Personal Finance

Make financial success a 2026 goal with this money checklist

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 23, 2025

It's that time of the year again.

While you're caught up in last-minute runs to the store and mapping out the family dinner menu for the holidays, an annual financial review is unlikely to cross your mind.

The timing of financial reviews often competes with holiday fun as the end of the year nears when it's harder to set aside a few hours and go through money matters. Experts say you don't have to rush the analysis during the peak holiday season. Instead, you can split the task into smaller chunks and prioritize based on deadlines.

First, think about the major changes in your life this year, said Brian Quinlan, a chartered professional accountant with Allay LLP.

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New pay transparency rules poised to shake up Ontario’s labour market, experts say

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

New pay transparency rules poised to shake up Ontario’s labour market, experts say

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

Workers and employers in Ontario are gearing up for significant changes in the hiring process as new pay transparency requirements are set to come into effect next year.

The province is the latest to enact such rules, which will compel employers to disclose salary information on job postings.

Experts say it will help streamline the hiring process, as it gives job seekers more details about the role before they apply, but it also means some firms will have to update their compensation policy. 

Pay transparency laws are gaining traction across North America, with similar rules already in place in other provinces like B.C. and Prince Edward Island, as well as parts of the U.S.   

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Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025

A "Now Hiring," sign is displayed on the wall of a business Tuesday, May 30, 2023 in Montreal. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

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How to get in on the AI rally without taking on major risk

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

How to get in on the AI rally without taking on major risk

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025

The tech sector has seen significant volatility recently, as speculation mounts on whether there's an AI bubble percolating after a major rally. For investors looking for a piece of the action, experts say with the right strategy, it's possible to participate without risking it all.

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Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Traders work on the floor at the New York Stock Exchange in New York, Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

From sushi delivery to oat milk lattes, how ‘little treats’ provide sense of solace

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Preview

From sushi delivery to oat milk lattes, how ‘little treats’ provide sense of solace

Brenna Owen, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025

"Little treat culture" serves as an everyday pick-me-up for young people grappling with mounting stresses, a sense of powerlessness and the unaffordability of long-term goals.

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Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025

Nicholas Schorn is pictured in Vancouver, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Nicholas Schorn is pictured in Vancouver, Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Ethan Cairns

Here’s how some young Canadians are facing their financial future

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

Here’s how some young Canadians are facing their financial future

The Canadian Press 6 minute read Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025

The Canadian Press has been speaking with young people about the financial challenges facing their generation — a tough job market, unaffordable housing and goals that seem out of reach.

'WAITING FOR EVERYTHING TO WORK OUT'

A few hours into a night out with friends in downtown Toronto, 19-year-old Eleni Koumoundouros has a choice to make.

Does she end the evening early and start the hour-long commute to Oakville, where she lives with her parents? Or, does she savour the evening a little longer and contend with late-night transit and walking home in the dark?

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Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025

Taylor Arnt, 27, of Winnipeg is seen in this undated handout photo. She says the high cost of living means many young people like her are unable to meet traditional milestones as quickly as previous generations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — (Mandatory Credit)

Taylor Arnt, 27, of Winnipeg is seen in this undated handout photo. She says the high cost of living means many young people like her are unable to meet traditional milestones as quickly as previous generations. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Handout — (Mandatory Credit)

Regulators up surveillance of ‘gamification’ techniques used to game investors (potentially) of their money

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

Regulators up surveillance of ‘gamification’ techniques used to game investors (potentially) of their money

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025

Fun and games aren’t just for children this holiday season. Turns out, investing is increasingly gamified.

However, it’s more of a year-round thing, as online investment platforms use “gamification” techniques, which can make the business of dollars and cents a little more fun.

In essence, gamification involves leveraging powerful behavioural psychology tools that nudge, through video game-like design, consumers toward engaging in certain behaviours — for better and for worse.

Canada’s largest investment regulator — the Ontario Securities Commission — has conducted a few studies examining gamification to understand its potential for benefiting and harming investors.

