90 days – 1.75% + MORE Dec 22nd

The promise of commission-free ETFs has steered many index investors toward independent brokerages such as Questrade and Virtual Brokers. These deep discounters have a lot to offer, but before you sign on, make sure you understand the details of their pricing.
Orders at these brokerages may be subject to fees that originate with the exchanges and networks that match buyers and sellers. This includes the big boys such as the Toronto and New York Stock Exchanges, as well as a host of lesser-known electronic communication networks (ECNs) and alternative trading systems (ATSs). Though it’s not technically accurate, you’ll often hear all these costs lumped together as “ECN fees.”
ECN fees are applied on a per-share basis. They vary slightly depending on the brokerage and the specific exchange, but they’re always fractions of a cent. At Questrade, for example, the cost is $0.0035 on Canadian stocks and ETFs, while Virtual Brokers charges $0.0039.
It’s a very small cost—less than $2 on an order of 500 shares—but ECN fees are irritating because it’s hard to understand when and why they apply…

This GIC rate is offered by Oaken Financial and was updated on 2014-12-19. Click on the link above to get more details or apply online.

CBC.caTSX lower again as oil slide continues, now below $56CBC.caThe Toronto stock market ended the rally it began last week, falling Monday morning as oil prices resumed their decline. The S&P/TSX composite index fell 32 points to 14,436 at midday, pulled down by lower energy and metals stocks. The energy sector was …At midday: TSX heads lower as volume falls ahead of holidaysThe Globe and MailTSX edges lower as oil slip hurts energy companiesReuters CanadaCanada Stocks Fluctuate After Week's Rally; Energy DropsBloombergFinancial Post -Winnipeg Free Pressall 48 news articles »

(Adam Gault/Getty Images)
If you want to trigger tax losses for 2014, the deadline is rapidly approaching. Because you need three business days to settle trades, waiting until next week will be too late.
Wednesday, Dec. 24 is the last day of 2014 Canadians can harvest tax losses on Canadian stocks that will offset capital gains elsewhere. Obviously, Dec. 25 is a holiday. Friday, Dec. 26 is the last day for tax-loss selling of U.S. stock for Canadian investors. Only Americans have until Dec. 31 to sell Canadian and U.S. stocks for tax-loss selling.
Since 2014 was a good year for the stock market, you may be hard pressed to find many losers, unless you have a portfolio heavily weighted in resource stocks. Remember too, that tax-loss harvesting applies only to taxable or “non-registered” portfolios. There is little point in crystallizing losses in RRSPs or TFSAs.
Ideally, you have already asked your brokerage for a list of your realized capital gains for 2014 on investments you sold: including stocks or exchange-traded funds…

This GIC rate is offered by Oaken Financial and was updated on 2014-12-19. Click on the link above to get more details or apply online.