From travel passes to eSims, here’s how you can avoid high roaming fees on vacation

Costs can quickly add up on an overseas vacation, from lavish meals to airfares and accommodation, but staying connected can sometimes be the biggest source of bill shock for travellers when they arrive home.

So when your cellphone starts to ring during an evening stroll through Paris or Rome or Melbourne, experts say you may want to think twice before answering, lest you end up with a pesky roaming charge — unless you've planned ahead.

Canadians have a few options nowadays to use their phones while travelling abroad without breaking the bank, but picking the right one could depend on where you're travelling and for how long.

Major providers have begun offering roaming packages tailored to longer stays out of the country, rather than just daily roaming rates that have grown more expensive over the years. There's also inclusive plans that bake roaming in certain countries into monthly fees, while some savvy customers may prefer to purchase an eSim, taking their carrier out of the equation altogether.

Maxed-out credit cards? Here are different options to dig out of the debt

For Canadians juggling multiple maxed-out credit cards, the instinct in a moment of panic is usually to try to fix everything at once. Yet financial experts say that instinct is not one to follow, and it's often the reason debt problems drag on longer than they need to.

Banks seek to implement AI tools for customers … who love them until they don’t work

Few consumer-facing industries illustrate the potential and pitfalls of artificial intelligence more than the financial services sector.

Generative AI — the technology powering chatbots that can seemingly think and provide reasonably correct, if not insightful, answers to our questions — is arguably a wonder of the modern world.

The potential for providing financial advice is indeed palpable. Then again, it’s not hard to imagine the technology running amok especially with people’s money.

A recent report on digital banking services provides insight on the risks and opportunities.

How to make the most of an internship, even when the position is unfulfilling

For young people wanting to get a leg up in the labour market, an internship is often a way to get an edge. 

But not all internships are the same. Some employers make great use of their interns, giving them valuable work experience. Other times, interns find themselves stuck getting coffee. Even if you find yourself in that latter situation, experts say there are ways to make the most of your time at the company.

Dan Richards, a professor at the Rotman School of Management, says one of the most important things an intern can do is build relationships with their co-workers. 

A few years ago, Richards said he was advising a student during his summer internship at a bank who was determined to be the "most productive intern they've ever had." He arrived early, stayed late and worked through lunch.   

Read this before you break up with your Big Six bank

Canada's banking regulator has been streamlining its bank licensing framework, giving consumers greater choice when it comes to who they want to bank with. But consumers shouldn't just switch banks on a whim.

Being appointed executor or power of attorney presents unique challenges few laypeople are prepared for

These important jobs may not be the most onerous on the planet, but for the uninitiated, they probably involve more twists and turns than anticipated.

Fans, basements, BBQs: experts offer ways to reduce your summer electricity bill

Easy, affordable tips to lower electricity bills when summer's sweltering heat kicks in and you're looking to air conditioning for comfort.

Consumer spending up, but income not keeping pace for many: BCG report

TORONTO - A new report says Canadian consumer spending has grown across income groups, but only those in the top 20 per cent of earners saw their income growth fully match and support their higher spending.

The Boston Consulting Group report looked at household spending and income growth between 2021 and 2025.

It says that outside of the top 20 per cent, households covered their increased spending by relying more on savings, rising portfolio values and borrowing.

"For the middle 60 per cent of earners, the traditional bedrock of commercial demand, income growth covered just 57 cents of every dollar of new spending," the report said.

Resale 101: Items collecting dust in your house could be turned into cash

There’s money hiding in your closet and old, forgotten drawers. It might not look like cash — it could be retro technology, a vintage handbag, an old guitar. But if it’s in good condition, someone will likely buy it.

Sports gambling marketing during World Cup raises concerns about negative influence on susceptible audiences

It’s just a game. And in the case of the World Cup over the last few weeks, it’s a beautiful game — dozens of them, in fact.

Yet interspersed amongst the exciting broadcast play on the pitch, advertising for sports gambling has raised concerns fun and games may come at too high a cost for some.

A recent New York Times feature pointed to a bonanza for the gaming industry globally, with one analyst stating the flow of bets amounts to as many as 10 Super Bowls.

Billions are likely to be made by online gambling platforms from what has been called the biggest gambling event in history. The other side of that coin is billions of dollars will be lost by sports fans willing to wager on a game’s outcome.

House rich, cash poor: When a reverse mortgage might make sense

Reverse mortgages were at one time considered the Wild West of financial products, associated with aggressive and even predatory sales tactics. But some experts say they're an option worth considering for older Canadians who are house rich, cash poor and well aware of the pros and cons.

LinkedIn is rife with AI but career coaches say it’s still useful for job hunters

Overused em-dashes, forced "rule of three" bullet points and buzzwords galore. Professional networking platform LinkedIn reeks of AI-generated content ever since chatbots like ChatGPT and Gemini became mainstream a few years ago.

For some job seekers and recent graduates, the widespread use of AI on LinkedIn has made it harder to distinguish fact from fiction — like whether recruiters and managers genuinely wrote their own posts and if commenters are just automated bots. 

"AI has really lowered the barrier for people to create content on the platform, to connect with 1,000 people, to comment quickly," said Ariel Hennig Wood, career coach at Canada Career Counselling.

"But it hasn't lowered the barrier in building trust or building relationships." Instead, it has made many users more skeptical of the content and networking on the platform. 

Bonds carry more than just default risk, duration risk can cost investors too

OTTAWA - When you buy a bond, there's a chance the borrower might not be able to pay you back, but bonds also carry a different kind of risk.

Duration, or interest rate risk, is related to a bond's sensitivity to changes in interest rates.

When interest rates go up, you won't be able to sell a bond for the price you paid, says Will Gornall, an associate professor at UBC's Sauder School of Business.

"Because they're traded, if you have a three per cent bond and now the going rate is four per cent, no one's going to pay full price for your three per cent bonds," he explained.

How to talk about money with your kids

Money can be a difficult conversation, especially if parents don’t feel totally comfortable with the topic themselves. Here are some expert recommendations if you want to start talking about money with your kids.

Invited to a destination wedding? How to budget so your trip doesn’t break the bank

As destination weddings rise in popularity, guests face a financial dilemma: how to celebrate loved ones without derailing their own financial futures.

When the wedding invitation arrives with a picture of a tropical beach or a European castle, it carries an unspoken price tag that can often reach $3,000 or more. For many, especially younger adults who might be juggling multiple invitations in a single year, the question isn't just whether they want to attend, it's whether they can afford to.

"A lot of guests underestimate the full cost beyond the room rate," says Leila Lavaee, founder of Travel Design by Leila. "Flights, transfers, meals, baggage fees, seat selection, and currency conversion can add up fast."

Traditionally, the expectation has been that guests cover their own travel and accommodations, while couples pay for wedding-related events.