Back in 2020 I lost my job due to COVID, I was on the verge of losing my apartment, I was desperate, so I took a $4000 loan with EasyFinancial.

After two years of making payments I inquired of what my principal was and was told it was just over $4000, I said that made no sense since that's what I initially borrowed, that's when the agent told me I've been paying for some insurance I never signed up for? Needless to say I was livid.

I requested all payments to be stopped until I figured out what was going on, and of course, the payments kept coming out of my account, so I went to my bank and requested a stop payment.

This went on for a whole year with them refusing to give me a transparent answer and me refusing all payments.

Eventually I started making payments as long as some of it went to my principal which they agreed on.

Fast forward another year and I, once again, inquired about what my principal is, and the agent says I still owe $4073 😂😂, I just about lost it, I immediately requested to speak with a manager and asked how much I have paid to date, she downright REFUSES to provide me with a number, she just sends me a dozen pages of documents and pretty much tells me to figure it out, I pushed back and said YOU ARE THE MANAGER OF A FINANCIAL INSTITUTION and it's part of her job to provide me with the information, she replies "that process would take too much time" 😭😭.

After receiving that reply I said I will be filing a complaint with head office and all of the sudden I get an email with the number I've been requesting, and to my horror it was just shy of $9000 and they still wanted $4000 to close the account.

Needless to say I called head office, explained the situation, said I wanted to close my account and needed a solution today, the only way was for me to pay the 4k, so I made 4 separate payments of 1k each and today my account is officially closed,

Six years later, 12k gone, the nightmare is finally over,

Never again.

Is a monthly after-tax income of $5,000 realistic for supporting a family in Southern Ontario? With housing costs of around $2,000 for a mortgage or rent, combined personal bills of roughly $1,000 for the primary earner, and an additional $500 for a partner's insurance, phone, and subscriptions, the remaining budget must cover groceries, utilities, childcare, transportation, and savings. When considering the long-term financial picture, does having roughly $200,000 in savings for the earner and $100,000 for the partner change the feasibility of this budget?

The biggest fear here is the wife not being able to find work. She has a college degree and works in construction management but wants to find something remote. She currently works in the GTA, but i live in southern Ontario and this is where she would move. I just think the job market is terrible right now and this is risky. Supporting her on $5000, lets say I get bumped up to $6000, but by that time we will have to support a kid.

I heard someone got 25$/Month for a 70-80 GB US CAN MEX deal ( 35$/Month Plan but 10$ discount after auto deposit ) On Telus. Is this true? How to get it then?

What are the best mobile plans on the Big 3 lines?

I’m currently house hunting, and my experience with real estate agents has been terrible. I found a property I liked on my own, but my agent tried to talk me out of it in favor of a higher-priced listing (probably his realtor friend listing). I decided to stick with the home I originally found, but then the agent discouraged me from offering below asking price, claiming it might 'offend the seller.' In reality, it feels like they’re just pushing for a fast sale at a higher price to maximize their own commission rather than looking out for my best interests.

What is the best way to house hunt myself and collect the 2.5% buyer agent commission as cash back or a credit? Some seller realtors don't talk to me unless i have a buyer realtor. Do i have to go to a cash back realtor?

Hi, I’m 24 years old and make 60k a year after tax in BC, Canada. I live at home and probably will for quite a while yet as this is the cultural norm for my family.

My vehicle loan has roughly $33k on it and my TFSA has about $23k in it. It’s a 5 year loan, at a 6.59% interest rate.

My question is would it be worthwhile to just cash out the TFSA and put it towards the vehicle loan? Or is it better for me to make my regular monthly payments and continue to made additional payments of $500 biweekly to pay it off sooner?

I also have an emergency fund of $10k set aside.
Thanks in advance.

I have been with Rogers more than 15 years .

Have 3 cellphone lines with them and collectively paying $221/month.

On my Roger's app only offers and promotions are for higher prices and more perks, which we do not need.

Anytime I call , after wasting time 30 minutes or more with AI operator or even longer, they disconnect the call!

Is it normal? How do I lower my monthly fee!?

- I have devices and are paid off, no need to upgrade

-between 3 lines we hardly use 3GB of internet and we have more than 90GB - no need for additional service.

- my calls are less than 60 minutes per month on each line

Please advise!

