Being A Smart Canadian
If you are thinking about pre-paying your mortgage but are reluctant because of prepayment penalty and the complexity of the issue, help is on your way. The Canadian government has issued a new code for banks to be more transparent about the penalties for prepayment and help clients understand how they are arrived at. Under [...]
The 2011 Tax filing time is approaching and SmartCanadian will bring you some tips on what has changed compared to the previous years. One of the new additions from 2011 is the ‘Children’s Art Tax Credit’ (CATC). You can claim a maximum of 500 dollars paid as refundable tax credit per child off the fees [...]
We all love when we win free goodies at the stores. But do you know that in Ontario, they also come tax-free? With the new Harmonized Sales Tax (HST), replacing the federal General Services Tax (GST) and the Provincial Services Tax (PST) which were levied separately, there is some confusion about what are taxed. Yes, [...]
Aeroplan is running a special conversion promotion program until December 12th. The program allows your points from other, partner programs to be converted into Aeroplan Airmiles. The Partner Programs include Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), Marriott Rewards, Hilton Honors, Points.com and Hertz. Aeroplan is also offering bonus Aeroplan miles when you convert. For exazmple, if you [...]
When you move into an apartment as a tenant, you have rights and obligations. One of the key points of a tenant-landlord agreement is that it allows the tenant to live in the apartment for a specified period of time, usually a year, without a rent increase. On the other side, the tenant also [...]
The traditional RRSP payment season for 2010 just ended, and in case you suddenly realized that you have over-contributed, don’t panic. There are some avenues for recourse. First of all, some basic data: Assume your contribution room for 2010 was Cdn. $ 5000.00. RRSP contributions are voluntary, and you had time 60 days after the [...]
Should you sign-up for a fixed-rate mortgage or should you go for a flexible (variable) rate? This is a question many a house owner, and would-be house owner, faces. Or, in the case you are wondering loud about buying a house, should you in the first place? Moshe A Milevsky, who is a professor at [...]
SmartCanadian begins a series of analyses of Canadian Credit Cards. In Part One, we analyse the TD Business Travel Visa Card. TD Business Travel Visa Card This is NOT a free card. The annual free is $149, and additional cards cost $149 each. Annual interest rate is 19.75% on purchases and 21.5% on cash advances. [...]
Have you ever been frustrated with all those coupon-flyers that are distributed to your home? Or the coupons flying around at the supermarkets? Well, there is hidden wealth there. At times, you can buy products at discounts of up to 60-percent of their original price. For example, imagine that a store has a sale on [...]
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