Canadians have access to a plethora of tax-preferred vehicles for saving and investing, each of which provides unique planning opportunities and trade-offs, as well as their own rules and conditions that must be followed. With so many options, determining the best use for each type of account as part of a comprehensive wealth plan can be challenging. The attached table summarizes the key features of the most common registered plans and links to articles with more detailed information.

The Tax You Didn’t See Coming: Phantom Income Explained
For direct investments such as stocks and bonds, interest and dividends are taxed in the year in which they are received, and capital gains are taxed in the year in which they are triggered (sold). This results in a straightforward tax effect whereby the investor receives investment income and pays the appropriate amount of tax on a portion of the proceeds. With indirect ownership of securities, for example where an investor owns stocks indirectly through a mutual fund or an ETF, the tax situation may not be as simple.

