Canada’s Best Chequing Accounts

Are You Still Paying Banking Fees?

First Published Date: December 15, 2008

Today, I am going to review chequing accounts offered by Canadian banks. I have researched most of the banks offering chequing accounts in Canada; however, I was able to find only two institutions worth mentioning. I am not going to review any products offered by big players like Royal Bank, TD Bank, CIBC and so on, as they do not offer any free chequing accounts. My objective is to review products and services that make perfect personal finance sense, and if you are looking for chequing accounts with lots of features and no fees whatsoever – you have come to the right place.

My First Pick

President Choice No Fee Bank Account

Where on earth you will get free banking + free cheques? Yes, President Choice Financial offers that. Let’s look at some features they offer:

·    Free online and telephone (automated and live) banking.

·    Unlimited free transactions at CIBC or PCF bank machines.

·    Unlimited cheques come with free chequing account

·    Unlimited free Interac® direct payments

·    Earn points towards free groceries

My second Pick

Citizen’s Bank of Canada Global Chequing Account

·    Withdraw money globally without paying fees (terms and conditions apply. Visit their website for more info)

·    Free online and telephone (automated and live) banking.

·    No fees debit card purchases in Canada and US.

·    Free access to over 2500 ATMs in Canada

·    Overdraft protection up to $1000 if qualified

My Take

The only thing you have to give up to do free banking is the service of a brick and mortar branch. PCF offers Pavilion at Loblaws where you can meet a live person but it’s not like going to a branch. Citizen Bank does not have anything like Pavilion. Do you really need to meet a live person to do your banking? I have been with PCF for ten years and I never needed help from a live person to do any transactions.

if you travel a lot and use your bank card outside the country, you should consider Global Chequing Account. If you do not travel often and don’t need to use your bank card outside Canada, PCF No Fee Bank Account is what you should consider. PCF lets you use CIBC’s ATMs for free – which I find is very convenient.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Dec 15, 2008.

How Credit Card Calculates Interest

How Credit Card Calculates Interest

First Published Date: December 21, 2008

In Canada, credit card company uses mainly two methods to calculate the interest you pay. The methods are, average daily balance method and daily balance method. Although the methods are different, they generate same interest charge. If you are interested finding out which method your card uses, you can call their 800 number or you can find it in your credit card agreement brochure. Now let’s look at these two methods.

Average Daily Balance Method

Your credit card has billing period of 29 to 31 days. Average daily balance is just the average of you daily balance during your billing period. Average daily balance is calculated at the end of every month. Take the balance at the end of every day and add them up (A). Divide this total (A) by the number of days in your billing cycle to get average daily balance (B). B is multiplied by daily interest rate to get average daily interest amount(C). Now, to calculate interest charge for the month, multiply C by the number of days in the billing period.

To get daily interest rate, take annual interest rate and divide by 365. Also, interest rate can be found on your monthly statement.

Daily Balance Method

This method is simpler than average daily balance method. Instead of making one calculation at the month end, daily balance method calculates your interest at the end of every day of the billing period. Calculation method is simple. Take your daily balance and multiply that by the daily interest rate and add up daily interest to obtain interest for the month.

Purchases, Cash Advances and Balance Transfers

If you pay your balance in full, you never pay any interest. If you don’t pay your balance in full, you’re charged interest from the date you made these purchases until they’re paid for in full. Some credit card issuers charge interest from the date the purchases are posted to your account. You’re charged interest from the date you made the cash advance or balance transfer.

Let Your Credit Card Company Pay Your Interest

By paying you balance every month in full, you are actually using your card company’s money for free for your full billing period. Your card company always wants you to carry a balance so they can charge you interest and that’s how card companies make money. If you are paying your balance in full, you a re actually using your card company’s money at their high interest rate for free. Let me give you an example. In Sep 2006, I bought five British Airways return tickets for my trip at approximately $2000 each. My total cost was $2000 * 5 = $10,000. Most of the card companies charge 20% annual interest rate. If I do an approximate calculation for $10,000 at 20%, my one month interest charge would be $165. Yes, that’s right. My one month interest charge would have been $165. But I avoided this charge by paying my balance in full and definitely my card company did not like it because they lost $165. If you look at this little differently, you can say that I borrowed money for one month at 20% interest rate but I have not paid any interest because my credit card company paid it for me.

What do all these translate into? Know how you are being charged and what your interest rate is. Pay your balance in full. It’s like using your card company’s money at their expense.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Dec 21, 2008.

How to Buy an RRSP?

What Is An RRSP?

First Published Date: December 28, 2008

An RRSP (registered retirement savings plan) is not something you actually buy. You buy qualified investments to hold inside an RRSP. This is a type of account and you can hold a variety of products inside your RRSP.

What Products You Can Buy?

You can buy mutual funds, GICs, stocks, savings account and so on. These are just some basic products to mention. There are many other investment products you can buy and hold inside your RRSP account.

Is It Complicated?

Depending on what you are buying, it can be complicated to buy certain products such as stocks, bonds, etc. In my book Invest Now, I have described in detail how to buy these products. Today, in simple words, I will explain how you can open your first RRSP in a snap.

Two Easy Solutions for Novice Investors

Option One – Walk Into Your Local Bank

This is the easiest way to buy. Just walk into your local bank branch and your personal banker will be able to explain ins and outs of RRSP and what products you can buy based on your personal needs. Most of the banks have a variety of products to choose from, and you can pick the one that best suits your needs.

