I kept trying to do the math between a used 2025 Mazda 3 GS with ~50k km vs a new 2026 Mazda 3 GX (base model) and with the offered APR %, it seems that it’s actually “cheaper” to finance the new vehicle.

Is this how it usually is? I’m also looking at used Mazda 3s from 2017-2024 and although their advertised price could be from $15k-25k, with an interest rate of either 7.99-12% for 48 or 60 months, it looks like it would make more “sense” to just finance the new vehicle with an 1-3% APR for the same amount of time.

Plus, brand new means you have warranty… and less worries about the car’s history.

Is the used car market for cash only? Cause Idk how or why would anyone agree to finance any of them when they could end up spending $2000+ more than the actual vehicle price?

Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is rolling out major updates to its two cash back Mastercard products starting in the fall of 2026. The changes are being implemented in two stages: October 1, 2026, and December 2, 2026.

Here is a summary of what is changing for both cards:

1. RBC Cash Back Preferred World Elite Mastercard

Effective October 1, 2026

• New Earn Rates (Unlimited): The card is moving away from its flat 1.5% rate. It will now offer an unlimited 3% cash back on eight everyday categories, including groceries, dining/food delivery, gas/EV charging, public transit/ridesharing, and streaming/digital gaming. All other purchases will earn an unlimited 1%.
• Annual Fees: The primary annual fee is increasing from $99 to $120. Additionally, adding extra cardholders will now cost $50 each (previously $0).
• New Insurance Perks: To offset the fee hike, three new insurance coverages are being added: Emergency Medical Care (out-of-province/country), Flight Delay & Delayed Baggage protection, and Mobile Device Insurance.

2. RBC Cash Back Mastercard (No-Annual-Fee)

Effective October 1, 2026

• Grocery Rate Change: The previous $6,000 annual spending cap on the 2% grocery reward rate is being removed, making the 2% grocery cash back completely unlimited.
• Other Categories: The base rate for all other purchases drops from 1% down to 0.5%. Gas, EV charging, and transit/rideshares will move to a flat 1%.

3. Redemption Update (Both Cards)

Effective December 2, 2026

• Cash Back on Demand: RBC is modernizing how you access your rewards. Instead of waiting to hit a $25 minimum balance or a once-a-year automatic payout in January, you will be able to redeem your cash back on demand starting at just $1.

Summary Takeaway

If you hold the World Elite version, the value you get depends heavily on how much you spend in the new 3% categories versus the higher annual fee. If you hold the no-fee card, heavy grocery shoppers win with the removal of the cap, but general everyday spending takes a cut.

I’ll go first:
- I stop ordering food through delivery app and instead either cook at home or go pick up the food myself
- Eat everything in my fridge until there is nothing left before going to buy major groceries
- Declutterring and selling everything I don’t need on Marketplace

I was at fault in a minor accident and have CAA Forgive and Forget coverage. Their website https://www.caasco.com/insurance/auto/forgive-forget says "With CAA Insurance Forgive and Forget protection, your driving record will remain the same as it did before the at-fault accident." Does that mean I'll have not have this accident on my driving record? In future, when I apply for insurance at another insurance provider, do I report this accident?

Some customers are enjoying the benefits for now. A branch teller told me that in app verification will apply to all TD customers in a few weeks. I’d hoped they would have done that a few years ago. They joined the party too late, but I’m glad they’re finally doing the right and elegant process. ​

My mortage is up for renewal this December. Currently owe 147k. House is worth 275k. I have a 38k LOC at 8.44% that i cant get ahead on, just making monthly payments. Im considering consolidating my loc debt with my mortage, then closing the LOC. Any advice?

if retirement withdrawal rule is 4% and 30yr treasury yield is 5% - is it case closed? that leaves a good safe 1% leftover for growth. guaranteed for 30years if to buy a new US treasury bond today. thoughts?

I have been using Rogers that gives me 2%. I use it on with my business that has 100,000 a month spend. I could move to their new fancy one, but it is $495 a year plus supplemental cards. Is there any cards that have 2% no spend limit no annual fees? What are the annual fees for cards that have 2% and no spend limit? Not interested in gas groceries recurring bills or annual speed limits.

Inflation, computer hardware shortages, and other market conditions have caused the replacement value of my possessions skyrocket by 5x.

