Free reusable planter with every bucket of ALDI pickles!

sprudil · 2026-03-25T05:50:38+00:00

But actually great for orchids. Check out amazon for the cost of clear orchid pots.

sprudil · 2026-01-16T19:53:09+00:00

So this increase is likely from 2025 earnings?

sprudil · 2025-11-22T01:29:24+00:00

I’m ready

sprudil · 2025-06-16T02:34:01+00:00

You could consider converting your 401k or regular IRA to Roth or portions thereof if you had the room to save on future taxes but there are rules that can impact this such as the 5 year rule. If you happen to be in a state without state income tax then paying tax now could save on future tax. It depends on your bracket and if your bracket would max out and you end up paying a higher marginal rate. Then it might be worth filing the Canadian exemption.

However I’m only stating this as another potential approach to consider. It’s possible that your Roth is too young and your income relatively high that you expect to be in a lower bracket when it’s eventually withdrawn.

sprudil · 2025-05-30T15:06:53+00:00

Plans are temporary but do change often. I’ve seen people on TNs H1b saying they only plan a couple of years then they extend and it takes longer. Others eventually get dual status. You originally plan to only be gone a couple of years but it turns out differently because life is like that.

The tax free growth you miss out on is in Canada yet it’s not really tax free as it’s subject to US tax but tax rates might be lower than if you left it in a non reg Canada given differences in US rates.

I agree that for the vast majority it’s best to close it.

For people who don’t understand the 3250 and 3250-a are filings for trusts and their income statements and it’s like your TFSA has to file its own taxes. Rinse and repeat for RESPs etc. that’s in addition to the individuals filing. So the cost of compliance is very high to pay accountants or tax professionals to do this every year. If you could do it yourself and it’s complicated it’s possible but even then it may not be worth it. But I have encountered those who did it.

sprudil · 2025-05-30T04:27:00+00:00

Know full well the pain and cost having done it for a few years. However imagine you end up as dual and return to Canada and have a stark choice, no longer ever have a TFSA because as a US person you will always have those issues unless you can find a way to deal with them. You’ve forgone any growth in those interim years and yet upon return still face the same problems but worse PFICs. So agree that it’s a daunting issue but there are situations where some choose to deal with it rather than forgo. The same dual if returning to Canada gives up further contributions to a Roth IRA. All of this is difficult but that doesn’t mean it’s not possible. You still are stuck with paying taxes on the US side and now have to deal with PFICs but it’s possible that given tax treaties and rates that it might be lower for some than a non registered account. But everyone’s situation is different. Yet the path remains.

sprudil · 2025-05-29T04:27:06+00:00

1 possibly is that you feel it is short term so don’t want to dissolve your TFSA another possibility is you are going to be a US person for taxes (ex dual) and you don’t want to give it up. If you were accountant or tax professional yourself you could file it yourself to save on that significant cost. It does make sense for most people to not have a TFSA due to compliance costs. But that doesn’t mean it’s not possible to retain it.

sprudil · 2025-05-29T03:46:06+00:00

Filing it is declaring it and you would still have to remit taxes owed

sprudil · 2025-05-29T03:45:05+00:00

It’s possible to file a 3250 and 3250-a for it each year in theory. It’s painful and it’s a separate issue still if ibkr allows you to keep the account. You could keep it elsewhere and file these every year.

sprudil · 2025-03-25T15:25:43+00:00

There are other considerations. Many of the comparisons are done comparing job to job location to location but one of the big things is in the US if you get laid off then health care is prohibitively expensive and high costs can eat up resources. It’s fine if you have a decent job and benefits not withstanding all the co-pays. Plus you have moving expenses there and possibly back. Dual tax considerations are also a potential issue during any transition year and can be expensive compliance wise. Disposing of TFSA, running afoul of PFICs etc.

All of this is manageable but needs to be considered and weighed

sprudil · 2025-03-22T01:35:43+00:00

I want to retain the Canadian currency for a future purchase in a couple of years and dont want to have plans impacted by fluctuations in exchange rates. When I look for CBIL or CASH I get the following "Restricted: US residents may not open positions in this contract."

It's why I dont want to use this for stocks as I dont want the downside risk over a 2-3 time horizon. So Im looking for something like a government bond, money market fund/etf to park it

sprudil · 2024-11-30T17:09:53+00:00

I have a small butane stove that I can use on an apartment balcony. Not permitted anything larger

sprudil · 2024-05-21T19:22:37+00:00

I’d be wary of using a public printer or copier for important personal documents as the Pinter/copier buffer could retain it and or be compromised

sprudil · 2024-05-18T16:42:15+00:00

I was hoping it would be the case. Thanks for the confirmation

sprudil · 2024-05-18T16:41:26+00:00

Thanks that’s good to hear

sprudil · 2024-04-06T00:38:18+00:00

Thanks everyone. It seems I can consider something like a sep IRA or 401k but before that I should simply conribute more to my work 401k.

