RRSP | Financial Crooks

Can I Withdraw Cash from my BMO RRIF Even Though My GIC Has Not Matured?

What can you expect if you need emergency cash from your RRIF but your money is in GICs?

Where Should I Buy My RRSP GICs in My Brokerage Account or At a Bank or Credit Union?

I may have to open a regular RRSP account at Oaken Financial to buy my fixed income GICs.

What To Do With the Cash in My RRSP and TFSA Brokerage Accounts

It’s time to park my cash so what can I get for it and how?

Finding Information on the CRA My Account Website to Prepare Your Tax Return

Before I try to use the CRA information download to pre-fill in my income tax return for 2015, I thought I’d better look at what information the CRA already has on file for me.

How to Contribute to Your RRSP at CIBC Investor’s Edge By Transferring from a Linked Account

It’s simple and fast to contribute to your RRSP at Investor’s Edge.

Where Can I Get a Good or at Least Decent Rate on a GIC for my RRSP?

It looks like Oaken may have the best to offer this year.

How to Buy a RRSP GIC from Peoples Trust

If you’re going to buy a GIC at Peoples Trust for your RRSP to claim on your 2014 taxes you’d better start clicking fast!

Is the Tangerine Offer of Cash for Transferring Your RRSPs to Them a Good Deal? Where Should I Consider Keeping my RRSP Investments?

Tangerine is offering a small cash incentive for transferring a large RRSP to them. Is it a good deal? Where else should you consider keeping your RRSP money?

Where Can I Get the Best Rate of Return on my RRSP GIC?

It’s getting harder each year to find a good rate for a GIC even during “RRSP Season.” Here’s what was available today including 2.4% for a 1-year term.

It’s Official: Tangerine is Charging a Fee to Transfer your RRSP or TFSA to Another Bank

Tangerine is starting to charge a fee to transfer out your RRSP. Did they provide any required notice of this change? Will they now reimburse your fees to transfer an RRSP in to Tangerine from another bank? I have more questions than answers at this point.

Simplifying and Improving Our RRSPs: a Review of the Progress Made Over 4 Years

How one piece of paper can save your spouse $1 500 or more. This and other things I learned while straightening out the tangled strands of our RRSP skein.

How to Group Non-Registered, TFSA and RRSP Accounts Under One ID at Investor’s Edge

Ok this is not an inspired post but it’s the first Monday back after vacation: at least it provides useful info for those of us who want to see all of our portfolios after signing in only once.

How to Buy a Mutual Fund at Tangerine for your TFSA, RRSP or Savings

If you want to start index investing with a small amount of money you easily can using Tangerine mutual funds. Here’s how to enroll and buy some units of the Tangerine Balanced Portfolio fund. As I checked into this, I discovered whether I could invest only $1 and whether a teenager could invest their lemonade stand profits.

How to Transfer RRSP Cash to a RBC Direct Investing RRSP

It’s time to get some money moved and invested in some ultra-low fee ETFs using my free trades!

How to Check Your RRSP Contributions Using the CRA My Account Website

Was Duke Nukem the real reason the CRA started using computers to store its tax return information? Or is it just a meaningless coincidence that the data available through the CRA My Account website dates back to 1992?

One Reason Why Spousal RRSPs Are Useful and How to Make a Contribution to an Existing Spousal RRSP at Tangerine

Is there any reason for a Spousal RRSP now Canada has pension income splitting? We think so which is why I just added to our Spousal RRSP at Tangerine.ca.

ING Direct is Now Tangerine.ca: an Update on Tangerine in 2014

Why you might need to call your insurance agent and your municipality and what happened to Streetwise and THRiVE plus how to get a bonus or a few bucks in extra interest. And a big thank you!

Retirement Planning: Testing the TD Retirement Savings Calculator

Does TD think I have enough saved to fund our retirement? I’m not sure because using their calculator left me with some unanswered questions.

Retirement Planning: Testing the Canadian Government Retirement Savings Calculator

With some trepidation I used the Service Canada Retirement Savings Calculator to see what income we could expect in retirement. Then I started wondering how much Walmart pays those guys who stand near the door handing out carts and putting stickers on merchandise coming back for a refund.

I Doubt I Will Ever Fully Understand Fixed Income Investing in Bonds and GICs

Does anyone else but me wish that someone would write informative articles on what’s happening in the Fixed Income investing world? (Apparently not.)

How Does Naming a Beneficiary for Your RRSP Save Money?

