Finance, credits
Successful financial solutions
1st Eagle Mortgage
Mortgage Broker and Home Loan Specialists
Full-service mortgage brokerage in Buffalo Grove, IL, connecting borrowers with 18+ lenders to secure competitive home loan, refinance, and reverse mortgage options for buyers throughout Illinois.
More detailsAbsolute Financial Services
Mortgage Lending and Refinancing
Northbrook mortgage brokerage in business since 2003, working with numerous banks and lenders to secure favorable mortgage and refinancing terms for home purchases and construction.
More detailsAVEK Accounting and Tax
Tax Preparation and Accounting Services
AVEK Accounting and Tax has helped individuals and businesses in Buffalo Grove handle their finances since 2011, from federal and state tax preparation to ongoing bookkeeping and payroll. The firm also assists with starting and structuring a new business, so entrepreneurs have accounting support in place from day one. As a small firm, clients work directly with the same team rather than being passed between departments, with an emphasis on accuracy and finding legitimate ways to reduce a tax bill.
More detailsAccounting and Tax Center
Tax and Accounting Services in Lincolnshire
Operating as Accounting and Tax Center in Lincolnshire, providing tax and accounting services for individuals and businesses since 2002. Our team includes IRS Enrolled Agents and licensed CPAs, ready to represent clients before the IRS at every level.
More detailsAnoufriev Roman
Realtor and Mortgage Financing Specialist
I am realtor Roman Anoufriev, owner of All Time Realty since 2008. I help clients buy, sell, or rent property, and arrange favorable financing, including refinancing and bank-owned home purchases. I work with clients in Russian, English, Spanish, Polish, and Ukrainian.
More detailsThe Right Help
Immigration, Tax and Accounting Services
The Right Help, Inc is a Wheeling law and accounting practice combining immigration law with tax and accounting services. The firm helps with green cards and citizenship, deportation defense, tax return preparation, bookkeeping, and notary services. Services are available in Russian, Ukrainian, Spanish, and English.
More detailsGeltco
Accounting, Tax Preparation and Business Services
Geltco has provided accounting, tax preparation, and business services from its Northbrook office since 2001, now also serving clients through a second location in Hollywood, Florida. Services range from personal tax returns and payroll to corporate accounting, incorporation, and forensic accounting for situations that call for a closer look than the numbers alone provide.
More detailsITAC
Accounting and Tax Services in Hinsdale
ITAC is an accounting and tax firm in Hinsdale that prepares tax returns for individuals and businesses, handles bookkeeping, and helps with tax planning year-round, not just during filing season.
More detailsCambridge Title Company
Title Insurance and Real Estate Closings
Cambridge Title Company has provided residential and commercial title services in the Chicago area since 1989, working directly with mortgage lenders, brokers, and companies serving Russian-speaking clients. The Northbrook office handles title searches, title insurance, and closings for both home purchases and complex commercial transactions, acting as a policy-issuing agent for major title insurance underwriters. Clients come back for the same reasons the company built its reputation on: accuracy, timeliness, and dependable follow-through on every file.
More detailsMeleshko Dmitriy
Attorney and CPA in Northbrook
Dmitriy Meleshko is an attorney and CPA in Northbrook, combining both professions since 2000. That rare pairing means clients can get qualified help with legal and tax matters in one place.
More detailsNarod and Company
Accounting and Tax Services
Narod and Company in Northbrook has provided accounting, tax planning, and financial reporting for private businesses, families, and individuals - including professional athletes - for nearly 40 years. The firm has international client experience and builds strategy around each clients specific goals.
More detailsNew York Life Insurance Company
Financial Professional and Insurance Agent
A New York Life Insurance Company financial professional helps clients protect their familys financial future, from life insurance to long-term planning. Each approach is built around the clients current goals and adjusted as those goals change over time.
More detailsS and P Tax Solutions
Accounting and Tax Services
S and P Tax Solutions in Northbrook is an accounting and tax firm led by two CPAs with backgrounds at American Express Tax and Business Services and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The firm specializes in tax planning and accounting for individuals and closely held businesses.
