How to Do a Background Check on Your Financial Advisor, Investment Advisor, Broker, Financial Planner

How to Check Out Your Financial Advisor

First Published Date: August 1, 2011 ADawnJournal.com

Investors’ Resources and Tools to Protect Against Fraud and Scams

You work hard for your money, and so are scammers and con artists to grab a bite on your hard-earned money. Scammers and con artists look professional and friendly to give you the impression that they are the real financial professional to hand over your money. So you need to be careful before trusting someone with your life savings. Today, I am going to show you some simple but effective tools you can use to find out if he is really the person he is saying he is.

National Registration Search – Canadian Securities Administrators (CSA) website contains database of all financial professionals and firms across Canada, except those registered only in Ontario with the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC). Here is the link for Canadian Securities Administrators’ National Registration Search.

Only For Ontario Search – If you are in Ontario, you need to search on Ontario Securities Commission’s Check Registration page.

All Other Provinces and Territories Search – Some of the financial advisors are only registered with their own province or territory. To perform a search, try these keyword phrases on Google: Your province or territory securities commission registrant search. For example, someone in Alberta would search for: “Alberta securities commission registrant search.”

Insurance Agent Search – To check if an insurance agent or advisor is registered, try these keyword phrases on Google: Your province insurance council license search. Or try: Your province insurance agent license search.

Disciplinary Action Search – Advisors, who are licensed to sell various products such as stocks, bonds ETFs and including mutual funds are regulated by Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC). You can search their database for disciplinary actions against advisors taken in the past or currently under investigation, or research the background and qualifications of advisors at IIROC regulated firms here: Know Your Advisor. Advisors, who mainly sell mutual funds, are regulated by MFDA (Mutual Fund Dealers Association), which is the national self-regulatory organization for mutual fund advisors. MFDA’s Enforcement page will give you valuable information on enforcement policies and procedures. Also, the Canadian Securities Administrators website has a list of Disciplined Persons search and listing.

You work hard for your money, and the onus is on you to check for every bit and piece before handing over your money to someone else. One very simple thing you can do is to search on Google for your would-be financial advisor’s name. Try to be creative here by putting words like “complaints,” “fraudulent activities,” etc. next to her name to see if you can find anything. Also, don’t forget to read articles featured on A Dawn Journal’s Internet & Investment Fraud and Scams thoroughly to enhance your knowledge, helping to protect you and your hard-earned money from scammers and con artists.

How to Check Investment Products

How to Check If Stocks, Bonds, Mutual Funds, ETFs, Securities Are Legit and Not Scams

First Published Date : August 10, 2011 ADawnJournal.com

I discussed how to check out your financial advisor in this article: How to Do a Background Check on Your Financial Advisor, Investment Advisor, Broker, Financial Planner. Today, I will further discuss how to check investment products so your hard-earned money does not go down the drain.

My Best Advice

When you are ready to buy your investments, my best advice would be not to rush into it and take your time to do some research before buying any investment products such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds, GICs, ETFs, or anything else you can possibly imagine.

Tools and Resources You Can Use to Check Investment Products

I am going to give you lots of useful links leading to various tools and resources in this section. I suggest you bookmark or save this article so you can come back and read it later or you can access this article whenever you will need to use these tools and resources.

Know About Internet and Investment Fraud and Scams

This is the first thing to do – have a basic understanding about Internet and Investment Fraud and Scams. Once you have some knowledge on how con artists work, everything else will be a lot easier for you to follow. Here are the links to some great articles on A Dawn Journal:

– Internet and Investment Fraud and Scams

Here are some free eBook links:

– Protect Your Money: Avoiding Frauds and Scams

– Investing and the Internet

– Scam Artists Pursue Adults Over 50

Information about Individuals and Companies Which May Pose Risks

– OSC Investors Warning Page

A List Containing Individuals and Companies Which May Pose Risks

– OSC Investors Warning List Page

OSC Tools and Resources Webpage

– Investors Protect Against Fraud Page

OSC Investment Fraud Checklist

– Check Before You Invest

IFE (Investor Education Fund) Money and Investing Information Site

– Get Smarter About Money

U.S. Tools and Resources Links

– Protect Your Money: Check Out Brokers and Investment Advisers

– FINRA Protect Yourself Page

Remember, use your common sense and vigilance as they are your best defence. If you ever believe you have been a victim of fraud and scams, here is what you can do:

– Call your local RCMP detachment or your Police Department

– Report your situation online through Reporting Economic Crime Online

– Visit PhoneBusters, send an email to info@phonebusters.com, or call 1-888-495-8501

Toronto to Cairo - EgyptAir Economy Class Flight Review | Travel Blog

EgyptAir Economy Class MS 996 – YYZ to CAI Nov 28, 2019 Thursday

Toronto Pearson International Airport | Terminal 1

At the EgyptAir counter, there was a lineup, but it was moving fast. After obtaining my boarding pass, I headed to the Plaza Premium Lounge, where I used my own pass to enter, as economy class does not provide lounge access.

Inside the Economy Class Cabin

I had a box of chocolate, a gift for the flight attendant who was in charge of my section. He was really happy getting this unexpected gift and asked me many times throughout the flight if I needed anything.

The aircraft was a Boeing 777-300. I already reserved an emergency exit seat by paying an extra $33.16 and it was totally worth it.

My seat, 42A, had lots of legroom and no one was in front of me. Throughout my flight, I was able to get out of my seat to stretch myself and go to the washroom many times without asking anyone to move.

I found that paying the extra $33.16 was pretty low for such a long 10H, 40M flight. Many other airlines charge double or triple this amount to book an emergency exit seat on shorter flights.

The Amenity Kit

Yes, EgyptAir provided an amenity kit in economy class. It was a basic supply of socks, an eye shade, earplugs, earphones, toothbrush and small toothpaste, pen, wipes, and hand sanitizer in a nice black case.

Food & Drinks

Because it was a long flight, there were several meals and in-between snacks served throughout the flight. Here is what I had:

- Dinner was beef biriyani, cheese cake, and fruit salad, soft drink.

- 2nd meal was a cheese sandwich several hours later.

- Breakfast was eggs, fries, fruit salad, juice

The food quality and quantity were very good and passed my expectations of economy-class food.

The Washroom

The washrooms were clean and even had some amenities. But this was such a long flight and had so many people that later on the washrooms were messy and there were no amenities left.

Entertainment System

There were fairly recent movies and TV shows, but I didn’t watch anything. There were lots of Arabic movies and other programs.  

Final Thoughts

Overall, the flight was much better than what I expected. The crew members were laid back, accommodating, and nice. I found nothing to complain about the crew and my experience in general.

However, the aircraft itself was old and showed its age, although it was clean and well maintained.

Before entering EgyptAir, I was ready to expect a bad flight experience because I read many bad reviews. But my own experience was nowhere near that and I was totally happy with my time on EgyptAir from Toronto to Cairo.

I will not hesitate to fly EgyptAir again.

HTC Panache Review | My First Smartphone

HTC Panache Review

First Published Date: July 24, 2011

HTC Smart Phones – Miles Away From Other Smart Phones

I left home deciding to buy a Samsung Nexus S smartphone. However, after seeing HTC Panache and Nexus S side by side, there is no way anyone can pick Nexus S over HTC Panache. This is my first HTC phone and I am impressed with some of the features HTC added to this phone which put the HTC Panache miles apart from other smartphones – and I am coming into that.

Let’s look at some of its features:

– Powered by Android 2.3 with HTC Sense.

– 1 GHz powerful Snapdragon memory

– 3.8-inch LCD WVGA capacitive touch screen

– Memory 1.1 GB eMMC/786 MB RAM

– Comes with 8 GB microSDT card pre-installed, you can extend it up to 32 GB

– 5 MP camera with LED flash. Can record 720P HD video.

