11 Apr

Bank of Canada Holds Rates Steady For Sixth Consecutive Meeting

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

    Today, the Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 5% for the sixth consecutive meeting and pledged to continue normalizing its balance sheet. Governor Macklem confirmed that inflation is moving in the right direction, labour markets are easing, and wage pressures appear to be dissipating. In today’s release of the April Monetary […]

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3 Apr

Amortization Options – How Time Affects Your Mortgage

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

  Amortization can be viewed as the time it will take you to repay your mortgage without making extra payments.  It can be adjusted to increase or decrease your mortgage payment and interest due.  Mortgage payments are calculated by spreading out the repayment of the mortgage amount at a certain interest rate over a specified […]

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28 Mar

A Closer Look at Your Credit Score

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

  When applying for a mortgage, one of the factors lenders review is your credit score.  Many prospective property owners don’t pay much attention to this metric until they begin a mortgage pre-qualification discussion. However, your credit score is one of the most important aspects of a mortgage application when it comes to maximizing your […]

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20 Mar

Great News On The Inflation Front

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

    The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.8% year-over-year in February, down from the 2.9% January pace and much slower than the 3.1% expected rate. Gasoline prices rose in Canada for the first time in five months, which led many analysts to forecast a rise in February inflation as seen in the US. However, […]

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13 Mar

Canadian Employment Gains Strong in February

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

    Today’s StatsCanada Labour Force Survey for February was a mixed bag and shows the dramatic effect of surging immigration. Canadian employment rose by a much stronger-than-expected 41,000, dominated by a 71,000 rise in full-time jobs. The employment rate–the proportion of the population aged 15 and older who are employed–fell a tick to 61.5%. This […]

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6 Mar

Rates Held Steady But Cut Still Anticipated Mid-Year

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

Today, the Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 5% for the fifth consecutive meeting and pledged to continue normalizing the Bank’s balance sheet. Policymakers remain concerned about risks to the outlook for inflation. The latest data show that CPI inflation fell to 2.9% in January, but year-over-year and three-month measures of core inflation […]

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29 Feb

Canadian Inflation Falls to 2.9%, Boosting Rate Cut Prospects

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

  The Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 2.9% year-over-year in January, down sharply from December’s 3.4% reading. The most significant contributor to the deceleration was a 4% decline in y/y gasoline prices, compared to a 1.4% rise the month before. Excluding gasoline, headline CPI slowed to 3.2% y/y, down from 3.5% in December. Headline inflation […]

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7 Feb

Estate Planning: Are Those You Care About Covered?

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

  “New Year, new you” may be a cliché, but a new year really can get us thinking about where we are now and where we want to go. When it comes to your personal goals, a review of your finances and estate might be close to the top of your list. A little advance […]

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31 Jan

Leap to Action With a Simple RSP-Mortgage Strategy in 2024

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

    Given it’s a leap year, the deadline to contribute to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RSP) for 2023 is technically extended by one day as the deadline lands on February 29th, 2024.  For those who have both a mortgage and who contribute to Registered Retirement Savings Plans (RSPs), the two combined offer a […]

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26 Jan

The Bank of Canada Holds Rates Steady and Forecasts a Soft Landing

General

Posted by: Karli Shih

  The Bank of Canada held the overnight rate at 5% for the fourth consecutive meeting but provided an outlook suggesting that monetary easing will begin by mid-year. The Bank forecasts a soft landing for the Canadian economy, with inflation falling to 2.5% by the end of this year. While some economists predict a recession, […]

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