Why I’d suggest if you inherit a RRSP that you ask the Executor for a copy of the federal tax Clearance Certificate before you spend any of the money; and other RRSP beneficiary facts.

How Do I Group InvestorLine Accounts Under a User ID and Whose Accounts Can I Group?

If I could convince my neighbour to allow me to see his account balance, portfolio holdings and transaction history, I could add his account to my InvestorLine User ID to achieve the 5 Star Program level and get Level II quotes. Who knew?!

How Long Will It Take To Transfer My RRSP or TFSA? Are There Rules?

Have you ever wondered if there are any “rules” for how long a transfer should take between “financial institutions?” Here’s what I’ve found out so far, and a summary of some of my personal wait times for transfers.

Faster Receipts for ING Direct RRSP Contributions in the First 60 Days of the Year

ING Direct (Tangine.ca) has been coding to improve their services again: this time to permit instant tax slip printing for RRSP contributions–but did it work?

I’m Not Sure What to Do with My RRSP Money—What Should I Do Till I Decide?

It’s open season for banks angling to land your RRSP dollars. If you don’t want to be hooked like a Sucker on spring migration, instead of rushing into a RRSP investment, you may want to park your contribution in a short-term investment. Here are a few factors to consider and options to evaluate.

What Is a Locked In Retirement Account and How Do I Get One?

Here’s an introduction to the LIRA for those readers who haven’t already suffered through a layoff, down-sizing, right-sizing, diagonal-slice, outsourcing, or other employment indignity.

How Long Does It Take to Open a RBC Direct Investing RRSP and Transfer In Cash?

If you’re in a hurry to start trading with a “Big Bank” brokerage you’d better find a hobby to keep you busy so you don’t get too frustrated with the wait.

How to Buy a GIC in a RBC Direct Investing Online Brokerage Account

As I test how to purchase a GIC at RBC Direct Investing, I discover a bug and compare the process to making the same purchase at BMO InvestorLine or CIBC Investor’s Edge. And do brokerages REALLY think that we will buy a lower-rate-paying GIC from their affiliated bank just because they list that product at the top of the offerings?

How to Buy Units in a High Interest Savings Account Fund at RBC Direct Investing

Is anyone else skittish about investing quickly into these high-priced stock markets? While I’m dithering, I tested parking some cash in a HISA fund at RBC Direct Investing. There were a few differences compared to doing the same at InvestorLine and Investor’s Edge that surprised me.

Should You Save For Your First Home in your TFSA or your RRSP?

Where you should save depends in part on where you have to live. Here’s some interesting math for those who need to live in ghost towns in northern Ontario.

Can I Use My TFSA as Collateral for a Quick Loan?

Why borrowing against a TFSA might make more sense than borrowing to fund a TFSA and other loan-related facts.

How Do I Start Getting $9.95 Trades at RBC Direct Investing Now I Have $50 000?

I was surprised and frankly not impressed when I checked into the details of RBC Direct Investing’s $9.95 trades.

Get Ready to Die: Beneficiary and Successor Account Holder Forms for your Online Brokerage Accounts

Are you ready to die? Do you want to shout “hands off my money” at the government as you perish? Do you know the difference between a Successor and a Beneficiary and why it matters? If you’re not part of Canada’s Distinct Society I encourage you to read on.

Should You Save for Your First House in Your RRSP?

Why I disagree, rather vehemently, with Diane McCurdy’s opinion on whether you should save for your first home using the RRSP Home Buyers’ Plan.

How to Report Your RRSP Contribution If You Don’t Want to Take the Tax Deduction Yet

Here’s which schedule to use and how to fill it in to report your RRSP contribution but defer using your tax-reducing deduction until another year.

Optimize Your RRSP: Contribute Now, Claim the Tax-Reducing Deduction Later

Were you on parental leave most of this year? Are you a recent graduate using tuition credits and moving expenses to reduce your taxes? Were you unemployed part of this year but have just started a great job? You may be one of the people who shouldn’t wait to contribute to your RRSP just because you’re in a low tax bracket this year. Here’s how you can optimize your RRSP contribution.

What’s the Right Way to Invest? TFSA first? RRSP first? Pay down the Mortgage? Non-Registered Account? Gold? Real Estate? Help!

There’s only one correct way to invest your money to succeed….Isn’t there?

How to Make a RRSP Contribution Quickly and Easily Using ING Direct

If you want to contribute another $100 to your RRSP late one Sunday night in February, here’s how you can do it quickly and easily and even get your tax receipt immediately (if you have a printer.)

