REAL ESTATE     Changes to insured mortgages MERIX Comments on Changes to Government Guaranteed Mortgages     However we believe the majority of Canadians do not understand what exactly it means to remove the “government guarantee” from some of these lending programs.There has been lots of discussion in the news about the recent changes…

Daryl French Nov 1, 2009 – 5:32:02 PM Variable rate mortgages (VRM’s) are they all the same?? The simple answer is no and the fact is that a lot of people don’t realize it. The most common mistake people make when getting a variable rate mortgage (VRM) is clients just focus on the current rate or…

Q’S AND A’S Debt consolidation mortgage – Can it help? We all know that there are times when some of our monthly bills just get the better of us and we find it a struggle to make the monthly payments. It’s not because we are poor money managers, rather it’s often caused by those little…

Larry MacDonald Special to The Globe and Mail Jan 25, 2013 – 8:47:53 AM Is Canada talking itself into a housing crisis? Little was heard of housing bubbles in Canada up to about a year ago. Now, predictions of crashes are on the front cover of   Maclean’s  and other publications. One might wonder if we are talking…

Bank of Canada Jan 23, 2013 – 2:42:03 PM Bank of Canada maintains overnight rate target at 1 per cent   Ottawa – The Bank of Canada today announced that it is maintaining its target for the overnight rate at 1 per cent. The Bank Rate is correspondingly 1 1/4 per cent and the deposit rate…

Kim Inglis Jan 21, 2013 – 9:18:53 AM A frequent financial planning question is whether to contribute to a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP) or a tax free savings account (TFSA).   With the ratio of Canadian household debt to annual disposable income at a new high, limited resources are forcing many to choose one…

BREAKING NEWS IRD Penalty… Say What     If you decide to payoff your mortgage and refinance or you won the lottery often people are surprised (shocked) to find out what it costs to get out of their mortgage.  The standard calculation is called an Interest Rate Differential (IRD).  However the the way this IRD…