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Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025

The year in money: notable personal finance changes for 2025

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

The year in money: notable personal finance changes for 2025

Ian Bickis, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

TORONTO - There’s been a lot to keep up with this year, so it’s easy to have missed new developments on the personal finance front even if they might mean more money in your pocket.

To help stay up to date, here’s a look at some notable changes for 2025:

Interest rates and inflation

Price growth steadied this year, allowing the Bank of Canada to push its key interest rate down by a full percentage point in 2025 to 2.25 per cent. But with higher prices already baked-in, an increasing number of consumers struggled with debt. 

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Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025

The Canada Revenue Agency sign outside the National Headquarters at the Connaught Building in Ottawa is seen on Monday, March 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

The Canada Revenue Agency sign outside the National Headquarters at the Connaught Building in Ottawa is seen on Monday, March 1, 2021. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Setting expectations important when lending money to loved ones: experts

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

Setting expectations important when lending money to loved ones: experts

Ritika Dubey, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

Lending money to close friends or family can be a risky affair. There are chances you may not see that money again, and even worse, it could sour your relationship.

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Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025

Canadian $100 bills are counted in Toronto on February 2, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

Canadian $100 bills are counted in Toronto on February 2, 2016. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graeme Roy

The Wealthy Barber says Canadians face more opportunities — for profit and peril

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Preview

The Wealthy Barber says Canadians face more opportunities — for profit and peril

Christopher Reynolds, The Canadian Press 6 minute read Monday, Dec. 8, 2025

David Chilton was down on his luck.

In 1988, the aspiring author decided to cash in his RRSP and self-publish a book about a savvy barber who dispenses financial advice — like not to cash in your RRSP — to curious, wisecracking customers.

“The one time I was struggling — badly — in finance was when I was writing the original ‘Wealthy Barber,’” he said.

Surrounded by faded wood panelling, Chilton penned it by hand on a brown, lamplit card table in the basement of his home in Kitchener, Ont., carrying on despite “very mixed reviews” on the initial chapters from industry experts.

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Monday, Dec. 8, 2025

Dave Chilton, author of "The Wealthy Barber," says young Canadians face a tougher financial landscape but also more opportunities than when he wrote his bestseller 36 years ago. Chilton poses for a portrait in Milton, Ont., Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Dave Chilton, author of

Canada’s crypto tax crackdown reaps millions. So why no criminal charges?

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Preview

Canada’s crypto tax crackdown reaps millions. So why no criminal charges?

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press 7 minute read Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025

VANCOUVER - A team of Canada Revenue Agency "cryptoasset auditors" has been mining a rich seam of unpaid taxes, working on more than 200 files and reaping more $100 million in the last three years.

While the agency says up to 40 per cent of taxpayers who use cryptoasset platforms either haven't filed their taxes or are at high risk of non-compliance, no criminal charges have been laid since 2020.

Court filings involving a Vancouver-based crypto firm suggest the federal government's efforts to rein in crypto-based tax evasion and illicit financing are hampered by limited resources for enforcement in a space hallmarked by its borderless anonymity.

A CRA application filed in Federal Court in September says Canada's Minister of National Revenue is concerned about taxpayers using the anonymous underground economy to evade taxes, fuelled by cryptocurrencies and non-fungible tokens, which are digital representations of an asset. 

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Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025

A bitcoin token is reflected on a mirror in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

A bitcoin token is reflected on a mirror in Prague, Czech Republic, Sunday, May 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

How the pinch steals Christmas

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

How the pinch steals Christmas

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025

Pinched pocketbooks can have many people feeling more Grinch-like than a Jolly Ole St. Nick vibe this holiday season.

A recent survey from CPA (Chartered Professional Accountants) Canada found gift budgets this year are going up 10 per cent over last year to reach $661 on average. That’s not counting all the other costs — food, travel, entertainment — that also swell in December.

Bank of Canada inflation data shows prices are 20 per cent higher than pre-COVID-19 pandemic, and Statistics Canada data points to the average wage growing less than $2 to reach $35.20 an hour.

