Free at last: Qtrade’s $0-commission move shows investors are winning Canada’s brokerage fee war
Canada’s self-directed investing market is undergoing a sweeping transition as brokerage firms move away from traditional trade-fees and toward broadly accessible commission-free trading. The strategy, long championed by digital disruptors, is now being embraced by major bank-owned brokerages as well — signalling a structural shift in how Canadians access equities and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Don’t […]
I retired at 60 and have been living off my Social Security and pension without even touching my $700K nest egg — but do I need a strategy for RMDs?
This article adheres to strict editorial standards. Some or all links may be monetized. Alice recently retired after spending 30 years teaching English Literature at a world-renowned university. She’s made responsible choices with her money and has paid off her house while building a nest egg worth $700,000. Much of this money is in a […]
Trump says gas prices will drop to $2 ‘pretty soon’ and it will be ‘better than a tax cut’ — but is that realistic?
President Trump made a bold prediction about falling gas prices during his tour of Asia this week, while touting his “drill, baby, drill” slogan. Must Read Thanks to Jeff Bezos, you can now become a landlord for as little as $100 — and no, you don’t have to deal with tenants or fix freezers. Here’s […]
Canadian small businesses pay 20% more tax than U.S. competitors, CFIB warns
Canadian micro and small businesses are paying significantly more in taxes than their U.S. counterparts, according to new research from the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB). According to the report, a firm with four employees in Canada pays, on average, 20% more in taxes than one of the same size in the United States. […]
My mom now needs assisted living. But she has no retirement savings, only Social Security — what are her best options?
This article adheres to strict editorial standards. Some or all links may be monetized. One of life’s hardest challenges is watching our parents grow old. Consider this scenario: you’ve witnessed a severe decline in your mother’s cognitive health and ability to care for her own needs, but neither you nor your siblings are able to […]
‘It can happen to anyone’: California retiree nearly had $120K stolen from her IRA — what every retiree should know with ACATS fraud on the rise
Tien Tran logged into his wife’s Roth IRA one afternoon to check on a solar energy stock. Instead, The New York Times reports, he stumbled onto a nightmare — nearly half of her retirement holdings, worth about $120,000, had vanished. (1) The securities had been quietly transferred from her Vanguard account to a Merrill Edge […]
NYC grandma, 86, loses entire life savings of $700K in twisted scam — now she’s suing Bank of America, Merrill Lynch for negligence. Who’s at fault?
The fraud started in August 2023 as fear dressed up as urgency. Pop-up warnings began flashing across 86-year-old Nina Mortellito’s computer screen, claiming her bank accounts had been hacked. What followed was a months-long tale of manipulation that ultimately drained her of $700,000 — her entire life savings. According to a lawsuit filed against Merrill […]
The government shutdown may not stop Social Security payments from flowing — but not all recipients will come out unscathed. Where do you stand?
Even before the federal government shut down Oct. 1, many of the 70 million Americans on Social Security wondered what would happen to their benefits. For 67% of older adults, Social Security is a lifeline that represents more than half their income, according to the Senior Citizens League [1]. Any pause in payments would make […]
Australian mechanic loses $449K in home-buying scam — blames bank, transfer company, but they point to one big issue
For some, the ultimate dream is giving back to the parents who raised them, to return years of unconditional love with a gesture of gratitude. For Jimmy, an Australian mechanic, that dream took the form of bricks and mortar. "I wanted something that I could sort of call home in my mom’s and dad’s later […]
I’m 64, retired and have a healthy $700K nest egg — but I keep obsessing over fluctuations in my account. Is this a fixable problem or am I fixating?
At 64, Robin is retired with a healthy $700,000 nest egg. On paper, she should feel secure. Yet instead of enjoying her days, she finds herself opening her retirement account app five times a day, watching the balance tick up and down with the market. Each dip sparks anxiety: What if I run out? What […]