How to Buy Units in a High Interest Savings Account Fund in a CIBC Investor’s Edge Account

I’ve decided it’s time to sell my units in the “Greek Government Honest We’ll Pay You Back!” bond fund and move the money into something really exciting: a high interest savings account fund. OK, maybe this is just good information for temporarily parking your cash while waiting to pounce on a great investment.

When Should I Switch to a Self-Directed Brokerage Account? As Soon As It’s “No Fee”

When’s the right time to open a self-directed online discount brokerage account? In my case, about 1.5 years ago: Guess I’d better get cracking.

How to Open a RBC Direct Investing RRSP Account Online

As I filled out my online forms to open a RBC Direct Investing account, I was left pondering questions like: Why can a Minister and a Priest open an account but not an Imam or a Rabbi? Why can I report I am a Homemaker but not a Pharmacist? What do they have against the Energy sector? Who in IT (or more likely “the business” thought it was a good idea to create a screen without a Back or Save button or the standard navigation toolbar? Will I get a personal phone call and a free lunch if I select an income of $10,000,000 and over?

CIBC vs ING Direct to Investor’s Edge RRSP: the Race is On

Bored by your RRSPs? How about a little race?

Goodbye Canada Retirement Savings Plan, Hello ING Direct RRSP

Heavy-hearted I close our Canada Retirement Savings Plan accounts and rail against the government that abandoned them.

If I Transfer a Stock to my US $ InvestorLine RRSP After the Record Date Where Does the Dividend Go?

After I goofed and shifted stock from my Canadian to my US ledger in my InvestorLine account after the Date of Record, I checked to see where the dividend appeared.

Why Defined Contribution Pension Plans are a Pain: Fixed Income Choices or Lack Thereof

If bonds are going to tank and money market funds are re-writing the rules to allow “negative earnings” what am I supposed to invest my DC pension funds in for fixed income?

Which of the Big 5 Brokerages Offer a US Dollar Side, Journal, Ledger or Sub-Account for an RRSP?

If you receive large distributions or dividends paid in US dollars it may be worth having a US dollar sub-account within your RRSP. Unfortunately only some of the Big 5 Bank discount brokerages offer this option. Here’s which ones.

Update on Transferring RRSP Cash to an ING Direct RRSP Using a T2033 Form

Transferring some RRSP cash from my Canada Savings Bonds RSP to my ING Direct (now Tangerine.ca) RRSP went smoothly if not swiftly but there was one quirk with the dates that surprised me.

Where Can I Find My US Ledger Stocks in My BMO InvestorLine RRSP or TFSA Account?

I transferred some TD from my Canadian InvestorLine account to my US ledger, then I couldn’t find it. Here’s where to click to see your US holdings easily.

What to Watch for When Transferring a Stock to the US Dollar Side of an InvestorLine Account

Ok here’s an easy post to read and prove to yourself that you are much smarter than I am, although I doubt that was ever in question. AKA “Don’t do what I did when moving a dividend-paying stock to your US dollar sub-account.”

How Can I Move a Stock I Hold from the Canadian Side to the US Side of my InvestorLine Account?

Once more I sally forth (like the comic strip) to test how to do something weird in my InvestorLine account: This time my task is relatively benign as I attempt to move some, but not all, of my shares in a certain Canadian financial titan from the Canadian side of my RRSP account to the newly-minted US side. Once more InvestorLine makes mysterious entries into my transaction history and My Portfolio Holdings which I will attempt to de-code to see what has happened or failed to happen and when.

How to Set Up a US Dollar Ledger or Side for a BMO InvestorLine RRSP Account

I finally took the plunge and created a US dollar sub-account within our BMO RRSP account. How difficult could it be? I wondered nervously. As bad as trying to buy a GIC for our kids’ RESP at the branch? Surely nothing could top that…?

How to Transfer RRSP Cash from CIBC to CIBC Investor’s Edge Using a T2033

If you want to transfer cash from a RRSP into your Investor’s Edge RRSP you need to know where to get a T2033, how to fill it out, and how long you’ll have to wait. This post tells you how we did it.

How to Transfer Cash to an RRSP at ING Direct from another RRSP Using a T2033 Form

The current federal government has essentially killed the value of investing in Canada Savings Bonds so it’s time for us to transfer out our holdings in the free Canada Retirement Savings Plan. This same method also works for any transfer of a cash RRSP to an ING Direct, now Tangerine.ca, RRSP. If you need to consolidate your investments at ING Direct, now Tangerine.ca, here’s how to do it.

