RedFlagDeals.com: Financial Services Deals

New Content: “Guide For Buying Contact Lenses Online” Updated with New Pricing & Retailers + More

2009-10-27T09:13:00-05:00

By Category, Beauty & Wellness, Financial Services, Home & Garden, By Store, Other, Fitness & Beauty handy guide about buying contact lenses online with all new prices! We also added a whole lot of additional retailers to the mix. Essentially, we're walking you through the process of buying contact lenses online and show you some of the savings you might come away with.

We also updated two of our financial services articles, the No Fee Chequing Accounts Comparison and the Canadian High Interest Savings Accounts Go Head to Head article.

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Ally 2% High Interest Savings Account

2009-10-18T20:56:00-05:00

High interest savings accounts aren't paying very high interest these days with ING Direct at 1.05% and ICICI Canada at 1.2%, for example. Ally is looking to sign up some new customers and a do a bit better with their 2% high interest savings account. Never heard of Ally? You're not the only one, they're a 'new' brand, from ResMor Trust Co., who in turn is owned by GMAC,. You can read more about Ally's background in this Globe and Mail article.

The account itself is very similar to what you get at a lot of other online banks. There's no mimimum balance, no fees, daily compound interest, and CDIC insurance. Unfortunately, at this time they do not serve residents of Quebec. If you're interested, check out the website, but also have a look at this discussion in the forums with over 250 posts.

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New Credit Card Comparison Tool on RedFlagDeals.com

2009-10-15T12:57:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other low interest card or a card with great rewards, we've made it easier to compare over 150 credit cards with our Credit Card Comparison Tool!

You can either use the tool, search by keyword or compare cards via categories like Travel Credit Cards and Student Credit Cards. There is also detailed information on cards like the popular MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus®.

You can apply online for all of the cards in the section. If you find a credit card that isn't listed, post a comment and let us know!

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ING 2010 TFSA Kick Start Account 2.1% Interest Until December 31, 2009

2009-10-12T10:38:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, INGDirect.ca, Scarlett, Business Life TFSA background information article we have from Bennett Gold Chartered Accountants here and a follow up on how to use it as a tax haven.

Now that almost a whole year has gone by since the introduction of the program, ING Direct has brought back their TFSA Kick Start promotion. If you deposit money into their 2010 TFSA Kick Start Account anytime before December 31st, they're going to double the interest that you've earned and deposit it as a bonus on January 1st, 2010. With the low Bank of Canada interest rates, the interest rate on savings accounts in general are pretty low as well with ING Direct offering a rate of 1.05%, which would be doubled to effectively be 2.1% during this promotion. That's not a very high rate of return, but there's also very little risk.

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Questrade.com: Open a New Account with $1000 Minimum, Get 10 Free Stock Trades

2009-10-09T15:49:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other Questrade.com, which is a Toronto based direct-access broker that offers, among other things, no activity minimums, no inactivity fees, and 24-hour account management. The price per trade is set at a minimum of $4.95 and a maximum of $9.95. Those are much lower rates than say, brokerages from the Big 5.

Until November 30, open and fund an account and you will receive 10 free trades (minimum account funding is $1000 Canadian). You need to use offer code NBTSF10 during the signup process to qualify. Once your account is funded, you will have 60 days to use the 10 free trades.

That's not all, either. If you move an account with a minimum of $25,000 from another Canadian brokerage, Questrade will pay the transfer-out fees up to a maximum of $150.

This offer is not available in conjunction with any other Questrade offer.

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MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus MasterCard: No Annual Fee, 3% Cash Back on Gas/Grocery, 1% On Other

2009-09-24T14:20:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other MBNA Smart Cash Platinum Plus Mastercard is a no annual fee card with some pretty robust cash back rewards. Here are the details:

Get 5% cash back on net gas and grocery purchases for the first 6 months (up to spending $600 per month, 1% thereafter)
Get 3% cash back on net gas and grocery purchases thereafter (up to spending $600 per month, 1% thereafter)
Get 1% cash back for all other net retail purchases
No annual fee

As a platinum card, it also carries the the normal platinum benefits -- a warranty extension of up to one additional year on most new purchases and free car rental insurance when renting vehicles. In terms of application restrictions, you do need to have a minimum income of total household income of $35,000 or greater. Overall, it's a very strong credit card offer. If you want to see how it stacks up to the competition, use the RedFlagDeals.com's Canadian Credit Card Comparison page or you can compare it against other MBNA Credit Cards here.

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Scotiabank No Monthly Fee Scotia Plus Program for those aged 59+

2009-09-14T23:30:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other Scotia Plus Program is available by request and for no monthly fee offers unlimited debit transactions (self-service or teller-assisted transactions). Other features include:

No commission fees for bank drafts, money orders or regular American Express Travelers Cheques
Discount of $5.00 on the annual rental fee for any size safety deposit box
Bonus interest on Scotia Daily Interest Savings Accounts

Many, but not every Scotiabank account qualifies for the the Scotia Plus Program, so be sure to read all of the details on the Scotiabank page.