Should I change provider!?

HI all,

I'm with RBC and was using the early renewal tool for an uninsured fixed mortgage at 5.3% ending March 26, 2027, and got these rates.

3.8% 5-year variable closed

4.59% 3-year fixed closed

4.59% 4-year fixed closed

4.67% 5-year fixed closed

I'm leaning toward fixed because I like to sleep peacefully at night, but I'm open to variable. No plans of moving. Rates don't look great. Is it worth waiting till March to refinance at that point, or just take the 3-year fixed closed?

For context, I have three credit cards:

1 - Amex Cobalt: 40k limit

2- Scotiabank Visa Infinite Passport: 20k limit

3- National Bank - MyCredit Mastercard: 21k

I usually put mostly all my purchases on my Cobalt.

The NBC Mastercard is for my phone bill and my Costco Purchases.

I use the Visa for my travels and my gas purchases since there's no FX fees.

I always pay off all my credit cards every month.

I'm thinking of lowering them because I usually never reach over 1k on each card and having over 80k on credit limit is kinda useless for me since I make like 72k/year 😅...

I'm just trying to learn more about all this slowly over the years.

Bit of background: 31m in AB so not really HCOL. Married but we keep separate finances. Not all that wealthy. Started investing in my mid 20s, sticking to it but probably not saving as much as I could be. Probably under compensated because I haven't switched employers, but I like the relatively low stress environment. I would like to retire early, maybe 50 to 55 or even earlier if at all possible. But who knows at this point.

My accounts: I have a TFSA, 2 small personal RRSPs, and a slightly bigger work RRSP. (They were kinda emptied for HBP… building them back up/ soon to start repaying HBP too).

I also have a DPSP and DCPP that my employer contributes a little to each account every paycheck. Still trying to figure these out. From what I understand is that DPSP will just get converted to a RRSP once I stop working... DCPP would convert to LIRA when I stop working and I could (probably would) convert to LIF at 50.

I would consider this LIF to be a small portion of my retirement and honestly the contributions to the dcpp seem pretty piddly, but it is invested in equities and running even very conservative calculations I think would easily surpass the $2000 pension income amount tax credit thing, even on the low chance that that they increase this amount.

Why would I ever want a RRIF before 71? Income splitting with spouse maybe? I don't fully understand this either. It only applies at 65? What if my spouse has a similar income or doesn't want to retire early?

I guess to force automated withdrawal? But I want flexibility? Wouldn't almost anyone else want that too (especially here? Let me know)

All this assumes I stay employed at the same place I guess...

I’m sure it’s not an issue for most of you, but CIBC changed how it processes visa debit for online and some retail transactions. They do pending authorizations for many many more things than they used to and it now takes days to weeks for the app to reflect the actual balance. It’s throwing me for a loop.

Do any banks just process debit purchases instantly so you know what’s going on more easily?

edit: ok don’t believe me… go see the level of irritation over at r/CIBC

https://www.reddit.com/r/CIBC/comments/1x43bgn/pending_transactions/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CIBC/comments/1x55zxf/pending_transactions/

https://www.reddit.com/r/CIBC/comments/1wzhtwm/cibc_debit_pending_transactions/

Some transactions pending for 20+ days…

edit: another post today. This person’s Amazon and other subscriptions are also pending/held when they weren’t before

https://www.reddit.com/r/CIBC/comments/1x5yhpe/what_up_with_these_pending_on_my_transactions/

Long story short. There’s been a discrepancy with my employer filing a roe saying I quit. However I was under the impression that I was laid off… due to the letter and severance package I received stating they would file my roe as a lay off. It has now been over a month since I filed for EI and my employer is not responding to service Canada. Has this happened to anyone else?

Initial post from 6 months ago

Well, it finally came. Health Canada sent me a letter demanding proof that I have no access to dental coverage from that previous employer that fired me (now over 10 months ago, and I am still unemployed and still on EI).

Unfortunately, Health Canada explicitly told me I had only one chance to submit documents, and I somehow messed it up by forgetting to submit form GC-MER0001-EN: Canadian Dental Care Plan Member Eligibility Review Form. The problem, as I said on the previous post, is that my former employer broke all the laws that an employer can break after firing me (like not paying the minimum severance/notice, not issuing a Record of Employment, etc) which caused me to file a lawsuit against them, and it is still working its way through the Toronto small claims court because of severe backlogs (yes, I got my ROE and I got the ESA payment eventually, about 2 weeks after the last post was written).

