Banking
Business Account: Compare Transactions, Deposits and Integrations
Count your monthly deposits, transfers and payments, then compare the fees for cash, cheques and currencies.
2026-07-21
Blog
Understand before you sign
Explanations of the rates, fees and contracts behind financial products offered in Quebec — written to be read before an appointment, not after.
200 articles
Banking
Annual Audit of Bank Fees and Unused Packages
Review twelve statements to total the fees charged and spot the included services you never use.
2026-07-21
Investments
Asset Allocation or Product Selection: Decide in the Right Order
Set the goal, horizon and loss capacity first, then the target weights: products come last.
2026-07-21
Investments
Market Order or Limit Order
A market order takes the book price; a limit order sets your price but may fill only partially.
2026-07-21
Investments
Currency Conversion in a Brokerage Account
Check the currency of the investment and account, then the markup the broker adds to the exchange rate.
2026-07-21
Investments
Foreign Dividend Withholding Tax by Account Type
Withholding depends on the dividend’s country of origin, the tax treaty and the type of account used.
2026-07-21
Investments
Adjusted Cost Base: Keep Investment Records
Record purchases, commissions and reinvested distributions, then allocate each partial sale among the units.
2026-07-21
Investments
Realize a Tax Loss Without Undoing the Plan
Sell the unrealized loss in a taxable account while respecting the superficial-loss rule around the transaction.
2026-07-21
Investments
Return of Capital in a Fund: Effect on Tax Cost
Return of capital is not income: it reduces the cost base and increases the future gain.
2026-07-21
Investments
ETF Bid-Ask Spread: The Hidden Transaction Cost
Measure the gap between best bid and ask in dollars and percentage before trading an ETF.
2026-07-21
Investments
Bond Ladder or GIC Ladder
Distribute maturities around your withdrawals, then compare principal guarantees, credit risk and liquidity.
2026-07-21
Investments
Cash ETF: Yield, Liquidity and Deposit Protection
Look at the assets behind the fund and the yield distributed after fees: it is not a guaranteed deposit.
2026-07-21
Investments
RESP: Coordinate the Federal Grant and Quebec Incentive
Verify the contribution eligible for each program and confirm the promoter submits both applications.
2026-07-21
Investments
Family or Individual RESP: Compare Flexibility
The family plan requires relationships among beneficiaries; track contributions and grants separately for each child.
2026-07-21
Investments
Convert an RRSP to a RRIF: Prepare Minimum Withdrawals
Note the conversion deadline and the minimum withdrawal factor that will apply from the following year.
2026-07-21
Investments
Delay the QPP Pension: Future Income and Break-Even
Compare the enhanced pension with the income forgone during the delay and locate the break-even for your situation.
2026-07-21
Investments
Life Annuity or Retirement Withdrawal Portfolio
An annuity guarantees income but locks up capital: measure what you give up in liquidity and estate value.
2026-07-21
Investments
Commuted Value or Pension Income
Compare the lifetime pension, its indexing and survivor benefit with the transfer value and its assumptions.
2026-07-21
Investments
Employer Contribution: Capture the Match Without Blocking the Budget
Find the personal contribution that captures the full employer match before saving anywhere else.
2026-07-21
Investments
Employee Share Purchase Plan: Manage Concentration Risk
Take the purchase discount, but set a selling rule to limit concentration in a single stock.
2026-07-21
Investments
ESG Funds: Verify Method, Exclusions and Fees
Verify the index or method actually followed, the published exclusions and the fees before choosing an ESG fund.
2026-07-21
Investments
Sequence-of-Returns Risk at the Start of Retirement
A market decline combined with early withdrawals erodes capital: plan a reserve for the first years.
2026-07-21
Insurance
Reconstruction Cost: Do Not Confuse It With Market Value
Insure the reconstruction cost, based on materials, labour and the building’s features, not the market value.
2026-07-21
Insurance
Home Insurance Coinsurance Clause: Verify the Insured Amount
Check the minimum percentage required by the coinsurance clause and the reconstruction value used in the calculation.
2026-07-21