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Back to School Advice for Parents - Passing on Financial Wisdom & Smart Ways to Withdraw from RESPs

2009-09-12T16:02:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, Students, By Store, Other feature articles generously provided by Bennett Gold LLP, Chartered Accountants that will give you, as a parent, tools and ideas to handle bills and impart financial wisdom on your kids.

The first article, called Passing on Wisdom And Teaching Responsibility lays out some good advice to give to your children. It also covers topics like tax credits for student loan interest, rent, child-care costs, and more.

The second article is called Smart Ways to Withdraw from RESPs: Take Advantage Of Low Marginal Tax Rates. This article will help you make informed decisions on how to withdraw from your RESP and highlight things to keep in mind for tax planning.

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RBC Welcomes Immigrants to Canada: Free Banking, Safe Deposit Box

2009-08-30T22:17:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other Scotiabank, RBC is now offering new Canadian immigrants a bit of a jump start on their banking with the RBC Welcome to Canada Package. The details of their package are not very clear online but it at least includes no fee banking and a safe deposit box free for a year. Here's what they're showing:

All-inclusive RBC Signature No Limit Banking account
Free rental of a small safe deposit box for one year
Preferred rate on non-redeemable GIC
Free copy of "Understanding Banking in Canada" – an RBC Advice Guidebook

To qualify you'll need to have arrived within Canada in the last three years and show proof of immigration. If you or someone you know fits that profile and would like to discount banking, we'd recommend getting the exact details and comparing it against the Scotiabank offer.

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Scotiabank StartRight For New Canadians: Free 1-Yr Unlimited Chequing, Safety Deposit Box

2009-08-16T20:44:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, Small Business, By Store, Other new to Canada with landed immigrant status the Scotiabank StartRight program is designed for you and with it comes a wide range of perks that even Canadian citizens can't get. To get you started and help to fill your banking needs, the Scotiabank StartRight program will provide the following:

Powerchequing unlimited chequing account, free for 1-year with no fees
Cashable 1-year GIC with a 1% Rate Bonus
Small 1.5" x 5" x 24" safety deposit box or 25% off a larger box, free for 1-year

There's actually a bit more than what we've listed above including a no-fee Moneyback 1% cash back credit card, but the rest of the services seem to be standard offers that anyone can get. You can read more about it on Scotiabank website which includes the program brochure with the requirements.

The requirements are actually pretty straightforward; all you need is your Proof of Landed Immigrant Status – Immigration Landing Document (IMM5292) and a valid photo identification from a foreign passport, driver’s license issued in Canada, Permanent Resident Card, or similar identification.

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Tradepub.com: Free Trade Magazines like Risk Magazine, sp2 Magazine, eWeek, and Best’s Review

2009-07-16T16:01:00-05:00

By Category, Computers & Electronics, Financial Services, Freebies, Small Business, By Store, Other Some oft repeated career advice is to “stay on top of your field”—it’s always a good idea to know about developments and trends in your industry. RedFlagDeals.TradePub.com, which is a free trade magazine service, can help you with that. Subscriptions to industry specific publications are free as long as you’re in a qualifying industry/position. Here are some interesting titles that are available to Canadians:

Best’s Review: This magazine contains insightful, award-winning news coverage of the worldwide insurance industry. It is written for insurance company executives, agents, brokers, analysts, risk managers, underwriters, attorneys and other insurance professionals. It covers topics like agent/broker issues, health and employee benefits, life insurance, property/casualty insurance, regulatory and legal developments, capital markets and technology.

eWeek Magazine: This publication delivers breaking news, technology evaluations and strategic analysis covering the technologies, platforms and trends important to enterprise-wide computing.
Risk Magazine: Every month Risk covers the latest developments in exchange-traded and OTC products, regulatory and documentation issues, academic papers, practical trading and investment strategies – taking complex material and delivering it in an easily digestible style.

sp2 Magazine: Published monthly, coverage includes technological advances that drive research and innovation, as well as product development through key topics including: discovery biology/chemistry, biomanufacturing, bioprocessing and fine chemistry. The sp2 audience is senior R&D executives to bench scientists from pharma, biotech and emerging pharma.

If you have a look around, you’ll also find other resources like whitepapers, book summaries, and podcasts.

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Redirecting Income - A New Feature Article About Long-Term Tax Planning Strategies

2009-07-08T14:44:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, Home & Garden, By Store, Other Redirecting Income, provided by Bennett Gold LLP, Chartered Accountants. In it, you'll find some advice about income splitting with spousal loans, renewing home purchase loans with employers, and mortgage refinancing.