So, after the letter was sent to me, I submitted:

• A cover sheet containing my name, date of birth, social insurance number, address, phone, plan member ID.

• Record of Employment

• Verification of Employment on company letterhead

• Employee benefits booklet stating that benefits end when employment ends

• Notice of Settlement Conference from the Court

There was an automatic acknowledgement. But then, I realized that I didn't send GC-MER0001-EN, so I sent another email. This time, there is no automatic acknowledgement. Worse, when I called Service Canada, they said that there is no guarantee that alternative documents will be accepted. Service Canada did not offer a solution. These documents are due November 15. If deemed unacceptable, I will be found ineligible and disenrolled, potentially requiring me to pay back what the government paid.

What can I do here?

So, I got rear ended by a distracted driver last Friday. Incident reported/recorded. Car is towed to body shop. This Tuesday morning I get a call that the car has been deemed a write off. I was fearing the worst but was hopeful that it was repairable considering how it looked (from my untrained eye). So i go and collect my belongings from the car etc. I go back into the office of the body shop and ask for some kind of breakdown of the damage etc. they told me that they have no info and that i should get more information from my insurance (CAA). I find this odd. Do they just write cars off willy-nilly now they don’t even assess them beyond collision centre pictures? Anyway, I’m still waiting to hear back. I just wondering if anyone else has gone through this process before.

Is a baby born Dec 2025 eligible for both 2025 and 2026 Canada education savings grants?

One establishment told me yes it goes by calandar year, another says they're only eligible once baby has a SIN

Also, do over-contributions roll over to the next year and get the CESG?

Thanks friends

I have a 2004 vehicle which has a very low market value now, it's only used as a backup vehicle when in-laws are in town and we need 2 vehicles.

I'm looking for an insurance company that will enable me to turn it off (not even storage level insurance which still has premiums), but completely not insure. I'll take the risk on theft or fire.

The frequency of in-laws coming over is like once a year or every other year, otherwise I expect the vehicle to just be sitting on the driveway.

I also recognize some insurance companies don't want to insure 20+ year old vehicles, and onboarding as a new customer requires a vehicle inspection report.

Given my situation, which insurers would be able to accommodate this situation:

1) Willing to insure 20+ year old vehicles

2) Can turn the insurance off and not require me to have to re-certify the vehicle or do another inspection every year or 2 years when I need to re-insure

Hi all. Both my spouse and I have substantial amounts of money invested in index funds in our TFSAs. Wondering what the opinions of others would be to fund a substantial portion of a downpayment (e.g. 20-40%) against a new home versus deferring and taking a few years to save some cash to save up the same. We currently own a home and have an affordable mortgage and could manage waiting a few years, but our family is growing and our living situation will go from manageable to stressful as kids get older. I see the market is volatile, rates are increasing, and home prices seem to be lowering and am trying to hedge lifestyle concerns versus financial prudence and risk management. My work is volatile but lucrative, spouse is not volatile and makes enough money to get us by but she will be on mat leave for the foreseeable future.

What would you do? Cheers.

Hi! I recently sold a property and will be paying off debts.. but some are mortgages and I need to park some money over the next few months.

I want to take advantage of HISA offers, but I was a tangerine customer years ago and as I understand that disqualifies me... same with simplii

Im looking at Meridian 4.40... any pros/cons with this institution?

any better offer im missing?

side note.. trying to also achieve low level of headache

Hi folks!

I’m (32M) in an unexpected scenario and wanted to run this by a few more eyes to make sure we are making all considerations.

I am fortunate enough that my partner’s - 32F (common law, fiancé) family is offering to gift 200k for a home purchase. We were planning to start looking for a place in the next 2-3 years but with this offer are considering bringing our timeline forward. 

We need to be close to downtown for work so the plan would be to look for 2B - 2B condos ranging from 500k - 750k. Not a fan of a condo as a forever home but can easily see it being home for 5-7 years.

