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A Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) is a savings plan registered with the federal government intended to provide retirement income. A RRIF is set up after closing a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP). A RRIF, or any other registered plan, is not an investment in itself – but you can hold a wide range of investments within the plan, such as GICs, mutual funds, ETFs, segregated funds, stocks and bonds

An exchange-traded fund (ETF) is an investment fund that holds a collection of investments, such as stocks or bonds owned by a group of investors and managed by a professional money manager. ETFs trade on a stock exchange and can be sold short or margined. You can also trade in futures and options on ETFs. Learn more about ETFs.

You can hold ETFs and a variety of other investments inside a RRIF. Because you can’t make additional contributions to a RRIF once it’s set up, you will need to use existing funds within your RRIF to purchase ETFs if you choose to. A registered financial advisor can help you determine how ETFs fit into your financial plan.