Here’s how to protect your portfolio if interest rates go negative + MORE Apr 7th

Denmark’s central bank, seen here, charges its depositors reverse interest rates. (Ulrik Jantzen/Bloomberg/Getty)
A few years ago, the notion of negative interest rates was a purely academic discussion. But after the Bank of Canada said in December that its overnight rate could fall below zero—and some European countries did indeed go negative—the prospect of seeing minus signs became real. Bad enough for savers—people in Denmark pay banks to hold their money, as if it were stored furniture—it could prove still worse for equity investors.
Typically, markets rise when rates fall. That’s what we’ve seen in most developed economies since 2009. Essentially, by lowering rates, central banks encourage investors to get out of fixed income and buy stocks, which will earn them a higher return. However, this has made certain safe income-generating sectors, like utilities and real-estate investment trusts (REITs), more expensive. As well, the rotation to equities has largely played itself out, says Craig Fehr, an investment strategist at Edward Jones…

The heads of Canada’s biggest banks say they are confident they are doing enough to fight money laundering and tax evasion amid the release of the Panama Papers and others stories that have cast doubt on the sector’s gold-plated reputation.

When it comes to getting out of debt quickly, it’s important to have a strategy. Since paying off debt is as much a psychological journey as it is a financial one, some people are able to stay motivated when they follow certain debt repayment strategies but not when they follow others. Some people know immediately which strategy will work best for them while others need to do a little bit of trial and error before figuring out what works for them.
Here are just five debt repayment strategies that you might consider trying out during your 12-month journey to debt freedom.
The Debt Snowball Method
The debt snowball method is one of the most popular ways to pay off debt. Basically, you put any additional money towards the credit account that has the smallest balance. The reason for this is that if you focus on the smallest account first, you’re going to pay it off quickly. Once you completely pay off that credit card or loan, you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment.
Once you pay off the lowest account balance, you can then focus on the next account with the lowest balance and score another quick win…