Payday loans are a problem. The interest rate charged is massive. In 2016, payday lenders in Ontario can charge a maximum of $21 on every $100 borrowed, so if you borrow $100 for two weeks,... Read more »
A year ago Ontario enacted legislation targeted at reducing consumer abuse by unlicensed debt settlement companies. While this legislation has helped eliminate some of the severe abuses, most agencies have just switched tactics and we... Read more »
Have house prices in Canada gotten out of hand? Is Canadian real estate due for a crash? On today’s show, I speak with Hilliard MacBeth, a portfolio manager and author of When the Bubble Bursts: Surviving... Read more »
It’s no secret that payday loans charge an outrageously high interest rate. In Ontario, as of 2018, payday lenders can charge $15 for $100. If you take out a new $100 loan every two weeks,... Read more »
The payday loan industry in Canada loans an estimated $2.5 billion each year to over 2 million borrowers. Like it or not, payday loans often meet the need for urgent cash for individuals who can’t, or... Read more »
At the end of 2015, updates and clarifications were made to existing Ontario bankruptcy laws that directly affect indebted consumers. On November 13, 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada put forth a ruling about the 407... Read more »
We have all heard of Elder Abuse, but few advisors have ever had to deal with it directly. In the last week at Hoyes Michalos, we have seen two blatant examples of elder abuse in our... Read more »
Recently, the Ontario Ministry of Government and Consumer Services (Ministry) asked interested parties to submit their recommendations on potential ways to strengthen consumer protection for those individuals who may use alternative financial services (AFS) such... Read more »
Before now, there really were no rules governing debt settlement companies in Ontario, which meant that they could charge large up-front fees, only to refer the client to a bankruptcy trustee once legal action was... Read more »
Ontario has implemented new debt settlement laws to protection consumers against unscrupulous debt settlement practices. You’ve seen the ads. Debt settlement companies promise to “reduce your debts by 70%”. They say “don’t talk to a trustee... Read more »
As Licensed Insolvency Trustees, we deal with individuals that need help dealing with their debt. Often by the time people come see us they have been struggling for months and sometimes years. Many have burned... Read more »
Most people are very well aware of the fact that they have a credit score and that this rating affects their ability to qualify for a loan and the interest rate they will pay. But... Read more »
Blair Mantin is a trustee with Sands & Associates in British Columbia, where there are no laws to regulate debt settlement companies. Blair explained that the worst offenders are debt settlement companies based in the... Read more »
On today’s podcast we cover several issues around Registered Education Savings Plans including: what they are and why you should invest in an RESP to save for your child’s education; what happens to your RESPs... Read more »
By the time you approach retirement age you should be out of debt, right? That’s the conventional wisdom, because after a life of working you have paid off your mortgage and other debts, and accumulated... Read more »
Debt Relief Experts