More detailsSelfreliance Federal Credit Union
Main Office in Chicago Ukrainian Village
Selfreliance is a Ukrainian-American federal credit union with 75 years of history. Its Home Office branch sits right in the heart of Chicago Ukrainian Village, offering the full range of banking services with a 24-hour on-site ATM.
More detailsSolution Financial Mortgage Company
Mortgage Lender in Glenview
Solutions Financial Mortgage Company in Glenview helps with first-time home purchases, refinancing, and investment property financing. The company is licensed in Illinois, Florida, and Wisconsin and offers alternative lending programs for self-employed borrowers, along with down payment assistance.
More detailsFeldman Vitaliy
Financial Advisor in Buffalo Grove
Vitaliy Feldman is a MetLife representative in Buffalo Grove, helping clients build financial security and move confidently toward their goals through carefully chosen financial instruments.
More detailsHome Loan Solutions
Mortgage Broker
Home Loan Solutions is a mortgage brokerage in Deerfield that has helped homebuyers in Russian and English since 2005, from first-time purchases to refinancing.
More detailsLATEST ARTICLES AND INSIGHTS
Who Is Actually Shopping?
Inside the Court Battle That Will Decide the Agent Economy
In March 2026, a federal judge in San Francisco did something no court had ever done before: she ruled on whether an AI agent, acting with a customer's explicit permission and using that customer's own password, is allowed to shop on a website that doesn't want it there. The website was Amazon. The agent belonged to Perplexity, the AI search company whose Comet browser lets people say "buy me this" and walk away. Amazon won. The ruling sounds like a narrow, technical dispute about browser fingerprinting and terms of service. It is actually the opening skirmish in a fight that will determine who really controls commerce for the next decade - and the honest answer, for the first time in retail history, might not be a company or a person, but a piece of software neither the buyer nor the seller fully owns.
More details
Unmarked Trucks, 900-Page Catalogs
The Billionaires You Have Never Heard Of
There is a good chance a particular catalog has sat on your desk, in your break room, or on a warehouse shelf at some point in your life - nearly 900 pages thick, printed twice a year, selling everything from cardboard boxes to industrial shelving. Almost nobody who has flipped through it could name the family that owns the company behind it. That's not an accident. Some of the largest private fortunes in North America were built entirely on the least glamorous businesses imaginable - packaging, wholesale distribution, industrial supply - by people who treated invisibility not as a side effect of success, but as the actual strategy.
More details
How to become a billionaire on other peoples technologies
In the technology world, we tend to celebrate inventors: the new chip, the new platform, the new device that supposedly makes tomorrow unimaginable without it. But the real maturity of an industry begins not where brilliant products are created, but where someone figures out how to build a great business on top of everyone elses complexity. That is precisely what World Wide Technology has done. A private company from St. Louis, Missouri, it manufactures no phones, no servers, no microchips - and has grown into a global technology solutions provider with annual revenue exceeding 20 billion.
More details
A place where to buy real estate today
Today, a new point of attraction is emerging on the map of Punta Cana - one that may significantly reshape the region’s landscape in the coming years. We are talking about Coral Golf Resort, a large-scale territory that is still at the very earliest stage of development. And that means this is precisely the moment when the foundation is being laid for the future growth in real estate values in this location.
More details
Mortge on your terms - a pause in payments that can last forever
Mortgage alphabet
With the current economic uncertainty, a weak job market, and rising gas and grocery prices driven by conflicts and wars in various parts of the world, more and more Canadians find themselves at a crossroads, worried about their financial future. We're increasingly receiving inquiries about the possibility of temporarily pausing mortgage payments or refinancing an existing mortgage to lower monthly payments.
More details
Why mortgage portability is no less important than the interest rate
Mortgage alphabet
When choosing a mortgage, many borrowers become so focused on the interest rate that they negotiate over every tenth of a percentage point while barely reading the conditions that could cost them far more. In Canada, this is especially important: life often changes faster than a five-year mortgage term ends. People move because of family, work, schools, neighbourhoods, housing size or expenses. And at the moment of moving, they may suddenly discover that the “best” mortgage can become a trap if it cannot be conveniently transferred to a new property.
More details
Do you dream of a villa by the sea?
