One difference I’ve noticed talking with Canadian and U.S. investors is that Americans tend to focus much more on taxes. That’s a point in Canada’s favour. With the tax-free savings account (TFSA), registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) and first home savings account (FHSA), Canadians have multiple ways to shelter investment gains from the Canada Revenue … Read more

Many parents want to help their adult children get into the housing market. One common method is co-signing a mortgage, but that step can carry significant, long-term financial consequences for the co-signer. It can affect credit, increase debt load, and alter retirement plans. Before agreeing to co-sign, parents should fully understand the obligations and consider … Read more

A new Desjardins Economics report argues that Canada’s youngest workers are facing worsening job prospects, driven by the growth of gig work, the spread of artificial intelligence, and rapid population increases. The findings arrive as Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre has pointed to years-high youth unemployment to criticize the temporary foreign worker program. Statistics Canada’s most … Read more

Many employee benefit plans in Canada include insurance as a central feature. The type and amount of coverage vary widely, so employees should assess their personal circumstances to decide whether their group plan is sufficient or if they need additional protection—often they do. If you are self-employed, securing the right insurance is entirely your responsibility. … Read more

We all work hard for our money and take steps to protect it. What’s less obvious is how valuable your identity can be to criminals. Identity information—birthdates, home addresses, answers to security questions—can be gathered from social media or through scams and used to cause serious harm. Every day people who would never hand over … Read more

Most of us dread the growing list of username and password combinations required to access online services. At best, managing them is a nuisance; at worst, weak or reused credentials can block access to important services like online banking and leave you vulnerable to fraud. Until we move to a truly passwordless future, strong usernames … Read more

In this series An intro to couch potato portfolios How to build a couch potato portfolio Building a core couch potato portfolio The phrase “advanced couch potato” may sound like an oxymoron, but it describes a sensible next step for investors who have mastered a simple, low-cost index approach and want to expand their toolbox … Read more

In this series An intro to couch potato portfolios How to build a couch potato portfolio Building an advanced couch potato portfolio A couch-potato portfolio can be assembled in three straightforward ways: using index mutual funds, index exchange-traded funds (ETFs), or one-ticket asset-allocation ETFs. Each approach has trade-offs in cost, simplicity and control. Below we … Read more

If you assumed owning a home in Canada was out of reach, there’s encouraging news: prices have stalled or declined in many major markets over the past two years. While mortgage rates are higher than they were five years ago—which affects monthly payments—the portion of listings priced above $1 million has been shrinking in most … Read more

This article is part of a series on protecting the people and information that matter most from fraud and scams. More columns will follow. Last year, Jeff Brown, head of commercial solutions at Equifax Canada, noticed a rise in digitally enabled scams targeting the construction sector. Fraudsters impersonated legitimate contractors to order non-descript materials—lumber, plumbing … Read more