Andrew Button
·4 min read
Written by Andrew Button at The Motley Fool Canada
The Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) is one of the most popular investment accounts in Canada. Like the older RRSP, it allows you to grow your investments without paying taxes on them. Unlike the RRSP, it also allows you to withdraw money tax free. So, the TFSA is a true tax shield, keeping your assets free from taxation from purchase to sale to withdrawal.
It’s for this reason that many Canadians are drawn to the TFSA. Offering the ability to deposit, grow, and withdraw funds tax free, it is a valuable account for maximizing your investment returns.
However, there is a difference between using a TFSA and maxing it out as quickly as possible. If you max out your TFSA by investing all of your savings into it at once, you may find yourself with a nice stock portfolio but no emergency fund. Additionally, there are certain investment objectives that are better served by keeping some of your assets outside a TFSA than by putting them all in the account. In this article, I will explore one specific scenario where you’re better off not maxing out your TFSA.
The one time you shouldn’t max out your TFSA
One time you shouldn’t max out your TFSA is when you’re buying stocks now but you intend to buy bonds in the future. Let’s say you’re a 40-year-old investor who is 100% focused on buying stocks today, but you plan on increasing your bond allocation in retirement.
In this scenario, you might be best off keeping the TFSA space open. Stocks get much better tax treatment than bonds by default. Dividend stocks are taxed at lower rates than bonds, and non-dividend stocks are not taxed until sold. So, you pay less taxes on stocks than on bonds. It’s for this reason that bonds, if you have them, should be the number one priority for your TFSA. They are taxed the most out of the two main types of securities, so you stand to gain more by tax sheltering them.
Apart from that maxing out your TFSA is a great idea
As we’ve seen, there is one very specific scenario where you’re better off investing in a taxable account than in a TFSA. However, it is a scenario that not every investor will find themselves in. Wanting to buy stocks now and bonds in the future is rather specific plan. It’s more common for people to simultaneously invest in stocks and bonds, in which case you can start maxing out your TFSA right away. Just remember that bonds go into the TFSA first.
Also, dividend stocks are taxed enough that they merit being sheltered from taxation. They have automatic payments that can’t be exempted from tax any other way.
Take iShares S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index ETF (TSX:XEG) for example. It’s an ETF consisting exclusively of oil stocks, the majority of them paying dividends. It has a 2.89% yield, which means you get $2,890 per year in cash from dividends for every $100,000 invested. That’s not an insignificant amount of cash. If you made an extra $2,890 per year and were in a 50% tax bracket, you’d pay $1,445 in tax on that extra income. The dividend taxes would be lower than employment taxes, because of the dividend tax credit. But you’d still pay a significant amount of tax.
By holding XEG in a TFSA, you would avoid all of that tax. Every penny in dividends and capital gains you earned from the fund would be completely tax exempt, which would save you money. A bond fund with the same yield would get even more tax savings. But if you’ve already got the bond allocation you want, it doesn’t hurt to get some dividend stocks in your TFSA.
The post Should You Max Out Your TFSA? Not So Fast appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.
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Fool contributor Andrew Button has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned.
2022
I'm an expert in personal finance and investment, particularly with regard to tax-advantaged accounts like the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) in Canada. I have a deep understanding of the TFSA and its various features, as well as the strategies and considerations involved in maximizing its benefits. I can provide insights into the tax implications of different investment choices within the TFSA and how they can impact your overall financial goals.
Now, let's dive into the concepts mentioned in the article:
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Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA): The TFSA is a popular investment account in Canada that allows individuals to grow their investments without paying taxes on the gains. Unlike the Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP), withdrawals from a TFSA are also tax-free, making it a versatile and valuable account for Canadians to save and invest.
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Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP): The RRSP is another tax-advantaged savings account in Canada. It allows individuals to contribute pre-tax income, which grows tax-deferred until retirement when withdrawals are taxed. Unlike the TFSA, the RRSP does not offer tax-free withdrawals.
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Maxing Out the TFSA: "Maxing out" refers to contributing the maximum allowable amount to a TFSA for a given year. The contribution limit is determined by the government and accumulates over time.
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Emergency Fund: An emergency fund is a reserve of cash set aside to cover unexpected expenses or financial emergencies, such as medical bills, car repairs, or job loss. It provides a financial safety net and is typically recommended for financial stability.
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Asset Allocation: Asset allocation is the process of distributing your investments among different asset classes, such as stocks, bonds, and cash, to achieve your financial goals while managing risk.
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Dividend Stocks: These are stocks of companies that pay dividends to their shareholders. Dividend income is typically taxed at a lower rate than other types of income.
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Tax Sheltering: Tax sheltering refers to strategies that help reduce or eliminate the tax liability on investment income. In the context of a TFSA, all income and gains generated within the account are sheltered from taxation.
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Tax Efficiency: Tax efficiency involves structuring your investments in a way that minimizes the impact of taxes on your returns. It often includes considering the tax implications of different investment choices and account types.
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iShares S&P/TSX Capped Energy Index ETF (TSX:XEG): This is an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that focuses on the energy sector, particularly oil stocks. The ETF may pay dividends to investors, and the article uses it as an example to illustrate the tax advantages of holding dividend-paying assets within a TFSA.
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Bond Allocation: Bond allocation refers to the portion of an investment portfolio allocated to bonds or fixed-income securities. Bonds are generally considered to be more conservative investments compared to stocks.
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Dividend Tax Credit: In Canada, there is a dividend tax credit designed to reduce the tax burden on dividend income. This credit can result in lower taxes on dividends compared to other types of income.
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Capital Gains: Capital gains are the profits earned from the sale of an investment, such as stocks or real estate. In Canada, only 50% of capital gains are included in an individual's taxable income, which can lead to lower tax rates.
The article discusses the importance of strategic TFSA contributions based on an individual's investment goals, such as considering future bond purchases and tax-efficient strategies when holding dividend-paying assets within the account. It also highlights the benefits of using the TFSA to shelter investment income from taxation.
