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CategoryInterest rates

Posted 1 Comment on A Stand-Off Between the Bank of Canada and the Government of Canada Bank News

A Stand-Off Between the Bank of Canada and the Government of Canada

To start off, a bit of good news for once: the average 5-year fixed rate mortgage has fallen over the last two months. Some qualified borrowers are now able to secure a rate as low as 4.89%. But of course, it is good news, so you probably didn’t see it reported in the mainstream media. 

Here’s what you likely did see: the overnight rate went up by yet another 0.50% on December 7 to 4.25%. Another staggering increase at a time when most experts predicted rates would start levelling out. Not only is this rate hike significant – it’s actually record-breaking. A whopping 4.00% increase in just 9 months took us from some of the lowest rates of this century to the highest.

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Posted 4 Comments on A Broken Promise Leads To A Broken Economy Bank News

A Broken Promise Leads To A Broken Economy

The Bank of Canada has always avoided forecasting rate hikes and rate cuts. It’s always been a closely guarded secret left to speculation – that is, of course, until July 2020. In what might have been the first announcement of its kind in the history of the BoC, Governor Tiff Macklem publicly stated that “interest rates are low and will stay low for a long time.”

The central bank didn’t anticipate having to raise rates until 2023 and for some reason made a choice to communicate that to Canadians. Naturally, Canadians made financial decisions accordingly. Big financial decisions. All on the basis of a promise made by a government institution they knew and trusted.

As we’re now learning, that promise was impossible to keep.

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Posted 1 Comment on Variable Rates Go Up, Fixed Rates Come Down Bank News

Variable Rates Go Up, Fixed Rates Come Down

If you’re reading this, you probably know by now: the Bank of Canada has been raising their benchmark rate aggressively to battle inflation. And I mean aggressively. Their rate has gone up by 2.25% in 6 months which is absolutely – wait for it – unprecedented.

As a result, variable rates have shot up. Everyone expected fixed rates to follow suit – but interestingly enough, the opposite has happened. They’ve actually gone down. Yup, you read that right: while variable rates are going up, fixed rates are going down.

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Posted 1 Comment on The Right Time To Buy Is Right Now Bank News

The Right Time To Buy Is Right Now

Yesterday, the Bank of Canada raised their rate by a whopping 1%. It’s the biggest rate hike in a long time, and it’s got a lot of people talking. Mostly negatively (surprise surprise) but I for one have no interest in talking about what you can’t control. Instead, I want to talk about what you can control. There’s a way you can capitalize on a rare opportunity to grow your net worth over time, and it runs contrary to everything you’re hearing on the news:

Buy real estate. 

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Posted Bank News

Death, Taxes, and Interest Payments: Part 2

There are some things in life you can’t avoid, but only two things you can’t avoid paying for: taxes and interest payments. In Part 1 of this series, we looked at owning a rental property as a great way to build your net worth while reducing your taxes. Now, in Part 2, we’ll be turning to interest payments. 

Interest payments are a pain to deal with but a necessary evil nonetheless. Here are a few ways to make them a little less painful. 

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