Around the Blogosphere

We were excited to have consumer advocate Ellen Roseman with us on the Because Money hangout last week.  We discussed how she got started in journalism and why sticking up for consumers became “her thing”. Ellen is also involved with FAIR Canada, the Canadian Foundation for Advancement of Investor Rights, and we talked about some…

Monday marked the end of my bi-weekly column in the Toronto Star.  The most widely read newspaper in Canada has decided to scale back its personal finance section to focus more on consumer awareness and advocacy stories (okay, more Rob Ford coverage). I want to thank The Star, and my editor Adam Mayers, for the opportunity…

Earlier this week, two iconic fast-food chains decided to join forces when Burger King and Tim Hortons merged in a $12.5 billion deal. The news caused an uproar on both sides of the border, with Burger King facing criticism for moving its headquarters up north to reduce its corporate tax rate, and Tim Hortons “selling out”…

The financial blogging community is outstanding in the way it supports each other online.  It was evident when reading the comments on our anniversary post this week that many of you came here for the first time after a mention on another blog. Our top referring sites over the last four years include Carrick on Money,…

The term “robo-advisor” refers to an online service that uses an algorithm to help you choose and manage your investments.  Automated financial advice is already up and running in the U.S. and is now generating buzz in Canada as firms such as NestWealth, ShareOwner, and WealthSimple look to set up shop here. The service is based around clients…

Fans of credit card rewards have seen a bunch of changes in the travel rewards space over the last 12 months, but not much has happened on the cash back side.  That’s unfortunate because, in the battle for space in your wallet, banks and credit card issuers lost sight over what was really important to customers – how…

Part of the new Aeroplan credit card agreement meant that some CIBC Aerogold accounts were sold to TD.  Those affected by the move were to receive a letter from TD, along with a new Aeroplan credit card, prior to June 16th when their CIBC Aerogold account would be deactivated. Related: Three Rewards Credit Cards Worth…

I’ve spent the last few months completing the first of four online courses for the CFP certification program.  The four courses include retirement planning, risk management and estate planning, strategic investment planning, and income tax planning. The retirement planning course offers a comprehensive look at topics such as: government-sponsored retirement income programs employer-sponsored pension plans…

I’ve been following an incredible story in the U.S. where the blogger behind Lazy Man and Money had his identity revealed and received death threats for exposing a multi-level marketing (MLM) scam. LifeVantage, makers of a diet pill called Protandim, has gone to great lengths to discredit the author of Lazy Man and Money – creating…

The big news this week was Investors Group taking the mortgage market by storm, offering a 3-year variable rate mortgage at 1.99%.  The rate will be offered for a limited time and is only available through Investors Group – not through brokers. As with most limited time offers there are conditions – namely that you…