Your Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) contribution room depends on your year of birth, years of Canadian residency, and past contributions. The maximum of $102,000 assumes you were born in 1991, turned 18 in 2009, and never contributed a cent until the 2025 addition of $7,000. That’s the ceiling available to someone who has maxed out every year.
If you’ve been slacking, perhaps putting money toward property or focusing on your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) as a high earner, it may be time to prioritize the TFSA before non-registered accounts. If the goal is passive income, one Canadian bank exchange-traded fund (ETF) stands out for its monthly payouts.
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Why a bank ETF
The Hamilton Enhanced Canadian Bank ETF (TSX: HCAL) provides equal-weight exposure to Canada’s “Big Six” banks with a modest 25% cash leverage, tracking the Solactive Equal Weight Canada Banks Index.
Equal weighting means each bank gets the same allocation, and the portfolio is rebalanced quarterly – systematically buying low and selling high in a disciplined manner.
The 1.25 times leverage adds some extra yield and growth potential while still keeping volatility reasonable compared to riskier 2 times or 3 times daily leveraged ETFs.
HCAL dividends
Right now, HCAL pays monthly with a 4.8% yield. The most recent payout was $0.1270 per share at a unit price of $32.05. With $102,000 in TFSA room, you could buy roughly 3,185 shares. That translates into about $404 in monthly tax-free income.
What makes this especially attractive in a TFSA is the flexibility. In months where you don’t need the cash, you can set distributions to automatically reinvest into more shares, compounding your income stream over time. And when you do want to spend, the cash payout can flow directly into your account, tax-free. This versatility makes HCAL not only a strong income generator but also a tool for adapting to your changing needs year to year.
Even outside a TFSA, HCAL is fairly tax efficient. Most of its distributions are eligible dividends from Canadian banks, with a small amount of return of capital that isn’t immediately taxable. That makes it attractive for investors looking to supplement cash flow in non-registered accounts as well.
The Foolish takeaway
Owning all six banks equally through HCAL helps you avoid betting on just one. The monthly distributions turn your TFSA into a reliable income engine, especially if you’re trying to match bills with passive cash flow.
While leverage adds some extra risk, it’s far less than you’d face owning individual bank stocks and gives you an income stream that can grow alongside Canada’s financial system.