Here is our current financial breakdown -

Me 

Income - $115k
TFSA - $70k
FHSA - $14k
RRSP - $5k
Emergency fund - $15k

Partner

Income - $60k
TFSA - $70k
FHSA - $5k
Savings - $30k

No debts, no kids, no car
Rent - 2.4k
All other monthly expenses - 3k-4k on average
Planned downpayment - at least the $200k being gifted

Only one main question -
Given our financial situation, does buying a 2B+2B in downtown make sense given the current market?

Appreciate any other thoughts or input as well. Thanks for reading. 

Edit - Should have added that this is in Toronto, apologies.

I make a pretty decent income 160k a year, but I screwed up my credit when I was younger to the point where I didn’t try to even bother looking at my credit profile I took student loans and a line of credit at 18 with zero understanding of what they were.

I have 3 credit cards Neo world, Neo, and capital one guaranteed all secured.
I never really bothered to clear the balance and had no idea there was a difference between a statement date and due date lol. So my utilization was pretty high until I really started educating myself.

Anyways..
My credit score is sitting at a 636, I’m coming up on 3 months of $0 balance for both my Capital one $750 limit and My Neo card $1000 limit

And my 2nd month of having less than 10% balance on my World Elite $3k limit..

Just wondering when I should expect to have my limit raised or my credit cards turned into normal. I’m way too scared to apply for anything manual, and not looking for any loans or anything I just want to feel normal when it comes to credit and knowing I could apply for something without instantly being denied.

I’m getting 2.25% and feel the money can also do better. Any better suggestions would be welcome. Thank you in advance.

I have been banking with CIBC for a few years, I have credit cards with them and the experience has been quite good, except for the banking fees.

I would like to take advantage of the BMO's promotion + 2 years without banking fees. And to also test another bank. For that I'd need to move my paycheck and bills.

Is there any impact, in credit score or other way?

Let's say I want to keep banking with only BMO in 6 months or an year. Closing my CIBC account would cause any trouble?

Thanks

Hello everyone. I'll try and keep this short and sweet.

I have a job that I drive 2hrs total per day for. ~80km each way, all highway. Job is stable, union, and long term.

I currently have a paid off 2018 tundra. I bought it when I was using a truck for truck things often, but its no longer really used for anything more than the odd hunting trip or taking stuff to the mountains (bikes, camping gear, etc)

I always said I'd dump it if it wasn't paid off. With gas prices and this new job, I've been thinking more about how to optimize my finances with an EV or PHEV.

It has had a few major repairs, one from a hit and run, and one where I smoked a deer. Both were professionally repaired but obviously effect the value.

So my thoughts are: keep the truck for the few times i need it and the winter commute, and finance a used prius (which will cost roughly my fuel costs per month) to use spring-fall.

OR: trade the the truck for whatever I can, and get a SUV PHEV.

Unfortunately, we're a single income household for the next couple years, so I cant commit to paying for a vehicle entirely in cash currently. Financing is the only way I could do it without buying something that has huge potential to be a liability.

Thanks in advance for any help and insights.

EDIT to add some numbers:

Truck costs:

Insurance: 124/month (full coverage)

Fuel (for work only): 170/week

Maintenance: 150 oil changes. Other as needed but sporadic.

Prius costs:

Finance: 350/month

Insurance: tbd, est. About the same as the truck

Fuel: expected to be much lower

Maintenance: tbd as needed

Hello everyone I have a question regarding option call income, recently I have $500,000 in Moderna calls and idk if it is safe for me to withdraw it out of my TFSA, will I get taxed? Also Thsi isn’t day trading I’ve held for 2 months and sold recently so am I cooked?

We purchased a new-build home that's currently scheduled to close in November 2027. I'm trying to figure out when it's safest to make my FHSA qualifying withdrawal and RRSP Home Buyers' Plan withdrawal, given the possibility of construction delays.

My understanding is that, for both the FHSA and HBP, you generally need to have a written agreement to buy/build a home and the home must be acquired or substantially completed before October 1 of the year following the withdrawal year. If that's correct, does it make sense to wait until early 2027 to withdraw, so that any construction delays don't cause issues with the October 1 deadline? (Ie id have until Oct 2028)

The builder has a pretty good track record of completing homes on time or within 1-2 months of the contractual closing date, but I'm wondering how others approached this. Am I understanding the FHSA/HBP timing rules correctly, or am I missing something? I’d like to fund some of the initial deposit with these funds so want to confirm.