I like the idea of opening an RRSP in your local branch because it is very easy and simple. This option gives you the opportunity to talk to a live person, and you can hold your RRSP with the same institution you are already dealing with – that translates into less hassle and paperwork. Also, you have the option to transfer your money into your RRSP from your chequing or savings account.

Option Two – Do It Online

Financial institutions like ING Direct or President Choice Financial let you purchase RRSP online. This is good in one sense that you are doing everything from the comfort of your own home; however, there is no one sitting in front of you to answer your questions. Although they do have customer support to call, it’s not the same as talking to a person in front of you.

Final Word

One major advantage of going to a bank is that bankers are able to recommend and advise products based on your individual needs. However, this is not the case if you choose online option. Customer service reps will answer your questions and guide you through the procedures to choose a product, but they are not licensed to advise.

These are the basic and simple procedures to buy your RRSP. If you are looking to buy a wider variety of products, I would recommend award-winning book Invest Now – available at Chapters.Indigo bookstores and at all online retailers.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Dec 28, 2008.

How Credit Cards Work

Credit Cards

First Published Date: January 11, 2009

With the amount of talking that is done about credit cards, very little pertains to the actual details of how they work, how they should be used, and the different kinds of cards available. It is known more or less by everyone that when a person is in a lot of personal debt they tend to owe large amounts on credit cards – what are less widely known is how this situation comes about, how to avoid it and how a borrower can use a card to their advantage.

As short a description of how credit cards work as possible, first. A customer looking for greater spending power enters into an agreement with a bank, where the bank issues a card allowing a certain amount of spending (a credit limit). Any purchases made go on the balance of the card, against which a payment must be made every month. Should the balance reach or exceed the credit limit, no further spending will be possible until a payment is made to bring the customer in line with the agreement.

Debt problems with credit cards occur when a customer borrows beyond their means or their circumstances change. In theory, the bank will not lend an amount that the customer will not be able to pay back. However, the checks put in place to prevent this happening are not foolproof, and circumstances are always liable to change. A credit agreement is given based on a customer’s earnings, but should they suddenly lose their job they may find themselves unable to make full payments to their card. For this reason, it is wise to have some savings should you take out a credit card.

There are now more choices than ever for a customer looking to take out a credit card – these different options take into account the varying circumstances and needs of customers. A popular type of card is the low-interest/no interest credit card, which allows the customer to borrow money for a large purchase and then use a “zero interest” period to pay off the balance over the course of a number of months.

Interest-free periods when they were first introduced tended to last three months, but as banks compete for an increasingly crowded market it is becoming the norm for banks to offer as long as a year interest-free. When this period is ending, a customer will often transfer the balance to a new card. If done assiduously, this can see the customer avoiding having to make a payment for years at a time.

Other cards take account of the spending habits of the customer by offering cash back on purchases, Air Miles when the card is used in certain locations, and reward points for frequent use. A recent innovation making it possible for the customer to use plastic even when they find credit hard to come by, the Secured Credit Card allows the customer to “load” money on to their card and use it like a bank account – meaning they never spend money they do not have. These cards also enable the customer to build a good credit rating through regular loading.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Jan 11, 2009

Canadian Student Loans

Personal Finance For Students

Published Date : January 25, 2009

Third-level education is becoming more and more important in terms of getting a job in many sections of the economy. Some employers are unwilling to consider applications from candidates without a college diploma, and some of those employers will only to consider applicants with diplomas from certain schools. The problem for the prospective scholar is that college education doesn’t come cheap, with tuition, course materials, travel and accommodation costs often being prohibitive for the many students who cannot attend a college close to home.

Fortunately, for the needy prospective student, the Canadian government does have a program where they fund Student Loans for eligible scholars. Eligibility is decided on a number of factors including location (both of the pupil and the learning institution), current living costs, savings and parental income. For students who fall into the bracket of eligibility, a government-backed student loan is a godsend, allowing them to concentrate on their studies free of at least part of the worry of funding their education.

A student loan, as the name suggests, does have to be paid back when the student has graduated and is earning a salary, so it’s not free money and its use has to be priority-based. These priorities are in part, much the same as those that require the attention of a home owner – keeping a roof over one’s head, putting food on the table and paying bills. Even in subsidised student accommodation, these priorities are non-negotiable and in large this helps a student prepare for life after college.

Being responsible for your own budget teaches you to look after the pennies, which becomes all the more important when there is a mortgage to keep on top of and failure to pay that may result in your home being repossessed. Having to set aside cash for tuition fees keeps the importance of your studies at the forefront of your mind, reminding you why you’ve taken this step. When there are parties to attend most nights and a level of freedom beyond what you’ve known in the parental nest, it’s easy to feel that student life is all about the social side of things. But without responsible financial behaviour you could end up having to drop out and, without doubt, the restrictions of living back at home are felt all the more when you’ve lived without your parents for a spell.

If you don’t qualify for a government-backed student loan, there are still options available. Private student loans are one such option. Although they are not quite as secure an option as a government loan – being based on credit and therefore often necessitating that a parent acts as a co-signee- they are given by lenders at a low rate of interest and tend to be generous enough to cover the important costs of student life. Then, depending on the intensity of your course, it is possible to take on a part time job – which will often provide adequate money for as many toga parties as you want to attend.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the Canadapersonalfinancewebsite.com website (however, I will still hold the domain). I will gradually move all articles from this site to A Dawn Journal. This article originally published on the above website on Jan 25, 2009.