How to make a dream come true
Sosúa is becoming one of the most interesting destinations on the north coast of the Dominican Republic - not only for vacations, but also for real estate purchases. It offers what many North American buyers are looking for: a warm climate year-round, proximity to the ocean, developed infrastructure, an international community and prices that still look attractive compared with more heavily promoted resort markets. Most importantly, Sosúa is no longer just a small resort town. In recent years, it has grown noticeably, become more convenient for daily life and is increasingly considered a place for winter stays, relocation, family vacations and investment.
More details
Where is it better to buy real estate for investment today
Samana Bayport is not simply a new cruise port. For the Samaná Peninsula, it is an infrastructure project that can change the entire investment map of the region. Where there was once one of the most beautiful yet undervalued corners of the Dominican Republic, a new point of attraction is forming for tourists, businesses and real estate buyers. These are the most interesting moments in a market: when the potential is already visible, the infrastructure is already being launched, but prices have not yet fully reflected the scale of future change.
More details
What the Bank of Canadas Rate Hold Actually Means
Mortgage alphabet
What if everything we were told about interest rates and the real estate market in 2025 turns out to be wrong?
More details
New Opportunities for the Self-Employed in 2026
Mortgage alphabet
The category of self-employed borrowers has been growing steadily lately, as more and more Canadians try their hand at working for themselves, and new technology makes it easier for small businesses to run all kinds of operations. That said, when reviewing a mortgage application for a home purchase, banks tend to treat these clients with a great deal of caution, and we're increasingly hearing from self-employed clients who've either been turned down by their own bank, or been approved for a mortgage amount that falls far short of what they actually need.
More details
Where do Canadians go?
Investments in real estate
The Dominican Republic is undergoing a remarkable transformation. A country that many people once saw primarily as a beach vacation destination is rapidly becoming one of the most dynamic centres of growth in the Caribbean. Spaniards, Argentinians, Venezuelans, Colombians, Canadians, Americans and citizens of dozens of other countries are moving here — increasingly not just as tourists, but as residents, investors and entrepreneurs choosing the Dominican Republic for long-term living, work and business.
More details
5 simple tips for mortgages recipients in 2026
Mortgage alphabet
According to the 2026 Housing Market Outlook from RE/MAX Canada, home sales are expected to increase by 3.4% next year. The report notes that this comes amid signs of renewed buyer interest in the fall compared with the first half of the year. In 32 of the 38 markets analyzed by RE/MAX between January 1 and October 31, 2025, home sales declined year over year. At the same time, the number of listings increased - in Ontario alone, the growth reached as much as 21 percent - contributing to a decline in average prices in 2025.
More details
How Do Lower Interest Rates Affect Your Life?
Mortgage alphabet
The Bank of Canada cut its key interest rate to 2.25% on October 29, continuing the rate-cutting cycle that began in June 2024. Today, we want to go back to basics and explain how interest rates actually work, and what to pay attention to in every Bank of Canada announcement. Here's what lower interest rates mean for you, for small businesses, and for the Canadian economy.
More details
The Best Place for Investment
The Dominican Republic is changing rapidly today. A country that, until recently, was seen mainly as a paradise destination for tourists is transforming into a dynamically developing economic and investment hub in the Caribbean region.
More details
The Bank of Canada Has Started a New Rate-Cutting Cycle!
Mortgage alphabet
On Wednesday, September 17, the Bank of Canada finally cut its key interest rate by 25 basis points to 2.50%, after holding it steady all summer long.
More details
Rates We Have Not Seen Since March 2022
Mortgage alphabet
The Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA) reports that home sales rose 6.6% in July compared to a year ago, continuing the upward trend following the market slowdown seen in previous months. In all, 45,973 homes changed hands last month, compared to 43,122 in July 2024.
More details
The Bank of Canada Holds Its Key Interest Rate Steady
When Should We Expect a Cut?
On Wednesday, July 30, the Bank of Canada held its key interest rate at 2.75%, citing ongoing uncertainty around tariffs and the outcome of trade negotiations between Canada and the US. The rate has now remained unchanged since March. Alongside the rate announcement, the Bank published its latest Monetary Policy Report, noting that "amid heightened uncertainty around US trade policy, the outlook for the Canadian economy remains clouded."
