It’s little wonder why TFSAs have become incredibly popular over just a few short years.
It’s the flexibility of the vehicle I really like. If you want to pull out cash to buy a house, pay for some education, or even go on vacation, you can do so from a TFSA without paying a nickel of tax on the proceeds. And then when you have the money to put back in, you can do it. No problem.
Compare that to the RRSP. If you pull money out of it, the government immediately takes its share in taxes. You’ve also lost that contribution room forever. Even if you use the official RRSP home buyers program, you’re still forced to pay back your RRSP over a number of years.
Needless to say I’m a big fan of investors maxing out their TFSAs over RRSPs. The only thing left for investors to decide is which stocks should go inside their TFSAs. Here are three terrific long-term suggestions to get you started.
Restaurant Brands
There’s a lot to like about Restaurant Brands International Inc. (TSX: QSR)(NYSE: QSR), and not just because Warren Buffett is a major shareholder.
The business model of franchising is incredibly powerful. Once the framework is in place, it’s just a matter of scaling the business to different markets across the globe. Burger King, the company’s main brand, has already achieved that. It’s only a matter of time until Tim Hortons is expanded in a similar way.
One of the concerns from bears is that the company’s products aren’t very high quality. Perhaps they have a point; personally, I’d rather get a more expensive burger from an upscale place than at Burger King. But sales numbers paint a very different picture with year-over-year sales growth of 10% from Burger King and 7.9% from Tim Hortons.
The company only pays a 1.3% dividend because it took on so much debt when it acquired Tim Hortons. Give it a few years to pay this down, and investors can likely expect terrific dividend growth.
Magna International
Magna International Inc. (TSX: MG)(NYSE: MGA) is one of the world’s largest auto parts manufacturers with more than 400 facilities located in 29 different countries.
One of the biggest reasons to be excited about Magna is the company’s connection with the much-rumoured Apple Car. According to industry rumours, Magna has been chosen to manufacture the car for Apple when it comes out–an event still a few years away. If Apple’s history with other consumer products is any indication, its car could be a game-changer.
Magna also trades at an incredibly cheap valuation. Markets are convinced car sales are about to head much lower, but the industry continues to be resilient. This means investors are getting Magna shares at less than eight times trailing earnings.
Magna also pays investors a dividend of 2.6%–a nice consolation prize while waiting for the share price to head higher.
North West Company
Many investors don’t like retailers because of the amount of competition that’s inherent in the space. This pressure doesn’t just come from other traditional retailers, but also from companies like Amazon.
North West Company Inc. (TSX: NWC) is immune from many of these challenges. It has stores in remote communities in places like Alaska, Yukon, North West Territories, and various other small rural western Canadian towns with no local competition. The company also owns a chain of mid-sized warehouse stores that serve island communities in the Caribbean and South Pacific.
Growth has been solid. Revenue hit $1.8 billion in the company’s last fiscal year, up 20% in the last five years. Net income was $70 million, which equates profit margins of 3.9%. Those aren’t bad numbers for a retail business.
North West Company also pays investors a generous dividend of 4.1%–a distribution that’s grown in each of the last four years.
TFSAs are the perfect savings vehicle for most folks. Make sure you’re taking advantage of yours today.
