There are ETF opportunities beyond Canada

Article Excerpt

Canadian investors, not unlike investors from most other countries, often have a bias for investing in their home markets. Familiarity with the domestic environment and companies—and a lack of familiarity with foreign markets—are big reasons. And we agree with that bias—we still recommend that most Canadians hold the bulk of their portfolios in Canadian stocks, or ETFs that hold those stocks. One good reason for that is Canadian taxpayers who hold Canadian dividend stocks get a special bonus. Their dividends can be eligible for the dividend tax credit in Canada. This dividend tax credit—available on dividends paid on Canadian stocks held outside of an RRSP, RRIF or TFSA—will cut your effective tax rate. This means that dividend income will be taxed at a lower rate than the same amount of interest income. Investors in the highest tax bracket pay tax of around 29% on dividends, compared to 50% on interest income. At the same time, investors in the highest tax bracket pay tax…