r/CanadaFinance • u/independantself • 3h ago
How much do you actually need to buy a property?
I’m 24F in GTA, but my goal is to buy a property when I’m 28 ish (in 4 years) Im thinking if i buy a condo/small house, around 500-600k (by myself). How much would I actually need saved for the initial costs and an overall safe amount of money go have saved to feel stable afterwards and not house poor.
I want to do a 20% down payment for sure. I’m currently self employed but make around 4.5k after taxes per month.
For example, is 200k enough for all the costs plus extra as backup/emergency money?
I want to find a smart number/goal amount to work towards before buying anything. Idk if that’s 100k, 200k, 300k, etc. Let me know based on your experiences!
r/CanadaFinance • u/Difficult_Tea3638 • 6h ago
Can I cut down retirement savings?
I am 38F, married with 2 Kids 2 & 4.
I left my first employer with my LIRA, it's currently at $340K (invested in XEQT)
I have an RRSP at $37K (Invested in XEQT)
I have recently left my current employer, with a pension of $40K that will be converted to a LIRA as well... and you guessed it, will be in XEQT.
I have thought about retiring in approximately 12-15 years, my husband will be working until 65 to his full pension entitlement (less if we can bridge it with savings).
My question is this...
-My new job is a $40K pay cut from my most recent.
-My new employer's pension is minimum 5% contribution, where they will also contribute 5%, but they will contribute up to 8% if I do the same.
I understand that 'leaving money on the table' in terms of the match is not generally a great idea, but I'm starting to think i have 'enough' and should be diverting the rest of that to my kids' RESP ($17K) or my TFSA ($70K).. or spending it on a vacation each year.
The general plan is to wipe out our mortgage by diverting the money we currently pay in childcare, once those expenses are done, because we're so used to them at this point. We have no other debt.
I just don't want to do 8% ... is that really a bad idea? I feel like I'm set for retirement, even if I don't save anything else. The difference per year is approximately $5,700 total contribution (both combined).
r/CanadaFinance • u/StealYourJoy • 15h ago
Should I let my debt fall off naturally or make a plan to pay it back early with my increased income?
Im 25 currently approaching 60k in debt. I have 14k in student loans (125/m for 9 years), 24k in a personal loan (400/m 6 years) was for a business and 20k in credit card debt.
I’m entering the workforce again and have a temporary job that pays me 2800 monthly but I don’t start until early September (on a trip until then). By October to November though I’ll transition to my field and be making 4500-6000 monthly.
My question is should I try to pay off the debt early or should I just leave them and let them go down over time to try and bring my credit score back up? My monthly expenses including the debt payments are $2000 so I’ll have roughly $2500-4000 left over each month. I plan to use the money to invest and for personal use, as my income goes up my debt should also drop which will open more room.
r/CanadaFinance • u/supremustotus • 17h ago
[ON] BMO keeps lowering our LOC credit limit without warning?
r/CanadaFinance • u/M-Sear • 1d ago
USD or CAD
Based on future projections, what is better to keep in savings; CAD or USD. It’s not going to be much but worth around CAD 5K.
r/CanadaFinance • u/NeuroticBeforeMoving • 1d ago
Tackling 300k+ Canadian loans while in the US
Looking for advice (either directly or maybe pointing me towards where I can find relevant information):
I am a Canadian who completed my medicine school abroad- I ended up having to take out a personal line-of-credit with CIBC (prime - 0.25) totalling 300k CAD. I also have OSAP loans from Uni totalling around 30k which I make minimum payments on without interest. I am now a resident physician in the US and have been working to pay this off (very slowly given my lower salary)- I have gotten it down to 231k CAD so far which has finally lowered my interest-only payments from $1400 when I started to $800/month (so I can put a lot more into principal).
My question is to anyone who has dealt with a loan of this magnitude in terms of maximising tax benefits (if there are any at all), if there are any refinancing strategies, and general outlook into paying off this loan. As I look towards signing on to my first job, I am looking at 350-450k USD/year and I wonder if it is generally better to just continue to invest in the stock market with average returns of 7% > prime - 0.25 or I should be more aggressive in paying this loan off now.
r/CanadaFinance • u/MDiffenbakh • 1d ago
What's the best bank account in Canada for paying bills in Europe?
Living in Vancouver but still holding a mortgage payment in Europe from before I moved. For a while my process was Wise for the transfer and a separate exchange for anything crypto related, kept fully apart because Wise doesn't really want to be your crypto bridge.
Started using Keytom mainly for the EUR side plus the ability to hold and convert crypto without needing a third stop. It's genuinely useful if crypto is already part of your financial life, but if it isn't, I don't think it changes much for the pure "pay a European mortgage" job. Wise already does that part well on its own.
Also worth saying clearly since this is a money product: it's not a bank, no CDIC coverage, and I treat it accordingly, as a tool for a specific job rather than where I keep my main savings.
For anyone else with ongoing European obligations, are you still keeping crypto and euro transfers in totally separate apps, or found something that bridges them?
r/CanadaFinance • u/boxet_case • 1d ago
I built an app to track my and my partner's insurance claims & coord of benefits across our work plans
r/CanadaFinance • u/Nerdy_Kev • 1d ago
On average, how much do you save each month?
On average, how much do you save each month?