Stocks are Falling: Buy, Buy, Buy!

A strategy for falling markets: Fling a Frisbee!

How Much Can We Take from our RRSPs for Our House? How the Home Buyers Plan Numbers Work

Sometimes buying a first home gets a bit confusing. Here’s the simple rules for the amount you can withdraw using the HBP.

Pension Planning: What Happens If My Partner or Spouse Dies Young?

Do you know how much, if anything, you would receive from your spouse or partner’s pensions, including CPP, if they died before you? Did you know you could potentially receive none of their CPP monthly payment? Understanding what the survivor may receive is a key part of retirement planning.

Checking the Current Real Time Price for an Equity Using BMO InvestorLine

Do you want to know the REAL price of a stock not some ancient history 20-minute-delayed price? Use your InvestorLine account to access up to the several-times-a-minute facts.

How Fast Can I Sell my BMO InvestorLine AAT770 HISA to Generate Cash to Re-invest?

This is what I found out when I tested the speed of a sale of AAT770, BMO’s daily interest savings account no load fund, including the surprise perq on a 7-day investment.

Transferring RRSP Cash from CIBC to a BMO InvestorLine RRSP Account

How I moved what had been a RRSP GIC from CIBC to InvestorLine, including what it cost and how long it took. The moral of the story: don’t invest at every branch bank you live near.

How to Invest in the AAT770 High Daily Interest Savings Account Fund, HISA, at BMO InvestorLine

BMO InvestorLine has a new HISA available with a minimum required balance of $5000. Here’s how to buy some of this fund to deposit your money while you wait for a pullback or the optimum moment to execute your precision 50-bagger trade. (And a cynical observation about how else BMO could have offered interest for cash holdings.)

Investing in the AAT770 Daily High Interest Savings Account Fund, HISA, for BMO InvestorLine RRSP, TFSA and Other Accounts

BMO InvestorLine has made a significant improvement to its HISA option, changing it from the absurd to the reasonably useful. Please read on to learn about this new high interest savings account fund, the rate it pays and the required minimum investment.

How to Buy a GIC in a BMO InvestorLine Account

Lists which types of GICs are sold by BMO InvestorLine, what fees are payable, how to buy one, whether the GICs rollover at maturity, and when to expect interest and principal payments to land in your stash of Cash.

Why I Won’t Bother With Granite Countertops

Choosing what to spend your money on based on what really matters to you should help you live well now and save for the future.

Does It Cost Anything to Transfer Part of my ING Direct RRSP to Another Institution?

How to transfer your RRSP from ING Direct, now Tangerine.ca, to InvestorLine or Investor’s Edge or another financial institution. Includes information on where to get the T2033 and how long it will take.

When is a Guaranteed Investment Certificate not Guaranteed: When GICs Get Risky!

The three scariest things I found when researching a Blue Chip market-linked GIC and why I do not recommend these products.

How to Transfer Assets to a BMO InvestorLine Account from Another Bank Using a T2033 Form

What do you need to have ready before you transfer assets from one financial institution to your BMO InvestorLine account? How can you fill out the T2033 form and where should you send it? What glitches are likely to happen and how can you prevent some of these annoying mistakes and hold ups? Get the scoop from someone who has slain this paper dragon before.

Are ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) Better than Mutual Funds?

What are the tax differences between ETFs and mutual funds and the differences in how they DRIP? These and other features are important to examine before making a purchase.

What Is an ETF or Exchange Traded Fund?

What ETFs are, how they’re priced, where you buy them, whether you have to hold them, what the minimum purchase requirements are and other fascinating facts.

How to Set Up Automatic Transfers to an ING Direct Account

Instructions for setting up regular daily, weekly or monthly contributions to an ING account or from an ING account to a RRSP or TFSA. It’s simple and easy. And free!

How to Buy a GIC in a CIBC Investor’s Edge Self-Directed Investing Account

Instructions for reviewing rates and buying GICs within a CIBC Investor’s Edge account to form part of your fixed income holdings.

How to Evaluate Mutual Funds and Choose which Funds to Buy

Are you comparing apples and cows when you try to evaluate 2 mutual funds? How will a fund earn you money and how can you get your hands on it? Is it true mutual funds are named using a random phrase generator? And when did Australia become part of Asia anyway? Read on for these and other details about the murky world of mutual funds.