I helped someone to open a small business chequing account recently. She and her husband are starting a small business. I suggested RBC digital choice business account because its monthly fee is $5 which is the lowest. She does all her transactions online so it fits her needs. We tried to apply online. After weContinue reading “Open a business bank account”
Category Archives: Banking
Oh my, the government websites!
I was helping someone to register GST/HST account online for her small business. When she clicks register, it just went back to the original webpage. She and me looked all around but just can’t find the page to register online. She had to call. The service Rep on the call was nice, but what aContinue reading “Oh my, the government websites!”
Oh no, the bank account dips below the minimum balance!
Someone told me this story perhaps many of us have experienced. He has been a customer with one of the big 5 banks since the 90s. It charges $9.99 monthly fee for the chequing account if the balance is below certain amount. He has been very careful and his balance was never below the balanceContinue reading “Oh no, the bank account dips below the minimum balance!”
Wrong book values?
The book value of a stock, bond, ETF or other securities is the dollar amount when it is bought. Usually we buy the same security at different time because we keep adding to it, so the book value is usually an average of the prices at different time when it is bought. This value isContinue reading “Wrong book values?”
Investment account transfer fee rebate
Yesterday, I suddenly got this email from my brokerage saying that I got a negative balance on my account. Right away, identify theft jumped into my mind. How can it be negative? I just checked yesterday. Did someone deplete my account? I rushed to my computer and found that only cash balance was negative forContinue reading “Investment account transfer fee rebate”
A good discount brokerage
The online discount brokerage has been quite popular which took market share away from the big banks. I guessed TD Direct Investing was TD’s response to this threat. The web user interface is satisfying but I don’t really need it that good. Most investors are not active traders. They are just doing passive investing. TheContinue reading “A good discount brokerage”
Saving account interest rate promotion period
I kept getting this ad whenever I open my Simplii Financial banking app promoting a 5% interest rate for savings or deposits. Sounds like a good deal until I read the fine print. It is only a promotional offer which ends by April 30 2023. What the heck! I feel this is the cat andContinue reading “Saving account interest rate promotion period”
Consolidate investment accounts?
Some of us might have investment accounts such as RRSP, TFSA, Margin accounts, etc. with different financial institutions. To simply it and save time in the long run, we might want to consolidate them under one brokerage firm at least for the same types of accounts. Moreover, some brokerage is more expensive. Transfer the accountsContinue reading “Consolidate investment accounts?”
Is it a good time to buy GIC?
I heard from quite a few financial professionals suggesting that now it is a good time to buy GIC because the interest rate has not been so high for a long time. It all depends on when the person needs the money. If the person got a decade or more, perhaps it is a goodContinue reading “Is it a good time to buy GIC?”
A few considerations of TFSA
If someone’s household income is in high tax bracket. They might want to minimize the interest generated in the margin account because it is not tax sheltered. It might be better to put the securities with price appreciation such as growth stocks. One day when they need to sell them, they could transfer-in-kind into TFSAContinue reading “A few considerations of TFSA”