Understand before you sign
Explanations of the rates, fees and contracts behind financial products offered in Quebec, written to be read before an appointment, not after.
40 articles · Investments
// Investments
TFSA or RRSP: Choose by Goal and Tax Rate
Choose between TFSA and RRSP based on the goal, the withdrawal horizon and your current and future tax rates.
2026-07-21
// Investments
FHSA: Plan Contributions Before a First Home Purchase
Confirm your first-home-buyer eligibility and contribution room before planning FHSA deposits.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Cashable or Non-Redeemable GIC: Choose Your Liquidity
Measure the extra rate offered in exchange for locking funds before giving up early redemption.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Build a GIC Ladder to Spread Maturities
Split the amount across several maturities so one tranche renews at a time and rate risk is smoothed.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Mutual Funds and ETFs: Compare Fees, Advice and Diversification
Compare fund fees, the cost of advice and actual holding overlap before choosing between mutual funds and ETFs.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Management Expense Ratios: Measure the Long-Term Effect
Project the compounded after-fee return over your horizon to see what an annual expense ratio really removes.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Risk Profile: Connect Possible Losses to the Time Horizon
Connect the temporary loss you can tolerate to the actual withdrawal date before setting a risk profile.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Rebalancing: Bring a Portfolio Back to Its Target
Record the target allocation in the plan and define the drift that triggers rebalancing before the market decides for you.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Invest a Lump Sum or Invest Gradually
Weigh your tolerance for an immediate decline against the cost of staying in cash before investing at once or gradually.
2026-07-21
// Investments
RRSP Withdrawals: Withholding Tax and Taxable Income
Withholding tax is not the whole bill: the full RRSP withdrawal is added to your taxable income.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Retirement Drawdown: Coordinate TFSA, RRSP and Guaranteed Income
Cover essential spending with guaranteed income first, then set the withdrawal order between TFSA and RRSP.
2026-07-21
// Investments
RESP: Organize Contributions, Grants and Withdrawals
Align contributions with the available grants and plan withdrawals around the beneficiary’s education timeline.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Short-Term Savings: Avoid Risk That Conflicts With the Deadline
When the goal date is fixed, keep the principal available rather than accepting risk that conflicts with the deadline.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Bonds and Interest Rates: Understand Price Changes
Separate the coupon from yield to maturity and understand why a bond’s price responds to market rates.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Dividends or Total Return: Avoid an Incomplete Comparison
Add the dividend to the price movement: a high distribution is not a guaranteed return.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Self-Directed or Advised Portfolio: Compare Service and Cost
Define the decisions you want to delegate, then compare platform, fund and advice fees on that basis.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Investment Account Transfer Fees: What to Check Before Moving
Ask the departing institution’s exit fees and check whether the receiving one reimburses them before moving an account.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Beneficiaries and Estates: Keep Designations Current
Verify each designation on the contract and its coordination with the will and Quebec law after any family change.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Asset Allocation or Product Selection: Decide in the Right Order
Set the goal, horizon and loss capacity first, then the target weights: products come last.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Market Order or Limit Order
A market order takes the book price; a limit order sets your price but may fill only partially.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Currency Conversion in a Brokerage Account
Check the currency of the investment and account, then the markup the broker adds to the exchange rate.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Foreign Dividend Withholding Tax by Account Type
Withholding depends on the dividend’s country of origin, the tax treaty and the type of account used.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Adjusted Cost Base: Keep Investment Records
Record purchases, commissions and reinvested distributions, then allocate each partial sale among the units.
2026-07-21
// Investments
Realize a Tax Loss Without Undoing the Plan
Sell the unrealized loss in a taxable account while respecting the superficial-loss rule around the transaction.
2026-07-21