Scammers Are Working Hard This Holiday Season

Protect Yourself From Scammers

First Published Date: December 16, 2016

Hard working Canadians are busy this time of the year trying to make their families happy by presenting a memorable holiday season. Likewise, relentless scammers and con artists are busy on innocent Canadians to make their holiday season a miserable one. Scammers are always coming up with innovative ways to scam and it’s just not possible to warn everyone about each specific type. However, here are some common scams that are popular among scammers and con artists this time of the year.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

Text Message Scam – Scammers send a text asking you to be a mystery shopper, wrap your car with advertisements, a job offer, a moneymaking opportunity, etc. You will receive a cheque from scammers and in return you have to refund the extra money they paid you or give them your banking info. The cheque they sent is fake, so they will have your extra money and can empty out your bank account if they have banking details.

Shaved Cat Scam – Scammers shave or pluck cats’ hair and sell them as pricey hairless sphynx cats or kittens.

Fake Online Retailers – Scammers set up fake online stores and send out mega-sale flyers or online deals via email or text directing consumers to their fake websites.

Door-to-Door Scam – Scammers are on foot going door-to-door and asking for donations for various charities. Obviously there are no charities and the collected money is going to their own pockets.

There are many other scams that con artists come up with. Your best defence is your common sense and vigilance. If you believe you or someone else have been a victim of a scam, contact your local police and central anti-fraud authority such as The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC).

Happy Holidays Everyone!

A Dawn Journal YouTube Channel

First Published Date: December 25, 2016

If you are familiar with A Dawn Journal or just stumbled upon it for the first time, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy holiday season.

A Dawn Journal has tons of articles to make people’s lives better by covering various aspects of life. Recently, I have stepped up publishing more videos from various walks of life on my YouTube channel. You will find the same quality content which is unbiased, non-sponsored, and authored by myself, just like this website.

Without your support, it would not be possible for this site to survive and thrive as a high-traffic website. I appreciate that and look forward to your visits for years to come.

Don’t Throw Away Credit Cards Before Closing Accounts

Close Credit Card Accounts Before Throwing Out

First Published Date: August 24, 2016

We all have credit card accounts here and there we are not aware of. Sometimes we just throw away credit cards once we don’t use them anymore. But is that the proper way of getting rid of those credit cards you don’t need?

For regular credit card accounts, if you just throw away or destroy your credit card your account remains active with the issuing financial institution. That means on paper you still hold that credit card and your credit account will appear on your credit report, regardless of whether you physically have that credit card or not.

For store credit card accounts, it depends on that store’s policies. Some of them will close your account if you are inactive for some time and some of them will keep it active regardless of whether you are active or not.

So if you were applying for store credit cards at different places just to get the 10 percent off on the first purchase and forgot about it after, you may have many credit cards appearing on your credit report you were not aware of – and when you apply for a new loan or mortgage the lender may not like seeing too many open credit accounts.
The best way to get rid of any credit cards is to call the issuer and close the account. Then shred it or cut it into pieces and trash them separately in separate garbage bags.

So next time, pick up the phone and close your account first before getting rid of those cards you don’t need. 

The United Kingdom Is The World’s Most Real Estate Transparent Country

Global Real Estate Transparency Getting Better

First Published Date: August 27, 2016

International property advisers Jones Lang Lasallo, or JLL, recently released their Global Real Estate Property Index for 2016. Today, I will provide some highlights from the report.

– Transparency scores seem to be improving, as there was an average 2.4 percent increase from 2014 to 2016.

– New legislation easing red tape, setting higher ethical standards, and enhancing transaction process to make it smooth and transparent are some of the reasons behind the progress.

– Some of the top transparent countries are Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, and United States.

– Some of the Sub-Saharan countries such as Botswana and Zambia are showing significant improvements.

– Some of the least transparent countries are Libya, Honduras, Djibouti, Senegal, Venezuela, and Ivory Coast.

– In the Middle East and North Africa region, Dubai (48) is the most transparent followed by Abu Dhabi (59).

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

– Saudi Arabia (63) and Egypt (65) have shown strong advancement and moved into the Semi-Transparent group.

– The top ten highly transparent countries account for 75 percent of the global commercial real estate investment.

– Capital injection into global real estate is rapidly increasing. The amount is $700 billion now, but is expected to exceed $1 trillion within the next decade.

– Panama Papers revelations have forced greater real estate transparency and helped fight international political corruption.

– Technology continues to help bring more transparency. Some of the countries that have used technology successfully to bring more transparency are Kenya, Ghana, and Ecuador.

– Six of the top transparent countries are in Europe.

– The United Kingdom is the world’s most transparent real estate country.

Can A Minor Open An RRSP?

Minor RRSP

First Published Date: September 25, 2016

Contrary to popular belief, there is no age restriction to open an RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan).
Here are the requirements to open an RRSP for minors:

– A SIN (Social Insurance Number)

– Legitimate earned income

– Recorded income with proper documents

– Filed T1 tax return

Advantages of a Minor RRSP

There are lifelong advantages of opening an early age RRSP. Here are some of them:

– There is no need to make contributions right away. Contributions can be made anytime later – with no time limit.

– RRSP room keeps accumulating, which can be carried forward indefinitely

– Increases lifetime contribution limits

– Allows minors to contribute to RRSP right after starting in the work force because of the available contribution room.

– RRSP deduction can be claimed later on when there is enough taxable income.

– Provides income-splitting opportunity for business-owner parents. Kids can work as an
employee for their parents’ business and salary paid to them will be tax deductible and it will create contribution room for kids.

– Provides an opportunity to teach kids about personal finances.

– Contributions start growing tax free inside an RRSP.

Author/Copyright: Ahmed Dawn www.adawnjournal.com

Disadvantages of a Minor RRSP

– Not all financial institutions offer minor RRSP.

– A co-signer may be required.

– Financial institutions may limit what types of products can be purchased.

The best thing to do would be shop around and find the right institutions that suit your needs. Minor RRSP can be a great investment vehicle towards a better financial future with lifelong benefits for kids.