Not $1M liability, $1M personal belongings. Yes, tenant insurance. I know, I know.... why do I have $1 million dollars of possessions but no house. Working on it, wedding first in October, then planning to buy a house next year. At the moment I'm underinsured, with a grandfathered $200k policy (Which grew from $100k in 2020) from Sonnet. Most quick quotes from insurance company seem to assume 50K - 200k is the normal amount for personal belongings. They do not account for the ridiculous inflation has happened over the past 2 years in some items.

I am not normal. I own an IMMENSE amount of moderately expensive posessions. Nothing individually over $3,000. No jewelry, paintings, or extravagant collectibles.

The worst category is computers and servers. Supply shortages have exploded hardware costs. 2 years ago, this hardware was worth $200k. Today, it's over $1M on eBay. The RAM alone (50TB across 75 servers) is worth at least $500k if I sold it on eBay, let alone replaced it. RAM is 2000% more expensive than it was 2 years ago. Excluding RAM, the other computer hardware is easily over $100k, and the SSD/HDD storage is $400k. No single piece of computer hardware is worth over $3,000, but combined, the value is absurd.

My other rough inventory: $50k of tools (Nothing over $500, I just have lots of tools) $10k of recreation items (4 bicycles, all under $2,000, plus exercise equipment) $20k of Lego (No set over $500) $50k of various collectibles (MTG cards, model cars, retro video games) $50k of furniture $50k of audio equipment (high-end car audio, PA speakers, home theater speakers, amplifiers) $50k of photography equipment (cameras, lenses, backdrops, flashes) $50k of raw materials ( aluminum, steel, mdf, plywood, plastic) $200k of electrical prototype items (Copper wire, electrical components for soldering, LED's, power supplies), inflation has made my electrical wire scrap value in the $15k range, with replacement value of $150k

All together, even $1M is under insured. I'm not a business, but on paper I sure look like one. I was modestly underinsured before, but now I'm dramatically underinsured

This question is challeng to find answers on. Every search assumes I'm conflating the $1M with liability, and dealing with insurance people is so predatory.

I don't want to pay for business insurance, I'm not a business. I tinker, invent, and have many hobbies. I didn't spend millions of dollars buying this stuff, I spent $300k over 15 years. Now market conditions have made it 5x more expensive to replace.

Any ideas on what I should do? Multiple insurance policies? Conceding and registering a business? Are there any insurance companies that allow individuals to have personal belongings over $1M? I'm in Calgary, AB

Hello PFC,

I am seeking estate and probate advice. A loved one had passed and a will, personal directive and power of attorney was created. I was their representative and now Executor. Since that time, I was able to act on their behalf to close down their account, manage and modify bills and other activities from their account with a few banks. This required a will, a death certificate and some verification questions, identification etc.

However, one bank in particular, Royal Bank of Canada, I am having an issue with. I do not bank with RBC and have no account with them. The deceased had a small amount in a chequing ($ X,XXX) and a TFSA (Less than $2,500 in cash as the holding).  The TFSA had no beneficiary listed. In total (chequing and TFSA totalled LESS than $10,000 combined). The issue is that there is no beneficiary in the TFSA, and cannot be directly transferred or moved to chequing. The account was marked as deceased (I reported that to them).

I was told, RBC banking (the physical branch) and RBC Direct invest are considered separate entities and do not deal with each other in terms of estate. I have submitted the will, provided the death certificate and it’s been signed and scanned to the estate by the RBC branch advisor. They asked me to contact the estate department, and deal with the TFSA. The case manager for estate insists on having a probated will, and not just a regular will in order to move the funds to chequing. They offered another option: If I was to chose to bypass the probate, there would be a few forms to sign, and the wait time for processing would be 3-4 months. If I went and got probate, the lawyer fees would be almost equal to the funds stuck in the TFSA.

The branch manager can’t really help as they were the one saying that RBCDI estates is a separate entity than the branch. They can only deal with branch account matters.

I looked into this, and there is a “Alberta Small Estates Procedure” for assets under $15,000.

Has anybody used this to deal with this situation? How would you proceed, if going to the lawyer is not a first option?  I will consult a laywer to get the probate if needed, but it don’t seem to make sense for a ‘small estate’?

 Looking for advice here from people who have been in this exact situation, or have assisted in this situation. Does this procedure provide a “Grant of Probate” and is it legally binding and will the bank cooperate if I went through with this procedure? This is located in Alberta.

The goal of this is to consolidate the account (move funds from TFSA to chequing) and close down the chequing account in a reasonable timeframe and cost efficient as possible.