How It Feels to Hold

The HTC Panache is a strongly built 168-gram camera. Its aluminum backplate, rubberized edges and solid body give you the feeling of ruggedness and durability. Its slightly weighted body does not interfere with regular use and feels good to hold in the hand.

Portable Wi-Fi Hotspot

If you have unlimited Internet on your phone, you can use it for your home without paying a separate Internet service and can save hundreds of dollars annually. I discussed more having Free Internet in the past. However, until now I had to use a cable to connect my phone and computer to get the Internet (tethering). The HTC Panache runs Android 2.3 which has built-in Wi-Fi hotspot and Tethering, you don’t need to connect using a cable anymore. You just need to change the phone’s settings to turn on Wi-Fi Hotspot (which can be done in 20 seconds) to use the Internet wirelessly. I must say, this is the feature I am enjoying most.

Distinctive HTC-Only Features That Put The HTC Panache Miles Away From Other Smart Phones

Here are some features that I like most about my new HTC Panache. I never thought these futuristic features would be available in a present-day phone.

– The HTC Panache knows when it’s in your pocket or in a bag and rings louder so you hear it.

– When it rings in regular condition, the ringer volume gets lower once you touch it to pick it up. If you want to silence the ringer volume completely, just flip it over. HTC made this feature especially for those times when you are in a meeting.

– When you are talking on your phone and want to switch to the speaker, just flip it over.

– It takes an amazing HD video. See it for yourself, as I have posted a video clip taken with the HTC Panache.

– Stream music, pics, and videos from the HTC Panache to your TV or home theatre system via DLNA certified devices.

– Many other HTC features you will not find in any other Android phones.

What I Don’t Like In The HTC Panache

Although the HTC Panache can shoot incredible HD video and you do not need to carry a separate camera like the Samsung Digital Camera to record HD video, its regular 5 MP digital camera cannot take good quality pictures without bright light. Also, I am not impressed with its speaker and it does not sound like a stereo speaker.

What the Future Holds for Smartphones

Smartphone technology is advancing so rapidly that it’s hard to predict with precise accuracy what our smartphones will be like in 10 or 20 years. One thing I can say with certainty that it will be our most important toy over anything else like laptops or desktops if it has not become one already.

How Many Credit Cards Do You Need?

How Many Credit Cards You Should Have

First Published Date: August 16, 2011

When I was a student, getting my first credit card with a $500 credit limit gave me the feeling of conquering a country – it was a feeling nothing like I had experienced before. And then I got addicted to applying and getting more credit cards. I wanted to have them back then just because they looked cool and I wanted to have a collection of all sorts of cards. However, things are different now. There is no need to acquire cards one after another just to make your wallet fat. Today, I am going to talk about how many credit cards you should have and if there is any perfect number you need to stick with.

Let’s look at how having more than one credit card affects you in terms of your FICO® score. Your debit-to-credit ratio is your combined credit card balance divided by your combined credit limit. Credit-to-debit ration represents 30 percent of your credit score. If you carry a balance on your credit card, the more credit cards you will have, the better (lower) your debit-to-credit ratio percentage will be. For example, if you have one credit card with a credit limit of $1000 and you spend the full $1000, your debit-to-credit ratio will be 100 percent. However, if you have 4 credit cards with $1000 credit limit each, spending the same $1000 will make your debit-to-credit ratio only 25 percent. So having more credit cards does help in your FICO® score; however, you should not worry too much about this 30 percent of your score as there is 70 percent remaining to improve your score. And besides, if you have difficulty controlling your spending, more credit cards translate into more spending.

Now, how many credit cards do I think you should have? There is no ideal answer because it all depends on your personal situation. However, from my point of view you should have at least three (VISA, MasterCard, and American Express) major brands. One of the main benefits of having all is that not every place/merchant accepts all cards and having each of them will come in handy, especially when you travel. Another benefit of having more than one card is you can use them for different purposes.

As I mentioned earlier, if you have a spending problem, strictly stick to one credit card and only use it for emergencies. And then when you think you are responsible enough to handle more credit cards, you can look into getting more based on your needs.