The fine print

The details that start to matter once you are invested: fees and how they compound, capital gains and adjusted cost base, currency hedging, and tax mechanics.

18 articles in this topic

How to calculate your adjusted cost base (ACB)

Every time you buy, sell, or reinvest, your cost base changes. Here's how ACB works in Canada, why it matters, and how to track it.

8 min read

Capital gains tax in Canada: what you actually owe

You sold an investment for a profit. Now the CRA wants a cut. Here's how capital gains tax works, what the inclusion rate means, and how to minimize it.

7 min read

Currency-hedged ETFs: do you actually need them?

Are you losing money to currency swings without realizing it? Some ETFs hedge that out, others don't. Here's how to tell and why the answer for most Canadians is simple.

8 min read

How dividends work (and get taxed) in Canada

The first time I received a dividend, I didn't know what it was. Here's what dividends are, how Canadian dividend tax works, and what to watch for.

8 min read

How to read your T3 and T5 slips

Those tax slips from your brokerage look like gibberish. Here's what the boxes actually mean and what to do with them.

6 min read

Investment tax in Canada, simplified

You sold something, got a T3, and have no idea what to do with it. Here's how investment taxes actually work, without the jargon.

7 min read

What you're actually paying in investment fees

Too many investors have no idea what they're paying in fees. MERs, trading commissions, currency conversion. Here's where your money is quietly going.

8 min read

What to do when you've never tracked your ACB

You've been investing for years and never tracked your adjusted cost base. Tax season is here and you're panicking. It's fixable. Here's how.

5 min read

Not all ETFs are created equal

ETFs have become shorthand for 'low-cost, passive investing.' But some charge fees that would make a mutual fund blush. Here's how to tell the difference.

8 min read

Norbert's Gambit: the Canadian currency hack

Wealthsimple now supports Norbert's Gambit in beta: a flat $9.95 journal to convert CAD to USD via DLR/DLR.U, web only. Step-by-step, the $9.95-vs-1.5% break-even, and the catches.

8 min read

Phantom distributions: tax on unreceived money

Phantom distributions force Canadian investors to pay capital gains tax on ETFs and mutual funds even when the fund lost money. Here's how they work and how to avoid surprises.

7 min read

How to report capital gains on your Canadian tax return

A plain-English walkthrough of Schedule 3, T5008 slips, and how to report investment gains and losses to the CRA.

8 min read

Return of capital: not the distribution it seems

That distribution you received might not be income at all. Here's what return of capital means, how it affects your taxes, and why it matters.

7 min read

The Smith Manoeuvre: making your mortgage tax-deductible

In Canada, mortgage interest isn't tax-deductible. Unless you restructure things. The Smith Manoeuvre is legal, effective, and not for everyone.

8 min read

Tax-loss harvesting in Canada

Selling at a loss on purpose sounds wrong. But in a non-registered account, it can save you real money at tax time. Here's how it works.

7 min read

T1135: the foreign income form you might miss

If you hold over $100,000 in foreign property, including US stocks and ETFs, you may need to file a T1135 with the CRA. It's easy to miss.

7 min read

Withholding tax on US dividends in Canada

US-listed stocks face a 15 percent withholding tax on dividends in TFSAs and taxable accounts, but RRSPs are exempt under the Canada-US tax treaty. Here's what gets taxed, what doesn't, and how to position US holdings.

7 min read

Why your investment returns are so confusing

Simple returns vs. time-weighted vs. money-weighted. Why the number your brokerage shows might not mean what you think.

9 min read

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