Comparisons in the air

Over at Four Pillars, there have been a couple of great posts recently comparing Canadian and American investment accounts. So far, the following comparisons are available:

• Canadian RRSP Vs. U.S. 401(k) Retirement Account Comparison


• Education Investment Accounts: Canadian RESP Vs. American 529 Comparison


• Updated: Canadian TFSA Vs American Roth IRA

The next post will compare Canada's new TFSA to the American Roth IRA.

This sort of cross-border comparison is exactly the kind of content I was looking for when I decided to start this blog. In fact, I've posted similar comparisons in my own lexicon series, as well as a post dedicated to comparing retirement and education accounts. Although I didn't go into as much detail with specific rules on the accounts, it's nice to see that I at least got my general facts straight (not surprising, considering I pulled a number of my RESP facts from Four Pillars' series on RESPs).

I have to hand it to the folks at Four Pillars for posting the content in a more Google-friendly format than my own comparisons; I'm frankly a little embarrassed to see my "Loonies And Savings Plans" title next to the likes of "Canadian RRSP Vs. U.S. 401(k) Retirement Account Comparison" and "Education Investment Accounts: Canadian RESP Vs. American 529 Comparison". Which do you think is more likely to come up in a Google search?

It's great to see this sort of analysis being posted. I think it's useful for people on both sides of the border to see how the other side has structured things. Knowing the similarities and differences between the two systems helps to understand how to get the most benefit out of your own investments.