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Money Hacks: How Small Changes Can Save Big Money

First Published Date: November 29, 2014

Get Money Hacks For Free For 5 Days Only – Really, No Catch

Today, I am writing this post to let all my readers know that I have started a special promotion for 5 days, so all of my readers get an opportunity to obtain Money Hacks: How Small Changes Can Save Big Money for free. Download Money Hacks for free on your Kindle app (Kindle app is a free application you will have to install on your computer, tablet, or smart phone) and also let your friends and family know, so they can get it for free as well. After all, who does like to save money? Applying the techniques mentioned in Money Hacks will save you at least $100 in any country.

There is no catch or obligation. However, if you decide to show me your support, please write a review or comment on Amazon by following the link. Even a one to two sentence comment can help and it takes less than 5 minutes to do so. You are free to rate any stars from one to five as you feel is appropriate.

Media outlets have been notified via press releases and I will keep you posted on any developments. I am including a pre-release link/attachment/content as an FYI. Thank you for getting a Money Hacks copy and I appreciate your support.

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.

Time To Invest In The Global Real Estate Market?

Where To Buy Global Property?

First Published Date: May 04, 2009

It cannot have escaped anyone’s attention that much of the world is at the moment in the grip of a financial crisis that has hit all sectors hard, but none more so than the real estate market. The fact that the crisis is global has meant that even the good old standby of moving into the next country to invest has lost some of its appeal as an idea, as it is just as likely if not more so, to see your investment fail to some up to the standards you had hoped to reach. In light of this, it becomes a matter of looking further afield. While this is the most internationally damaging property crisis most of us have ever seen, there are some countries that have weathered the storm a good deal better than others – and are presenting opportunities for the real estate investor to spread their wings.

Take any of the world’s heavyweight economies, and right now they are doing a pretty good impersonation of a defeated heavyweight boxer – slumped on the canvas with a bloody nose and black eyes. Some, like Canada, have fairly superficial damage compared to others, which have been pummelled to the extent where they are barely recognizable. Meanwhile, some of the less heralded countries are doing just fine, because they did not fall into the trap of building an economy on unsustainable lending, nor have they been closely linked with the countries who did. And these countries are the ones where it may well be worth having a throw of the real estate dice. Their economies are stable, prices are lower than in the more bloated economies, and the countries themselves are beginning to carry some real weight in the financial world.

The truth of the matter is that, a few decades ago, people would have laughed long and hard at the idea that Poland or the Czech Republic would be worthwhile sites for real estate investment. Right now, judging by the Polish Prime Minister’s recent jibe at UK Premier Gordon Brown, the laughing is going in the opposite direction. Poland as a nation declined to move towards a credit-based economy and as a result is doing just fine. Real estate opportunities are popping up all the time and this seems likely to continue with unemployment on the way down.

Alternatively, you may want to invest somewhere warmer. The opportunities on offer in the North of Africa now might be just the thing for you. Like Poland and the Czech Republic, Morocco has thrived while more illustrious near neighbours have taken a beating. Property prices are on the rise there, but are still well below what you would pay in a bigger economy, and Western investors are getting in there with its proximity to Europe making it a beacon for the region’s tourist industry. The coastlines of this African paradise are breathtaking, and just the kind of thing that would look perfect on a property portfolio. Dare you take the plunge? It could be the best decision you ever make.

To streamline and minimize blog maintenance, I will be discontinuing maintaining the realestateexpedition.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 May 4, 2009.

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.