More details
Why now is the best time to buy the first real estate
Mortgage alphabet
In more than 20 years in the Canadian mortgage business, we have never seen as many programs, tax benefits, and incentives for first-time homebuyers as we have today. Real estate prices — especially in the condominium market, which is often the entry point for first-time buyers — have declined over the past year and a half, while the number of available listings has increased. This gives first-time buyers the opportunity to calmly choose the right condo or house, negotiate, allow enough time for mortgage approval, complete the transaction without unnecessary stress, and move into their first home. Let us briefly review the key advantages and benefits currently available to first-time homebuyers in Canada, and in Ontario in particular.
More details
How to Avoid Losing Your Home, Save a Deal, or Reduce Your Debt Load
Mortgage alphabet
The growing divide among consumers amid economic uncertainty is becoming increasingly clear, as the number of missed payments has risen compared to last year, according to a new Equifax report.
More details
How does the United States buy the Dominican Republic and how to make money on it?
The Dominican Republic is now living through a moment that may become a turning point for its economy, infrastructure and real estate market. A country still perceived by many primarily as a beach destination is rapidly becoming a regional centre for tourism, logistics, manufacturing, energy and international investment. For real estate buyers, this matters enormously: when new manufacturing, air connections, infrastructure projects, jobs and stricter labour-market rules arrive at the same time, the cost of land, construction and finished properties almost always changes.
More details
The Dominican Republic real estate boom
Why this market has become so attractive
Not long ago, real estate in the Dominican Republic was, for many North American buyers, mainly a vacation dream: palm trees, ocean, warm winters and an apartment to visit a few times a year. Today, the picture has become much more serious. The Dominican Republic is turning into one of the most visible resort real estate markets in the Caribbean, supported by growing tourism, new development projects, improving infrastructure, strong short-term rental demand and increasing interest from Canadians, Americans and Europeans.
More details
Real Estate Market Outlook for Spring
The Greater Toronto real estate market is clearly coming back to life. Over the past couple of weeks, we've started getting a large number of calls from prospective buyers. And it's not just the so-called "end users" waking up - people buying for themselves - we're also starting to hear from investors looking to buy property for investment purposes. Over the past two years, investors reaching out to us in Toronto have mostly been asking about refinancing, or asking whether it's even possible to sell a property that's turned into a money-losing one.
More details
Mortgage Renewal: how not to overpay when renewing your mortgage
Mortgage renewal is not a formality and not just a signature on the letter your bank sends you. For many Canadian homeowners, it is one of the most important financial moments in the entire period of owning a property. This is the point at which you may save thousands of dollars, improve the terms of your loan, reconsider amortization, consolidate debts - or, on the contrary, make an expensive mistake by automatically accepting the first offer.
More details
Why do people move to the Dominican Republic
We have been selling real estate in the Dominican Republic for several years now. Just a couple of years ago, most of our clients who purchased property on the eastern coast of the Dominican Republic were buying primarily for investment purposes.
More details
How to get a loan to buy real estate in the Dominican Republic
Some of our clients need financing when purchasing real estate in the Dominican Republic, so in this article I would like to explain in detail how real estate financing works in the country.
More details
How Much It Costs and How to Buy a Condo in Dominican Paradise
Demand for real estate in the Dominican Republic is breaking every record - every project that comes to market sells out almost instantly, and prices are climbing before our eyes. In this piece, I want to walk you through how to buy property here, how much money you'll need, what financing options are available, and how much short-term rental income you can expect as a property owner during the time you're not using it yourself.
More details
What the New, Sharp Rate Cut Means for Mortgages
Mortgage alphabet
The Bank of Canada's latest moves to cut interest rates could spur a pickup in buyer activity in the real estate market, experts note, though some buyers may still be waiting for the year's final rate decision.
More details
A Rare Window for First-Time Buyers
The post-pandemic downturn in the Ontario real estate market has seriously affected a lot of people's lives, but every downturn comes with both drawbacks and opportunities. I want to talk about who stands to benefit from the situation as it stands today. The downturn is clearly winding down: mortgages are already available at 4% annually, and rates keep falling. Over the next year, the Ontario real estate market is going to change significantly. And right now, in what will be a very short window, a unique opportunity has opened up for anyone without their own home to finally get their first property.
