Around the Blogosphere

Earlier this week, the Office of Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) – Canada’s banking watchdog – introduced tougher mortgage rules to take effect January 1, 2018. This new ‘stress test’ applies to homebuyers with down payments greater than 20 percent and requires the mortgage applicant to qualify for the higher of the Bank of Canada 5-year…

Our inbox is overflowing with questions about investing, so while we answer those individually we’re also fairly positive these are burning questions for many of our readers. Look for more investing posts in the coming weeks covering topics such as rebalancing, tax-efficiency, safe withdrawal rates, asset allocation, and much more. For now, enjoy this latest…

I remember three years ago reading then MoneySense Editor-in-Chief Duncan Hood’s confession that he – a lifetime renter – got caught up in a bidding war and purchased a home in downtown Toronto. I remember reading how elated he felt when his final offer secured his dream home, as if overpaying by tens of thousands,…

It’s over. Mercy rule in effect. The losing side took their ball and went home. At the end of 2007, investing legend Warren Buffett famously made a million dollar bet with hedge fund manager Ted Seides of Protégé Partners. Buffett wagered that a low-cost S&P 500 index fund would perform better than a group of…

I grew up in Calgary in the 1980s and became a huge Calgary Flames fan at a young age (’89 baby!). The Flames organization, like many Canadian sports teams, struggled in the 1990s as the league expanded and the Canadian dollar sunk below 70 cents (player wages are paid in U.S. dollars). By 1999, attendance…

Welcome to our latest edition of weekend reading. We’ve got a busy week ahead, with a Calgary meet-up at the new Tangerine cafe on 17th Avenue, the Canadian Financial Summit (where you can learn more about my four-minute investment portfolio), and a Twitter chat about TFSAs. In addition, I’ll have a new Toronto Star article…

Our kids go back to school next week and so this officially marks the last weekend of summer for parents. We’re very excited to have a brand new elementary school open this year right down the street from us, which means no more early mornings waiting for the bus. Our oldest enters grade three this…

The good folks at Young & Thrifty have put together an awesome initiative called the Canadian Financial Summit. It’s a unique online conference taking place September 14-16 with more than 25 Canadian personal finance experts sharing their insights, tips, and secret money hacks. The conference is completely free to view during that time, or you…

President’s Choice Financial will end its 20-year banking agreement with CIBC beginning November 1st. CIBC, which managed the personal banking services for Loblaws under the PC Financial name, will now take direct control of the roughly $2 million PC Financial bank accounts under the new name – Simplii Financial. PC Financial is keeping its credit…