The CPA study found a growing number plan to use credit, 49 per cent, up slightly from last year. That is relatively in line with Bank of Canada data showing 46 per cent of Canadians typically carry a balance on their credit cards, says Li Zhang, financial education advocate with CPA Canada. “That balance will probably be bigger after the holidays.”

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Saturday, Dec. 6, 2025

Pexels

Becca Mintz, head of credit and data at Capital One, says credit cards are a double-edged sword: they’re convenient and build a credit history, but high interest costs sting if you’re unable to pay the balance.

Pexels
                                Becca Mintz, head of credit and data at Capital One, says credit cards are a double-edged sword: they’re convenient and build a credit history, but high interest costs sting if you’re unable to pay the balance.

How to shop for the holidays without unwrapping spending regret come January

Kumutha Ramanathan, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Preview

How to shop for the holidays without unwrapping spending regret come January

Kumutha Ramanathan, The Canadian Press 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025

The holidays promise laughter and the joy of togetherness, but the sparkle of the season can quickly fade when your credit card bills start rolling in. 

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Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025

People Christmas shop in the Eaton Centre in Toronto, on December 23, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

People Christmas shop in the Eaton Centre in Toronto, on December 23, 2009. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese

Thinking of giving big to charities this holiday season? Consider donor-advised funds

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Preview

Thinking of giving big to charities this holiday season? Consider donor-advised funds

Joel Schlesinger 5 minute read Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025

Manitobans are a generous lot, with Statistics Canada data showing, per resident, the province has the highest level of donations.

Certainly, the holiday season has many making donations to charities close to their heart. Besides helping others, another benefit for donors is the federal and provincial tax credits that can be as high as 50.4 per cent, depending on taxable income.

For individuals with taxable windfalls this year — a large bonus from work or the sale of non-registered investments or a business — the credit can be claimed up to 75 per cent of net income in a given year, with excess amounts allowed to be carried forward for five years to use against future taxable income.

Some families have so much to give they set up foundations, which allows them to provide grants to charities on an ongoing basis. But another option exists for families with substantial sums to donate. They may not have the millions to support a private foundation or maybe they do not want to deal with the administrative requirements of running one.

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Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025

More Canadians missing non-mortgage debt payments: Equifax

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Preview

More Canadians missing non-mortgage debt payments: Equifax

The Canadian Press 2 minute read Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025

TORONTO - Equifax Canada says the number of consumers missing a non-mortgage debt payment in the third quarter rose compared with a year ago.

The company says the 90-day non-mortgage balance delinquency rate was 1.63 per cent, up 14 per cent compared with the third quarter last year.

The increase came as overall consumer debt totalled $2.62 trillion, a 3.4 per cent increase compared with year ago.

Average non-mortgage debt per consumer in the third quarter was $22,321, up $511 from a year ago.

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Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025

Credit cards are shown on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Credit cards are shown on Thursday, Oct. 6, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan

Cash ETFs offer yields and liquidity for funds on the sidelines, finance experts say

Daniel Johnson, The Canadian Press 4 minute read Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025

It's a dilemma for many investors: you want to have cash set aside to hop on investment opportunities that might arise. But you also don't want the money sitting in your portfolio not collecting any return. Enter cash exchange-traded funds.

Experts say there is increasing demand for cash ETFs among investors old and young as they offer the flexibility of having liquid assets coupled with the benefit of a modest return.

Chris Merrick, founder and owner of Merrick Financial, said there are a few different kinds of cash ETFs, but many work by essentially taking positions in high-interest savings accounts at large banks. Others invest in low-risk debt securities like bonds, known as money market ETFs.

He highlighted that cash ETFs provide the ability to preserve capital while offering liquidity, unlike guaranteed investment certificates, which lock in the money for a specified period of time.

Grandparents can make lasting impact for disabled grandchildren by contributing to RDSP

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Preview

Grandparents can make lasting impact for disabled grandchildren by contributing to RDSP

Joel Schlesinger 6 minute read Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

Imagine a gift this holiday season that could one day be worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. And it would all start with the impetus to contribute to a little-known registered savings plan.

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Monday, Nov. 24, 2025

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