More details
What Will Rent Cost in Two Years?
The Rental Market
It's no secret that at today's lending rates, renting works out cheaper than buying with a mortgage, since the loan payment, maintenance, and annual taxes on a purchased unit all end up costing more than renting a comparable one. How long will that last? Might it actually be more advantageous to just keep renting, and not buy at all? Let's take a closer look at whether that's really the case.
More details
What to Do If You Have Bought a House But Can Not Sell Your Existing Home
Mortgage alphabet
Right now, there's an interesting standoff playing out in the real estate market - rates are coming down, sellers are listing their properties, prices are essentially holding steady, and buyers, despite pent-up demand and a genuine need to buy, keep waiting for rates and/or prices to fall even further.
More details
How Much Investors Are Earning in Calgary Right Now
Calgary real estate is breaking every record. On average over 2023, Calgary real estate appreciated 15%, and since most of our projects are condos and townhouses, those specific property types appreciated 19% and 20% respectively. So, unlike Toronto, 2023 was an excellent year for Calgary real estate, and of course for those who took our advice about this promising market. Now, after a relatively quiet January, buyers are back on the market, and it looks like this February will once again break every sales record, though I don't think that'll last long. The traditionally hot spring months are still ahead, and everyone's expecting lending rates to come down soon. So Calgary real estate is set to break more than a few records this year.
More details
How Soon Should We Expect the First Rate Cut?
Mortgage alphabet
The Bank of Canada held its rate steady on January 24 for a fourth consecutive meeting, and for the first time stated directly that it won't need to raise rates again if the economy continues developing in line with its forecasts.
More details
The New Canadian Mortgage Charter
What You Need to Know
Amid challenges tied to rising interest rates and inflation, many Canadians are experiencing financial strain and worrying about their ability to keep up with mortgage payments. In fact, a recent Angus Reid survey found that four in five homeowners with a mortgage say they are either concerned (40%) or very concerned (39%) about facing higher payments when it comes time to renew their mortgage.
More details
Pause from the Bank of Canada - how will the real estate market react?
Mortgage alphabet
Most current and prospective property owners in Canada are asking the same question today: has the rise in mortgage rates finally stopped, and when will the right moment come to buy or sell real estate?
More details
Debts: not to drown, but to escape
Financial debt is like a toothache - it must be treated immediately, says independent consultant Sergey, who calls himself the Debt Doctor - A Debt Doctor. Most importantly, he is ready to help people even in the most desperate situations.
More details
What to expect from interest rates and what to do today
Mortgage alphabet
Mortgage interest rates have risen significantly and continue to put pressure on Canadian households. The logical question we have to answer every day is: when will rates stop rising and begin to come down?
More details
Investment paradise in the Caribbean
Many readers who follow my publications already know that, since the beginning of this year, we have been specializing not only in real estate investment opportunities in Toronto and Calgary, but also in Caribbean real estate. On our YouTube channel (@newgtacondos), in the Caribbean playlist, you can already watch a series of videos about Caribbean properties that may be of interest both to buyers looking for a vacation home and to investors.
More details
Reverse mortgage looks very profitable today
Mortgage alphabet
We are increasingly seeing homeowners over the age of 55 who have nearly paid off the mortgage on their property, yet have not managed to save enough for a comfortable retirement. Selling their homes today is not always the best solution, especially given the changes in the real estate market and the rapidly rising cost of rent.
More details
Orson Condos
A Calgary investment with a clear rental strategy
Real estate investors today are asking serious questions. The market has changed: high interest rates, cautious banks, expensive mortgages, more demanding tenants and very different dynamics from one city to another mean that every investment must be calculated much more carefully than a few years ago. That is why a strong investment project must answer several questions at once: where is it located, who is building it, how realistic is the entry price, is there rental demand, how is the deposit structured, who will manage the property, and is there a clear exit strategy?