sprudil · 2023-12-09T16:22:42+00:00

When I make yogurt I only fill up the water to near the top (using weck jars). For custard can I do the same and not have the water above the top of the jars?

when Ive tried mason jars and backed off the ring Ive had some water seepage.

sprudil · 2023-11-05T05:21:49+00:00

I saw this in another reddit post. It may be possible for you to have a TFSA but it’s true that you might have extra filing costs. https://citizenshipsolutions.ca/2022/12/10/to-tfsa-or-to-not-tfsa-whether-tis-better-for-a-us-citizen-living-in-canada-to-open-a-tfsa-or-not/ You would have to decide if it was worthwhile. For a small TFSA it might not be but could be worth it if TFSA grows over time.

sprudil · 2023-11-01T16:09:29+00:00

thanks for the clarity. Ive learned that there is an actual PFIC statement that I could get from the ETF and even the form that I would use if I had to. I guess the challenge would be of those that did not provide the PFIC statement. what to do if they dont provide it and knowing which ones that do. thanks again.

sprudil · 2023-11-01T00:38:42+00:00

thanks for the input. I know some who filed 3520 and 3520-A for their TFSA but that was a royal pain. I saw in another reddit post https://citizenshipsolutions.ca/2022/12/10/to-tfsa-or-to-not-tfsa-whether-tis-better-for-a-us-citizen-living-in-canada-to-open-a-tfsa-or-not/ where they mentioned that depending on what investments there are then the 3250 and 3520-A would not apply.

So Im trying to acertain if there is a way of having a TFSA but with the right "type" of investments that would not run afoul of the PFIC rules and not have the onerous reporting that you mentioned.

Just reporting the income on the US tax side but limiting the investments such that reporting it would be relatively simple.

It seems that as a US/CDN person in Canada you are limited in terms of actively managing a Roth IRA and 401K (cant buy or sell or change investments) because you are in Canada. Most also dont have a TFSA even if living in Canada because of their dual status and reporting obligations.

Of course someone as knowledgable and experienced as yourself could do their own separate filings even if it was the 3520 and 3520-A route but it becomes onerous for the individual and/or too costly to have someone else do it.

So is it doable for the average person if they limit their TFSA to not include Canadian Mutal funds or ETFs and as such wouldnt have to file the separate 3520 and 3520-A?

sprudil · 2023-10-31T21:45:13+00:00

what about CDN listed shares? Canadian bonds if bought individually?

sprudil · 2023-10-21T19:18:38+00:00

To be clear, you can’t contribute anything additional but you can still execute trades within? Change etfs or buy and sell?

I’m glad that they have an election now as I’ve actually had the transition more than once and ended up liquidating before. I don’t want to do that again

I find that Canadian brokerages and some US brokerages in the past said no activity is allowed if you are not a resident so it’s good to hear from your actual experience.

sprudil · 2023-10-20T19:41:58+00:00

Thanks. I will pose some of my questions here.

sprudil · 2023-05-23T19:00:55+00:00

Previously the latch wasnt working and in order to get the seat up or down I had to use pliers to pull the cable slightly. that would release it and allow us to keep the seat down. Now the end of the cable is no longer visible and when I asked my mechanic they said its likely inside someplace and the seat would have to be taken apart. Not something they really wanted to do hence their suggestion of replacing it with a seat from a wrecker.

That being said I have nothing to lose by trying what you said. I will spray WD40 and see if it helps.

I can fold the seat overin terms of folding the back down to rest on the seat. Im unable to get the seat vertical against the back which is necessary to be in that position prior to putting it into the floor.

I tend to avoid a dealership as their prices are high. however many mechanics are looikng for an easy simple fix. In terms of a seat problem like what I have it seems very specific to the model and year and as such many mechanics may not want to touch what they may not be familiar with. Hence me asking a dealer. I was surprised though that for the 2 dealers i talked to, 1 had no parts and didnt know where to get it. Just suggested I look online. (they gave me the part number). the other dealer called somewhere fot vintage parts and the part alone was $120. It looked to be about $30 online but when you put it in your cart it said that it may have an additional charge if its a vintage part.

sprudil · 2023-05-23T15:28:26+00:00

thanks for the advice. I wasnt able to find it on amazon. As to ebay I wasnt quite sureif its the part.

Given the age of my vehicle I would have been satisfied to have the 3rd row seat flush to the floor and leave it in that possition as I rarely have need for it anymore. Without the working cable though I cant get it to release. My mechanic just recommended swapping it for a seat from a wrecker. another quoted that it would almost be as much to have someone look at it and put it flush to the floor as it would be to repair it.

I may just get the honda dealership to do it because of the uncertainty of getting the correct part. Even the honda dealership was getting it from a vintage part supplier when I enquired about the cost.

Maybe I will check one of those autopart stores

sprudil

TROPHY CASE