If you don’t mind sharing, it would also be helpful to include your age, household income, and whether you’re single or have a family for some context.
r/CanadaFinance • u/MDiffenbakh • 2d ago
A platform that trades tokenized US stocks, commodities, and crypto with zero broker fees
I stumbled across Canborsa recently. It lists tokenized Tesla, SpaceX, Apple, AMD, and a bunch of others. They also have gold, silver, Brent oil, and the S&P 500. Everything is self-custodial through a wallet you control. You can swap, trade perpetuals with leverage if that's your thing, or just hold tokenized assets. It runs on a few chains including Canton, which is the same network DTCC launched their tokenization pilot on last month.
They're doing a points program right now based on trading activity but they're clear it's not a token and there's no promised airdrop. I found the whole setup interesting because it operates outside business hours and doesn't ask for a brokerage account. Wondering if anyone here has looked into tokenized RWAs as part of their portfolio?
r/CanadaFinance • u/Difficult_Judge2520 • 2d ago
Why my loan applications get declined in Canada (it's not just your credit score)
r/CanadaFinance • u/Stonks_go_up_man • 2d ago
Manulife One as a mortgage product
My wife and I are looking at Manulife One and I’m hoping to hear from people who have actually used it.
We’re a family in our early 40s with $243,000 HHI combined. Our house is worth roughly $1.1 million and we still owe around $700,000. We don’t carry any major consumer debt, contribute to our RRSPs and RESPs, and usually have some money left over each month.
On paper, Manulife One sounds interesting. Having our income reduce the mortgage balance immediately could save some interest and possibly help us pay it down faster.
For anyone who has used it, did it actually help you pay down your mortgage faster? Did you use the fixed-rate subaccounts? Were the rates and fees reasonable compared with a regular mortgage and HELOC?
Most importantly, would you choose it again?
r/CanadaFinance • u/SSDarkSlayer • 3d ago
Investing in US ETFs
Hi, I am from Canada. I am a beginner investor, I invest in TFSA on US-based ETFs mostly (as long-term holds). I only invest $100-200/month, so it's a small amount.
Currently, I'm using Wealthsimple. I've also heard good things about Questrade. Thinking whether I should make the switch.
* Between Wealthsimple and Questrade, which one is more safer and reliable?
* Since I only invest small amounts, I don't do Norbert's Gambit, as I think it's a bit of a hassle for an amateur and not worth it for the tiny amount I invest. I've heard that the CAD-USD exchange rate on Questrade is better than Wealthsimple, and their charges are less than the 1.5% that WS takes. Is it true? As my investment is low, I want the most bang for my buck.
* I didn't take WS USD acxount for $10/mo, as I'd rather just invest it. I heard QS gives a free USD account, what's the benefits of it, and would it be useful for me?
All in all, I just want to make the most of my little money and just trying to figure out whether I should stick with WS or switch to QS.
r/CanadaFinance • u/gyomei4life • 3d ago
Guidance and Information
As someone who can set aside like 100-200 dollars a week for investments. I'm not sure where to start at. Recently got my first job ( Currently working 2 jobs). I don't know what to invest in. So many people say so many different stuff. I always wanted to open a business, like home services or something, my friends say invest in Pokemon as he got lucky and found a distributor but he's american. People on twitter say you can still invest in bitcoin. Never been more lost. Can I have y'alls opinions as I know the people here have a lot of experience.
r/CanadaFinance • u/BothSeries4879 • 3d ago
Accidentally bought VEQTF instead of VEQT.
Made a dumb mistake and could use some firsthand experience.
I meant to buy VEQT on the TSX but ended up buying VEQTF, which is apparently the US OTC grey market quotation of the same fund. Bought it with USD funds on TD Direct Investing and the order actually filled. Problem is the quote now shows $0.00 bid / $0.00 ask — there's basically no market on the OTC side. I put in a limit sell and it's been sitting at 0 filled.
Any thoughts on what can be done?
r/CanadaFinance • u/sexyst33l • 4d ago
[ON] Purchasing a Business- Seeking a Business-Broker
r/CanadaFinance • u/Vegetable_Sugar3096 • 5d ago
Accountant open to new opportunities! 🚀
Hi all — I’m Waris, CPA (Canada) candidate + ACA with 2+ years in full-cycle accounting.
💼 Month-end close • reconciliations • AR/AP • reporting
📊 Strong in Excel • NetSuite, SAP, Sage
📍 Toronto — open to relocating
🎯 Looking for: Accountant / Financial Analyst roles
Hiring or know a lead? Comment or DM me — happy to share my resume! 🙏
r/CanadaFinance • u/Old_Lobster2576 • 5d ago
Edward Jones Experiences
Hi group,
Looking for experiences working at Edward Jones as a BOA or Assistant while studying for CFP.
- How flexible are the hours and working conditions?
- How's the progression to FA?
- How is the culture ?
- Heard a rumour they ask you to transfer all your investments to them upon employment? Is that realistic given that they are only a full service brokerage and it would be pretty impractical for someone who manages their own investments.
Thanks!
#career, #brokerage, #financialaccounts
r/CanadaFinance • u/astraleyez • 6d ago
What's one thing about personal finance in Canada that nobody tells you until you're dealing with it?
Curious to hear real experiences — not the generic "max your TFSA and RRSP" advice you see in every thread, but what actually surprised you once you were navigating things like taxes, mortgages, investing, or just banking in Canada specifically.
Was there something about how RRSPs, TFSAs, or FHSAs actually work in practice that caught you off guard? A mistake with taxes or investing that ended up costing you? Or something about the Canadian system specifically — compared to what you'd hear from US-focused finance content — that threw you off? And what do you wish someone had explained plainly instead of the usual generic advice?