More details
A Debt Doctor rushes to the rescue
Sergey, you call yourself A Debt Doctor. Is this a kind of financial emergency service?
More details
Two extremes of todays market
Mortgage alphabet
While more than a quarter of Canadians say they plan to purchase an investment property within the next five years, another group of homeowners is beginning to feel the weight of debt obligations much more seriously.
More details
There is always a way out!
Living without debt is difficult. There is a reason folk wisdom has so much to say about it: a debt is honoured by repayment, debt can wrap itself around you like silk, and so on. But one day, a growing mountain of debt may simply collapse on top of us. How can we protect ourselves from that and continue living a normal life?
More details
The Real Estate Market Is Picking Up Steam Again
Mortgage alphabet
Canadians are feeling increasingly optimistic as the outlook for the real estate market steadily improves, while the economy moves slowly forward with only a few signs of an unavoidable recession.
More details
How to Keep Your Cost of Borrowing Low
Mortgage alphabet
In our previous article, we described situations where a bank turns down your mortgage application, and we discussed alternative or private financing as an option. For some clients, this is a perfectly reasonable, and often the only available, short-term solution when buying or refinancing a property. Sometimes, though, a client has solid, verifiable income and would seem to qualify for the best possible interest rate, but a less-than-perfect credit history stands in the way, since A-category banks tend to have fairly strict minimum credit score requirements.
More details
What to do if the bank refused to issue you a mortgage
Mortgage alphabet
Despite the continuing decline in Canadian real estate prices, it is becoming increasingly difficult for borrowers to qualify for mortgages through their own banks or through other financial institutions that use standard qualification rules. This is mainly due to the sharp increase in interest rates and monthly payments, as well as the tightening of policies and requirements at major banks regulated by government authorities.
More details
Canadian debt write-off: 6 steps
It may seem surprising, but even in a wealthy country like Canada, personal debt remains a serious problem for a very large number of people. The high cost of living, credit cards, lines of credit, car loans, mortgage payments, rent, taxes, inflation and unexpected expenses can quickly create a situation where a person no longer controls their debts - the debts control their life. Many families live from paycheque to paycheque, and even a small delay in income or a sudden job loss can disrupt the entire financial balance.
More details
Why People Choose A Debt Doctor
Continued
Today, among the services helping Russian-speaking Toronto residents get free of debt, A DEBT DOCTOR offers the most effective debt-relief programs, with the least possible cost in money, time, and stress. We genuinely protect our clients from creditors, collection agencies, the courts, and unreasonable financial demands from a Trustee in Bankruptcy. Depending on your financial situation, we'll put together the debt-reduction program that fits you best, protect your home, your car, and your other property, and, most importantly, give you back your peace of mind and stability. We'll consolidate all of your debts into a single, manageable monthly payment that fits your budget. We'll help you get your debts discharged and rebuild or improve your creditworthiness.
More details
Why People Choose A Debt Doctor
Today, among the services helping Russian-speaking Toronto residents get free of debt, A DEBT DOCTOR offers the most effective debt-relief programs, with the least possible cost in money, time, and stress. We genuinely protect our clients from creditors, collection agencies, the courts, and unreasonable financial demands from a Trustee in Bankruptcy.
More details
How to get rid of debts with A Debt Doctor
When debt begins to control your life, the problem is rarely only about numbers. It becomes constant pressure, fear of phone calls, letters from creditors, collection activity, the risk of legal action and the feeling that there is no way out. But there is a way out. In Canada, there are legal tools that can stop the pressure, combine debts into a manageable payment, protect assets and begin financial recovery without chaos and panic.
More details
Housing Market Could Face a Historic Correction
Amid Sharply Rising Interest Rates
According to a new RBC report, Canadas real estate market could be facing its largest downturn in several decades. After home prices soared during the pandemic - with some of the priciest markets seeing gains of 50 percent or more - the countrys largest bank is forecasting that national home prices will fall by more than 12 percent by early next year.