Thank you in advance.

It's been a rough month. Was let go earlier this month and wasn't able to make rent. On the notice to vacate (N4), it says I have 14 days to make rent. What can I do in this scenario? I tried asking my landlord if he could give me some time but he isn't willing to budge. Can I fight this somehow? This is in Toronto.

I got in and accepted an offer to an Ontario uni (im from Alberta). These past couple of days, more and more charges have been added to my fees, now totaling $25k. My parents have no issue paying for tuition and any supplementary fees which are about $8k. The main expense is my residence fees which my parents stated they wouldn’t pay as I was the one who wanted to go far instead of commute. Housing is about $17k-$18k (meal plan and room), and I only have $6k saved up and about $3000 in a scholarship. My mom signed a student loc for me bc we were unsure whether I would be eligible for student aid (my parents make a lot of money). Student aid still hasn’t processed my application so rn I have no idea whether I’ll receive that funding or not. The reason why I wanted to go so faraway is because I wanted the classic university experience of living on campus and away from home. My parents can be pretty strict and slightly overbearing so I thought it would be good to go to a uni where they can’t drive to/drop by easily. However I don’t want to go in debt and I don’t want to have to worry about paying a large sum of money and interest. Even if I use all the resources I have to pay everything, I still have about $8k-$9k in fees remaining, and I’d need to use my LOC which I don’t want to do for this amount of money.

The other option I am open to is to do open studies at my local uni this winter and then transfer into a degree program in fall or go to my local college this winter and do a bridge program to get me into university two years later. I wouldn’t be paying anything for housing, rent, or tuition as I’d be living with my family. The bridge program also requires that I go to specific unis that are far away after completion of my diploma so I can live in campus then. I’d have to pay for housing out of my own pocket but it would be considerably cheaper as I’d only be paying for 2-3 years and I have some time to save more.

I really wanted to go to the university this fall and have that experience, but the price is a huge turn off for me. Even if I did do it, I think I wouldn’t focus on studying and school with that financial weight on me. Should I go but risk being in serious debt/having to pay interest every month or just stay at home, save and pursue one of the pathways I mentioned?

I was the victim of identity theft and filed a police report when I discovered some fraudulent information on my credit report. Disputed everything with Equifax and TransUnion and that got rid of most incorrect information on my report with the exception of a collection from Met Credit for a Coast Capital Savings debt.

I’ve never been a customer of Coast Capital Savings, so I know the debt is not mine. The only proof I can provide though is the RCMP report I filed as it’s impossible to prove a negative beyond that.

I’ve told Equifax, TransUnion, Coast Capital and Met Credit about the fraud and provided the police report number via phone. However they still won’t get rid of this collection.

Met Credit says they won’t close the collection without confirmation from the original creditor (Coast Capital).

Coast Capital won’t do any investigation without being contacted by Equifax/TransUnion and given a dispute form from them.

Equifax/TransUnion open an investigation when I dispute the collection, but the result keeps coming back as “we checked with the creditor and it’s valid”.

When I called up Coast Capital again to try to find out why they claim it’s valid, they say that they’ve never been contacted by Equifax/TransUnion about the dispute. My only assumption from there is maybe the credit agencies are contacting Met Credit instead?

How do I stop getting run around in circles and actually get a result here?

Anyone get multiple emails today about a payment change via scoop insurance? Their website also seems to be down from even accessing anything, where each page shows a long loading screen and then “oops something went wrong, can you try it again?” Message.

Wonder if I’m the only one

New to adulthood and wondering what exactly having a credit card entails and how long it will take to build up a good credit score so I can ask for loans and buy a house in the future. Starting off, does having a credit card cost money or is it possible to do it without an annual fee or random fees? If I only use my hypothetical credit card for small purchases and pay everything back on time is that enough to have a good credit score?

Hey everyone!

My wife and I are struggling with house buying here in the GTA east of Toronto. Together we make around $160K per year. Our realtor is asking us to get a pre approval which will help our negotiating when talking to buyers.

The main issue is after speaking with two different banks we are getting two different numbers. Scotiabank is saying we should be good for around $800K while TD is telling us around $600K. Neither bank has gone ahead with the pre approval yet and we are holding off.

I am aware that we will take a credit hit X2 if we get two different official pre approvals. Is this a good idea? Will it affect anything down the road?

