REIT (Real Estate Investment Trust)

Canadian REITs trade on the TSX and must pay out most of their taxable income to maintain their flow-through tax status. The big names cover different segments: RioCan (retail), Allied Properties (urban office), Granite (industrial), CAPREIT (apartments), and Choice Properties (Loblaw-anchored retail). Distributions arrive monthly or quarterly and are usually a mix of other income, capital gains, and return of capital, which makes tax slips messier than a regular dividend. REITs held inside a TFSA or RRSP sidestep that complexity entirely.