More details
Calgary - Klondike for investors
For a long time, Calgarys real estate market was heavily dependent on energy prices. In 2005-2008, when oil prices were at their peak, the city was literally booming. The rental vacancy rate was practically zero, and real estate prices were comparable to those in Toronto. Then difficult times began for Albertas economy: energy prices collapsed, most companies shut down production because it was no longer profitable, and many people moved to other provinces. Albertas real estate sector also entered a crisis. Prices did not exactly fall, but they stopped growing. From 2010 to the end of 2020 - in other words, over an entire decade - real estate prices in Calgary barely increased. By comparison, during the same ten years, real estate in the GTA rose by about 250 percent.
More details
Bankruptcy or Consumer Proposal: which is better?
When debt becomes heavier than a person can reasonably carry, the main question is no longer theoretical. It becomes deeply personal: how can you get out of the situation with the least possible damage and avoid losing what can still be protected? In Canada, there are two powerful legal tools for this: Bankruptcy and Consumer Proposal. Both can stop creditor pressure and help eliminate a significant portion of debt. But they are not the same. The difference is not only in the size of the payment, but in the level of control, treatment of assets, impact on credit history and the future of your financial life.
More details
That Unfamiliar Word: BANKRUPT
In this piece, we'd like to walk you through the basics of personal bankruptcy. Put simply, bankruptcy means being unable to pay your debts on time. That can include debts owed to financial institutions or private individuals, taxes, student loans, and so on. To put it another way, more officially, under the Canada Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act and the Ontario Execution Act, bankruptcy is a measure designed to help someone facing a financial crisis get free of debt and start fresh.
More details
Informal и Consumer Proposal
Informal and Consumer Proposal
In our previous article, we looked at the main methods of debt relief. In this article, we will explain Informal Proposals and Consumer Proposals.
More details
What debts can be written off and how
In the previous article, we touched on two main categories of debt: secured debts — debts guaranteed by some form of the debtors property, such as a vehicle, real estate, or other assets.
More details
A Full-Scale Assault on Canadian Real Estate Market Has Begun
Mortgage alphabet
From rising mortgage rates to provincial-level intervention, to the uncertainty of what Canada's Minister of Finance has in store for us next week, a senior economist at BMO Capital Markets has put it in blunt terms about the domestic real estate market. We're seeing a full-scale assault on Canadian home prices from policymakers at every level, says Robert Kavcic.
More details
How to deal with different types of debts
Life in Canada is often built around access to credit. Credit cards, lines of credit, personal loans, car financing, mortgages and business loans can all be useful tools when debt is under control. But when prices rise faster than income, interest rates put pressure on the family budget, and minimum payments become an endless circle with no exit, credit stops being a convenience and becomes a problem. According to Statistics Canada, by the end of 2025 Canadian households carried about $1.77 in credit market debt for every dollar of disposable income. This is not just a statistic - it is the reality in which many families live under constant financial strain.
More details
How Will Rising Rates Affect Mortgage Holders
Mortgage alphabet
Variable-rate mortgage holders have something to celebrate - on Wednesday, January 26, the Bank of Canada surprised markets by holding its key interest rate at 0.25%, though it did stress that interest rates will gradually rise going forward. The central bank chose not to raise rates despite climbing inflation and a stronger-than-expected economic recovery. Ahead of the Bank's meeting, Bloomberg data showed roughly a 70% probability of a rate hike in January.
More details
Is it still profitable to invest in GTA real estate
Mortgage alphabet
Canadian real estate market no longer follows a simple story of uninterrupted growth. After a period of record-low interest rates, intense buyer demand, and rapid price gains, the country moved through a sharp tightening cycle, slower sales, and a serious reassessment of risk. Yet the central question for buyers, investors, and renters remains the same: is real estate in Canadas major cities still a reliable long-term asset, or has the market entered a more cautious and selective phase?
More details
Why Ordinary Parents Are Investing in Current Market
When Will Rates Rise?
A recent CIBC survey revealed an interesting trend: despite noticeably higher prices, Canadians aren't just continuing to invest in real estate, the share of investors relative to primary-home buyers has actually risen over the course of the pandemic. Today, 25 percent of all property purchased in Ontario isn't being bought as a primary residence, and in many cases, the investors behind these purchases are people just like your neighbours and relatives, people with kids and grandkids of their own.
More details
Is Era of Historically Low Mortgage Rates Coming to an End?