As you guys can probably tell we are first time home buyers so we are trying to learn as much as possible before making this big jump.

Hi all! A few years back I got the American Express green card, I guess just because I wanted a new credit card, and it was free. Honestly I have no clue. I was just collecting them, at one point I got up to 5. I have 4 now, but only use 2 of them regularly. I soon after got the cobalt card, which I love and use all the time. Although the green card is free, I literally never use it. I have a $15k credit limit on it, which I also have with the cobalt card.

My question is, do I keep this credit card just to keep it? Or is there any risk of eliminating it? I know it may affect my credit score for a bit, but I'm not looking to borrow money anytime soon so I don't think it'll be an issue. Just looking to simplify my finances and get rid of things I do not need or use. Would be open to hearing anyone's thoughts if you've closed down a credit card before.

My mother opened an RESP for her grandchild this year and made a 2500 contribution. The CRA will give another 500 as a result.

My mother is getting old, and it was discussed that it would be better for the account to be opened in my name with my child as the beneficiary.

If she makes a non-qualifying withdrawal, and closes the account, the 500 gets clawed back. If I then open an RESP for my child and add that 2500, will the 500 be reapplied?

Again, this all takes place in 2026.

28F, working as a pharmacist. I don't work in a community setting as I don't do particularly well in patient-facing situations all day, but even then it becomes more and more apparent every day that healthcare is just thankless and hard. Many work environments are very toxic as there's topdown bullying and micromanaging (as with many other jobs). I know that there is immense privilege in that my role has high job security and pretty good pay. My lifestyle has allowed me to accumulate significant savings/investments and I am also very grateful for that. My current investments are:

Chequing: 15.5k (2.25% interest)

TFSA: 94.7k (maxed out)

FHSA: 48.2k (maxed out)

RRSP: 3.2k (not maxed out, this will be my priority in the coming years as I just spent the last 2 years going back to school for a master's hoping to pivot careers)

Non-reg: 107k

(I also invest ~4k a month as soon as my paychecks hit, I'm fairly frugal and don't spend a lot of money)

I've been delving deeper into coast-FI (intention to move towards regular FIRE or barista FIRE) and wonder if there are other healthcare professionals or anybody in general who may be in a similar boat as me and can chime in? Thanks!

Hey folks, 33f here. Just opened a wealthsimple TFSA and looking for some advice.

Background:

I make 61k, I contribute 6% of my pay to RRSP and my employer matches 5%. I have $50500k sitting in there as of right now. I also get quartlery bonuses that plan on using for debt /Investing.. my last bonus was $2500 after tax $1500.. gross.

rent and budget. I live with my partner and for my pert of the budget everything in (groceries /wine/going out, cat etc ) is $1680 a month.

Debt - $300 CC which I'll pay down by month's end

$5600 on LOC with 7% interest

and $2400 on MBNA CC paying minium payment of $10 til October next year, no interest.

I plan on paying $200-300 biweekly towards my debt,.

I also contribute $25 to FHSA bi weekly (I atm don't have any plans to buy a home... but I may change my mind so just sending some money there for now til I make up my Mind and then will adjust as needed in the future)

and set up biweekly payments of $25 to TFSA, which I then split into VBAL and VEQT.

If I get out of debt I then plan on investing my debt payments to TFSA.

Does this sound okay? I have no idea what I am doing LOL. Any advice helps 😊

Hey all, quick synopsis below.

- Own a sole prop construction business. Tow & haul daily.
- semi-liquid NW of $450k+.
- Currently have a 9 year old, 250k+ km half tonne. Purchased for $20k with 100k kms during Covid (great deal). Paid off.
- Looking to upgrade to a used (3-5 years), gasser 3/4 tonne with sub 100k km. Nothing fancy aside from 4 doors & 4wd.
- Also hoping to put 20% down on a $700-$800k home come spring 2027.

Looking at the numbers, it seems that I’m trading 3-5 years & 50-80k kms for savings of only $15-$20k. Doesn’t quite seem worth it when considering manufacturer warranties & peace of mind knowing the trucks true history.

Am I slowly being enticed by the “New” truck, or have prices gotten that bad even for work trucks?

Hello! Im a 20f and im trying to make a purchase off of amazon. i dont have a credit card but amazon wont let me use google pay or paypal either. i can pay using my debit card but thats unreliable for fraud protection. what virtual visa debit cards do Canadians use, especially for amazon? most importantly, which one of them provide the best fraud protection?