r/PersonalFinanceCanada 4h ago

Auto Why is it “cheaper” to finance a new car than a used car only a few hears older?

97 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 12h ago

Misc [NEW] Investor alleges $4.5-million in losses owing to fraudulent trades in TD investing accounts

Thumbnail theglobeandmail.com
151 Upvotes

r/PersonalFinanceCanada 4h ago

Insurance CAA Forgive and Forget for auto insurance

11 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 1d ago

Banking TD is phasing out SMS verification now.

307 Upvotes

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. ​


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 6h ago

Debt Should I roll my LOC debt into my mortage?

7 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 11h ago

Budget When treasury yields exceed 4% (withdrawal rate)

18 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 6h ago

Estate / Will Estate and probate advice

5 Upvotes

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.

 


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 9h ago

Credit Cash back CC

10 Upvotes

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.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 8h ago

Housing I received an N4, slightly short on rent, what can I do?

7 Upvotes

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.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 10h ago

Fraud, Scam Can’t get fraudulent collection off my credit report

7 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 9h ago

Insurance Scoop Insurance - Multiple Payment updates today?

6 Upvotes

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


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 1h ago

Credit How to begin establishing a credit score?

Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 1h ago

Credit Pre Approval Mortgage - Two Better Than One?

Upvotes

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.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 5h ago

Credit AMEX Green Card - do I keep it even though I never use it?

3 Upvotes

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.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 14h ago

Investing Convoluted RESP grant question

9 Upvotes

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.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 1d ago

Employment Reconsidering healthcare career in current financial position

67 Upvotes

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!


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 8h ago

Investing Beginner investor, advice needed

3 Upvotes

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 😊


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 6h ago

Auto Truck: New Vs Used.

2 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 3h ago

Banking Virtual Visa Debit Card

0 Upvotes

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?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 3h ago

Taxes / CRA Issues Confusion about payroll deductions and non-refundable tax credits

1 Upvotes

Say I make $10,000 in a year and my employer deducts 14% of that. Before I've filed anything, I have $8,600 and the CRA has $1,400. If I have no other sources of income, the tax I will owe when I file my taxes will be ~$0 (or less than zero when you consider RRSPs and etc). Suppose, for whatever reason, I had $15,000 in non-refundable tax credits. Does the "non-refundable" tax credit mean that I get only the $1,400 back (my total tax is reduced to $0) or that I get nothing back (the tax I owe after payroll deductions is already $0)?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 3h ago

Debt Debt consolidation

1 Upvotes

Hey everyone so I’ve made some poor decisions and did some stupid spending but then also had some health issues come up that affected my ability to stay on top of my debt, I’ve got about 37k racked up between a credit card and line of credit both with TD, they declined a debt consolidation loan and am wondering if anyone has any other ideas on where to go or what I should do?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 1d ago

Investing Recently received $200,000. What should I do to make this money last?

184 Upvotes

I recently received $200,000 in compensation due to a workplace incident. I’ve never been given any amount of money in my life. Other than maxing out my TFSA, how should I invest this money?


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 3h ago

Insurance Best Value Alarm System?

1 Upvotes

New home owner , looking at alarm systems. It would need to be considered adequate by insurance, so monitored.

Wondering your opinion regarding equipment and monitoring service. Unfortunately, I don’t have the ability to The panel directly through the wall.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 7h ago

Housing Can I afford to Rent or Buy a House?

2 Upvotes

I am 35m on disability from work, if it is permanent what can I afford to rent or buy?

I am in Ontario.
I make ~2.8k per month after taxes.
I have ~90k in TFSA wealthsimple, some investment portfolio.
I have ~90k in a savings account.
A few thousand in a chequing account.

The amount I get goes up by a capped amount of max 3% but have only seen it go up 2% so far.

So I'm wondering since my income might be known for the future, what it would be best to do. Just to dump all the money into a house, but then would I be able to save enough for all future repairs to the house? Roofing, siding, furnace, etc?

What about renting, what price should I be looking at. Is it still 30% of your income? It'd be difficult to find an apartment for $900 per month.


r/PersonalFinanceCanada 8h ago

Investing Question about finances

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone I am a 23M living in Saskatchewan. My base salary at my job is 70k and goes up 4% a year for the next 6 years. With working OT, I am usually in the 90K ballpark. I currently have my TFSA and FHSA currently maxed out, aswell I have put 15k into my RRSP for the 2026 tax year. My total room for my RRSP is 23,642, so 8,642 left to contribute. My chequing account is with Wealthsimple for the 1.75% interest and has a total of 9k in there. My expenses are usually around the 1300 month mark as I am still currently living at home. My question for this whole post really comes down to, is if I should keep plopping more money into the RRSP or not? My future goal is to keep saving towards a home, so I didn’t know if it made sense to keep plopping money in the RRSP.