leaving the USA: financial accounts considerations

hi all,

i've lived in the USA for a number of years, but am not a green card holder. i am finally returning to canada, where i'm a citizen.

i have my 401k in the USA, along with various bank and investment accounts. aside from my 401k, which i know i can keep in the USA and don't want to withdraw from (to avoid the penalty) i'm thinking it makes sense to transfer my remaining assets back to canada. i suspect i will consult an accountant but am first trying to get the lay of the land.

here's my question. i hold a number of mutual funds that are only available in the US (for example, vanguard). is the easiest thing to sell all my holdings and transfer the money to a canadian account? i would prefer not to deal with the tax headache in, say, 5 years when i sell some vanguard assets and then have to file US taxes. on the other hand, maybe that's not so bad if there's significant savings to be had. however, as i'm now becoming a non-resident in the USA, can i even still legally hold on to these assets with a US broker/mutual fund provider?

finally, if i have stock with company A, can i transfer that stock to a canadian broker, and sell it some years down the road in canada, and not be concerned at all about US taxes?

please ask this as shown in the signature

Hi homesweethome,

We're trying to build a knowledge base in the arena of crossborder financial planning.

Without being inappropriate, my company specializes in the management of IRAs for Canadians and American non-residents (as well as RRSPs and Canadian investments for Canadian expats) and would be happy to answer questions at no charge.

Feel free to PM me for more information or to discuss directly.

Thanks,
Naveen Gopal
Pacifica Partners