Advertisement
Canada markets closed
  • S&P/TSX

    21,885.38
    +11.66 (+0.05%)
     
  • S&P 500

    5,048.42
    -23.21 (-0.46%)
     
  • DOW

    38,085.80
    -375.12 (-0.98%)
     
  • CAD/USD

    0.7323
    -0.0000 (-0.01%)
     
  • CRUDE OIL

    83.80
    +0.23 (+0.28%)
     
  • Bitcoin CAD

    87,929.33
    -32.89 (-0.04%)
     
  • CMC Crypto 200

    1,391.44
    +8.87 (+0.64%)
     
  • GOLD FUTURES

    2,344.60
    +2.10 (+0.09%)
     
  • RUSSELL 2000

    1,981.12
    -14.31 (-0.72%)
     
  • 10-Yr Bond

    4.7060
    +0.0540 (+1.16%)
     
  • NASDAQ futures

    17,782.25
    +214.75 (+1.22%)
     
  • VOLATILITY

    15.37
    -0.60 (-3.76%)
     
  • FTSE

    8,078.86
    +38.48 (+0.48%)
     
  • NIKKEI 225

    37,780.35
    +151.87 (+0.40%)
     
  • CAD/EUR

    0.6827
    +0.0006 (+0.09%)
     

Canada Revenue Agency: You Might Qualify for This $6,997 Canada Child Benefit in 2023

Dad and son having fun outdoor. Healthy living concept
Image source: Getty Images

Written by Aditya Raghunath at The Motley Fool Canada

Canada has several state-sponsored benefits that residents can avail of, helping them lead a comfortable life. One such payout is the CCB, or Canada Child Benefit, which is a non-taxable amount paid each month to help families with the cost of raising children.

To qualify for the CCB, you must meet the following requirements:

  1. You must be a Canadian resident.

  2. You must live with a child who is under the age of 18.

  3. You must be primarily responsible for the upbringing of the child.

Families with a child below the age of six and an adjusted annual net income of less than $32,797 are eligible for the maximum CCB of $6,997 each year. For a child over the age of six, the maximum CCB reduces to $5,903 per year.

ADVERTISEMENT

This amount may reduce depending on the age of your child and the family’s net income. For instance, for a family living in Ontario with an adjusted net income of $200,000 and a child below the age of six, the annual CCB payout will reduce to $192.92.

Canadian families should aim to save and invest a portion of these benefits, allowing them to build wealth over time. For example, the CCB payout can be invested in the equity market, the proceeds of which can be used to pay for the child’s college education or help them start a business.

Let’s see where you should invest the CCB, so you can benefit from compounded gains over time.

Use the CCB and buy index funds such as VSP

If you don’t have the time or expertise to identify individual stocks, consider investing in index funds such as the S&P 500 or Nasdaq. There are several currency-hedged, exchange-traded funds in Canada that track the major indices in the United States.

One such popular fund is Vanguard S&P 500 Index ETF (TSX:VSP), which has more than $2.5 billion in assets under management. With a management fee of 0.08% and an expense ratio of 0.09%, the VSP is a low-cost fund that provides you exposure to the 500 largest companies south of the border. Down 18% from all-time highs, the index also provides investors with a dividend yield of 1.3%.

The S&P 500 index has generated massive wealth for long-term investors. Since March 1995, the index has surged 683%. But if you account for dividends, total returns are closer to 1,200%. So, a $10,000 investment in the S&P 500 index 28 years back would be worth almost $130,000 today.

The Foolish takeaway

The top 10 holdings of the VSP ETF include tech giants such as Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, and Alphabet. It is a well-diversified fund that lowers overall investment risk.

A difficult and volatile macro environment has dragged valuations of companies across sectors lower. But investing in a bear market and waiting patiently for a turnaround will allow you to derive inflation-beating returns over the long term.

Moreover, investing in this index will enable you to outpace the majority of investors on Wall Street, given historical returns. Investing in a low-cost, well-diversified fund is a simple way to create game-changing wealth for most Canadians.

The post Canada Revenue Agency: You Might Qualify for This $6,997 Canada Child Benefit in 2023 appeared first on The Motley Fool Canada.

Should You Invest $1,000 In Vanguard S&p 500 Index Etf (cad-hedged)?

Before you consider Vanguard S&p 500 Index Etf (cad-hedged), you'll want to hear this.

Our market-beating analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 5 best stocks for investors to buy in March 2023... and Vanguard S&p 500 Index Etf (cad-hedged) wasn't on the list.

The online investing service they've run for nearly a decade, Motley Fool Stock Advisor Canada, is beating the TSX by 22 percentage points. And right now, they think there are 5 stocks that are better buys.

See the 5 Stocks * Returns as of 3/7/23

More reading

Suzanne Frey, an executive at Alphabet, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. John Mackey, former CEO of Whole Foods Market, an Amazon subsidiary, is a member of The Motley Fool’s board of directors. Fool contributor Aditya Raghunath has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Alphabet, Amazon.com, Apple, and Microsoft. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

2023