Danger of runaway inflation means rates could rise sooner: Don Pittis + MORE Nov 26th

You’ve probably seen billboards and transit ads offering up free tablets, or been tempted with a sky-high teaser rate, in exchange for switching your bank – incentives that seem too good to be true, and usually are after you’ve signed on the dotted line. Big enticing offers are one way financial institutions look to lull consumers from the competition – but a recent study finds these tactics aren’t sitting well with Canadians.
Also Read: Canadians Are Willing to Switch Banks… If The Price is Right>
The Retirement Readiness Poll conducted by Oaken Financial found 93 per cent of respondents in the 55-plus age group don’t like the tease ’em and trap ’em practices many banks resort to. Benjy Katchen, vice president of deposits for Oaken Financial, concurs with their disenchantment.
“These tactics have been proven to work for selling furniture or cars,” he says. “The problem is that creating a stable and secure financial future takes time…

Big fan: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is hugged by Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott at a reception in Melbourne, AustraliaTracey Nearmy/Getty Images
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Sound judgments
Courts in two countries handed down serious jail time last week for non-violent offences—and, in both cases, the judges were spot-on. In Canada, former Conservative staffer Michael Sona appeared dumbfounded at the nine-month sentence he received for his part in the 2011 voter suppression scheme in Guelph, Ont. In Iceland, Sigurjón Árnason, the former CEO of Iceland Landsbanki, got an unexpected year in jail for his part in market manipulation that caused the collapse of three banks. While neither man did physical harm, their crimes struck at the trust that makes free-market democracies work. Let their punishments serve as a deterrent.
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With their spending habits under ever-increasing scrutiny, the British royals can take heart in the knowledge that they’re sitting on a gold mine—literally…

As inflation creeps higher, central banks would like to delay interest rate rises until the economy takes off, but waiting too long risks closing the barn door after the horse has bolted, Don Pittis writes.

You’ve probably seen billboards and transit ads offering up free tablets, or been tempted with a sky-high teaser rate, in exchange for switching your bank – incentives that seem too good to be true, and usually are after you’ve signed on the dotted line. Big enticing offers are one way financial institutions look to lull consumers from the competition – but a recent study finds these tactics aren’t sitting well with Canadians.
Also Read: Canadians Are Willing to Switch Banks… If The Price is Right>
The Retirement Readiness Poll conducted by Oaken Financial found 93 per cent of respondents in the 55-plus age group don’t like the tease ’em and trap ’em practices many banks resort to. Benjy Katchen, vice president of deposits for Oaken Financial, concurs with their disenchantment.
“These tactics have been proven to work for selling furniture or cars,” he says. “The problem is that creating a stable and secure financial future takes time…