The article was originally written in June 2009 and refers to the Canada Revenue Agency's (CRA) prescribed interest rate of 1%. We're republishing it here because per the CRA website, the rate will remain 1% until September 30, 2009 and all of the advice in the article is is still applicable.

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3% Interest Rate for ING Direct Tax-Free Investment Savings Accounts (TFSA) until October 1

2009-07-03T13:29:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other ING Direct Tax-Free Investment Savings Accounts has an interest rate of 3% until October 1, 2009. The October 1 end date is listed on the ING Direct homepage inside the flash animation.

Other institutions are currently offering 2% (at best) on Tax Free Savings Accounts, so ING Direct has the edge for now if you're looking to open a TFSA. Don't blindly jump from another institution though -- transfer out fees can run from $25 to $135 for most financial institutions.

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RedFlagDeals.com Spotlight: Canadian Mortgage, GIC, RRSP, & Savings Rate Comparison Charts

2009-05-28T17:28:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other, Spotlight RedFlagDeals.com Spotlight feature. From time to time, we'll take at look things on the RedFlagDeals.com you may not be aware of. We'll be shining the spotlight on things like great community generated content, guides or tools to help save money, and more. Today, the spotlight is on the RedFlagDeals.com Canadian Mortgage, GIC, RRSP, & Savings Rate Comparison Charts, which which are powered by Fiscal Agents.

One of the best ways to save (or make) money is to stay informed. With the RedFlagDeals.com Canadian Mortgage, GIC, RRSP, & Savings Rate Comparison Charts, you can find and compare rates for financial service products from a variety of Canadian financial institutions. Actually, we've just recently added a chart for personal loan rates as well. To make things even easier, you can sort a chart by institution name, rate, and minimum investment amount. It's a good place to start if you're trying to decide what to do with your finances next! You can always find the charts underneath the Financial Services category.

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HSBC 2.75% 5-Year Variable Closed Mortgage

2009-05-23T15:57:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other 5-year variable closed mortgage at 2.75% - the current prime rate of 2.25% + 0.5%. A quick look at our mortgage tables updated daily by Fiscal Agents, has that the lowest variable rate listed.

Keep in mind that depending on your personal situation and how much negotiation you'd like to do, you may be able to get the same or better rates at other institutions. This 2.75% variable rate from HSBC is a very good posted rate though.

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3 New Ask An Expert Small Biz Questions Answered, Updated Tax-Free Savings Account Comparison

2009-05-06T18:21:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, Small Business, By Store, Other 3 new "Ask An Expert" small business questions. In this outing, he addresses issues like establishing business credit, approaches to finding new investors or partners if your cash flow is low, and established marketing tactics to secure new customers.

At the same time, our Tax Free Savings Account Product Comparison has recently been updated with rates current of May 6. Interest rates are still sliding down, but at the very least, it's always smart to keep yourself informed.

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Free TSX, NYSE, NASDAQ Annual Reports by Mail or for Download

2009-04-26T10:36:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, Freebies, By Store, Other, Free Shipping, Scarlett, Business Life The Annual Reports Service by PrecisionIR.

In their words, they're a, "FREE Service provided by PrecisionIR for the readers of Toronto Stock Exchange & TSX Venture. The Annual Reports Service provides you with quick access to annual reports and other information on select companies." It's sponsored by the participating companies to, "serve the investing public and improve their visibility and transparency."

You can browse or search the list of participating companies from 10 different exchanges including the TSX, TSX Venture Exchange, NASDAQ, NYSE, and Amex. In stock reports are shipped next business day and it's all free - pretty cool. If you're looking for an online brokerage to with low rates, check out Questrade as well.

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Free Wall Street Journal Blackberry and iPhone Apps

2009-04-20T08:09:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, Freebies, Small Business, By Store, Other Blackberry and iPhone applications you can get the rest of the Wall Street Journal content for free! You can read more about it on their mobile page before you download it. Enjoy it while it lasts though as the word on the street is that they'll be charging for mobile access in the future.

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CT Financial: 3.5% Rate (90 days) for 1st High Interest Savings Acct & $25 w/Auto Saving Plan

2009-04-15T15:01:00-05:00

By Category, Financial Services, By Store, Other April 16 Update: We've updated the post below to be more clear about what the offer entails.

Originally Posted April 15: Canadian Tire Financial Services has a new offer pertaining to its High Interest Savings account. You will earn 3.5% interest for 90 days on balances up to $100,000. You can also set up the Automatic Savings Plan (a recurring automatic transfer into your High Interest Savings Account) and earn an additional $25. The High Interest Savings Account also has no monthly fees and no minimum balance. This offer is good for current CTFS customers opening their first High Interest Savings account as well as new CTFS customers.

You can learn more about this offer and apply here. This offer is not available in Quebec.

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