the money to your bank. That bank will put the money in your account based on their usual procedures.  Tangerine cannot tell you when that will be.
  6. Click on the Next button.

The Confirmation Page

  1. Read the details of the proposed transfer.
  2. Click on the Accept Transfer button.
  3. Make a copy of the information in case you have any future questions.
  4. If you are finished, be sure to click on the Log me out link, clear your browser cache, and close your browser session for increased security.

You’ll now have to wait for your bank account to receive the money. If you sent it to a non-Tangerine account, it will probably take 2-3 business days to show up.

To Get the Money Sent by a Tangerine Email Transfer If You Bank with Tangerine Yourself

It’s much easier to accept an email transfer if you are a Tangerine customer yourself: and it’s faster!

Go to: tangerine.ca/transfers

The Email Money Transfer / Transfer Authentication Page

  1. In the Email Money Transfer code field, type the Email Money Code that was in the message you received.
  2. In the Sender’s last name field, type the sender’s last name, or other word as specified in the message you received.
  3. Click on the Next button.

The Transfer Question Page

  1. In the Email Money Transfer answer text field, type the answer to the security question asked by the person sending you the money.
  2. Click to select the button Yes or No to answer the question Would you like your money to be deposited into a Tangerine account?
  3. I clicked Yes.
  4. Click on the Next button.

The Transfer Details Page

  1. In the Client Number field, type your Tangerine client number.
  2. In the Answer Your Secret Question field, type the answer.
  3. Click on Next
  4. In the Enter Your PIN field, type your Tangerine banking PIN.
  5. Click on Go
  6. From the drop-down list in the Deposit to Account field, choose into which account to deposit the emailed money. NOTE: If you choose to deposit it into your RRSP, spousal RRSP, or TFSA account, you are making an annual contribution. Do not do this unless you have available contribution room!
  7. You can click to select Yes or No to Auto-accept email money transfers from this person in the future. For example, a student may get a monthly email money transfer from their parents. In this case, the student may decide to select Yes to automatically accept transfers from this sender. It saves having to go through all of the steps of accepting the transfer each time an email transfer is sent.
  8. Click on Next

The Confirmation Page

  1. Review the transfer details. If they are acceptable, click the Accept Transfer button.
  2. Click Continue Banking.
  3. The money should appear immediately in your bank account.
  4. If you are finished, be sure to click on the Log me out link, clear your browser cache, and close your browser session for increased security.

Related Reading

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Do you like receiving your money by email transfer instead of by cheque? Is it easier to get your money this way? Have you ever had trouble depositing money sent by email transfer? Please share your experiences with a comment.

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