Investment Management for Canadians (Cross-Border Aware) — 49th Parallel Wealth Management>
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Investment management for Canadians

Investment management for Canadians, built around the tax.

Low-cost, fiduciary portfolios across your RRSP, TFSA, RESP and non-registered accounts — managed with Canadian tax in mind, and aware of the cross-border details most advisors miss.

The basics

Investing built for Canadians.

Most Canadians are sold investments — a bank’s in-house funds, a high-fee product, an advisor paid by commission. We do the opposite. As a fee-only, fiduciary firm, we’re paid only by you, so the portfolio is built around your plan instead of someone else’s quota.

That means low-cost, globally diversified portfolios, managed with Canadian tax front of mind: the right holdings in the right accounts, capital gains and dividends handled deliberately, and withdrawals sequenced to keep more of what you earn. RRSP, TFSA, RESP, FHSA, RRIF, non-registered — coordinated as one household, not six silos.

And because so many Canadians have a U.S. thread — American citizenship, U.S. holdings, or a move on the horizon — we build with the cross-border details in view: U.S. withholding tax, the PFIC rules, the TFSA trap. For households living fully between the two countries, our cross-border investment management goes a layer deeper.

What we do

How we manage your money.

Every account, used well

RRSP, TFSA, RESP, FHSA, RRIF and non-registered — each has a job. We put the right holdings in the right account so tax doesn’t quietly erode your returns.

Tax-aware management

Asset location, capital-gains timing, dividend treatment, and withdrawal sequencing — managed across your whole household, not one account at a time.

The cross-border details

U.S. withholding tax inside an RRSP, the PFIC rules that punish the wrong funds, and the TFSA trap for U.S. citizens — handled, not discovered later.

Fiduciary, fee-only

No commissions, no product shelf, no deferred sales charges. We’re paid by you, so the portfolio is built for you — not for a bank’s quota.

Low-cost, evidence-based

Globally diversified portfolios built on low-cost funds and discipline — not stock tips, market timing, or the high-fee products Canadians are so often sold.

Aligned to your plan

Your investments answer to your financial plan — risk, time horizon, and goals — rather than the other way around.

Account-type fit check

Which accounts should be doing the work?

Tell us a little about your situation and we’ll point you to the accounts that usually fit best — and flag the cross-border details to watch. An educational starting point, not investment or tax advice.

1. What are you mainly investing for?
2. Have you used most of your registered room (RRSP/TFSA)?
3. Are you a U.S. citizen or green-card holder?
4. Do you hold (or want) U.S. stocks or ETFs?
Answer the four questions and we’ll suggest where to focus — and the cross-border details worth a closer look. →
Your account-type fit

Here’s where we’d start

    Build the real plan with us

    Educational only — general guidance on account types, not investment, tax, or legal advice. The right mix depends on your full situation, contribution room, and the year’s rules, which is what a conversation is for.

    Who this is for

    Investors we work with every week.

    • Canadians who want low-cost, fiduciary management instead of bank-sold funds
    • Households juggling RRSP, TFSA, RESP, FHSA and non-registered accounts
    • Investors holding U.S. stocks or ETFs and unsure of the tax treatment
    • U.S. citizens in Canada who need PFIC- and TFSA-aware portfolios
    • Business owners and professionals with larger non-registered balances
    • Anyone moving to or from the U.S. who needs portfolios that travel
    Good to know

    Investment questions, answered plainly.

    How is this different from the investment advice at my bank?
    Most bank and “free” advisors are paid through the products they sell — commissions, trailing fees, or in-house funds — which is why portfolios so often end up expensive and generic. We’re fee-only and fiduciary: paid only by you, with no products to push. That changes what ends up in your portfolio.
    Which accounts should I be investing through — RRSP, TFSA, RESP, or non-registered?
    Usually a combination, and the order matters. Each account is taxed differently, so where you hold a given investment can matter as much as what you hold. We use asset location to put the most tax-efficient holdings in the right accounts across your whole household.
    I hold U.S. stocks and ETFs — is that a problem?
    Not inherently, but the details matter. U.S. dividends can face withholding tax that’s treated differently depending on which account holds them — an RRSP, for instance, generally shelters U.S. withholding on U.S.-listed holdings, while a TFSA does not. We build portfolios with that in mind.
    I’m a U.S. citizen living in Canada — does that change how you’d invest for me?
    Yes, significantly. Many ordinary Canadian mutual funds and ETFs are treated as PFICs by the IRS, which creates punishing U.S. tax and reporting. And a TFSA isn’t tax-free to the IRS. We construct portfolios that stay compliant on the U.S. side while still working in Canada.
    What does it cost?
    We charge a transparent, fee-only rate — no commissions, no trailing fees, no deferred sales charges. You can see the full schedule on our fee page, and we’ll walk through exactly what your costs would be before you decide anything.
    What if I move to the U.S. later?
    We plan for portability from the start. Moving across the border affects how accounts are taxed and which holdings make sense, so building with that possibility in mind — and coordinating the transition when it comes — avoids forced sales and tax surprises.
    Ready for a portfolio built around you?
    A free, no-obligation conversation — fee-only and fiduciary, always.
    Book a free call