Mortgage alphabet
Over the last week of September, the bond market jumped sharply, and the five-year bond yield has now climbed above 1% (back in the spring, it stood at just 0.4%). Does this mean historically low fixed rates will soon be a thing of the past?
More details
The Calgary Condominium Market
We always keep a close eye on the best opportunities in the pre-construction market, constantly monitoring different areas of Toronto and staying on top of the infrastructure projects the city has planned and how any given neighbourhood is set to develop, since that's the single most important factor affecting the returns our clients earn on their investments. On top of that, we also keep a close watch on what's happening in other Canadian cities.
More details
Will the Sale of Your Principal Residence Be Taxed?
Mortgage alphabet
As many of us know, Canada is holding a snap election on September 20, called by Prime Minister Trudeau in hopes of capitalizing on a relative lull between pandemic waves and securing a parliamentary majority. One of the central non-pandemic issues has become housing affordability, which has seen sharp price growth over the past year.
More details
The Next Rate-Hike Cycle and How to Prepare for It
Mortgage alphabet
This month, our wonderful Canada celebrates its 154th birthday! Restrictions from the third wave of the coronavirus are gradually being lifted, and step by step, we're returning to normal life. Against the backdrop of prolonged restrictions and lockdowns easing, Canadian spending is on the rise, as household savings have grown significantly. This is exactly why investors expect the next tightening cycle from the Bank of Canada, expected to begin in 2022, to push interest rates above the previous cycle's peak for the first time in decades.
More details
How to Make Good Money in Real Estate
Investment strategies
Today I want to talk about the economic downturn caused by the coronavirus pandemic, and how real estate investors can genuinely profit from it. The economic crisis created by the pandemic has swept across every country in the world, and Canada is weathering it with the smallest losses of any developed nation. What does that mean for us?
More details
What is going to happen to real estate prices
Mortgage alphabet
According to a report from the National Bank of Canada (NBC), major Canadian urban centers became more affordable when it comes to real estate in the second quarter of 2020. These results followed two consecutive quarters of deterioration. The improvement is linked to higher incomes and, more importantly, lower interest rates.
More details
What credit score do we start with in Canada?
Your first credit product in Canada is not just a plastic card in your wallet. It is the moment when the financial system begins watching how carefully you handle borrowed money. For a young person, a newcomer or anyone starting over financially, this can feel intimidating: yesterday you had no Canadian credit history, and today a few small decisions may affect the terms on which you can later get a credit card, car loan, mortgage or line of credit.
More details
Key Points from the Federal Election Campaign in Canada
Mortgage alphabet
The election campaigns are underway, and the federal parties have begun laying out their plans to improve housing affordability for voters.
More details
The New CMHC Program
Mortgage alphabet
The government recently released details of a new program, first announced during the federal budget presentation. Under this initiative, Canada's housing agency will contribute up to 10 percent of the total price of a first-time buyer's home purchase, provided certain conditions are met.
More details
Measures to Help First-Time Homebuyers
In the New Federal Budget
The 2019 federal budget includes an appealing new initiative for prospective first-time home buyers - a measure that could see Canada's housing agency cover roughly 10 percent of a home's price, easing the mortgage burden on borrowers.
More details
Will the Mortgage Stress Test Be Revisited?
Mortgage alphabet
A series of regulatory changes, including interest rate hikes, foreign buyer taxes, and the stress test, have led to a slowdown in activity across Canada's real estate markets.
More details
What is a good credit history
Part 2
A good credit history in Canada is not merely a nice score in an app and not an abstract number to be proud of. It is your financial reputation. Banks, mortgage lenders, leasing companies and other creditors use it to answer one essential question: can you be trusted with money, on what terms and at what interest rate? Very often, the difference between an average credit profile and a truly strong one is not only approval or rejection, but thousands of dollars in extra cost on a mortgage, car loan or line of credit.
More details
What is a good credit history
Part 1
What is a good credit history, and how can you improve it? Most of us understand that credit history matters in Canada when applying for a mortgage, car loan, credit card, line of credit, or many other types of financing. Many people already have a credit history. But there is a major difference between simply having a credit history and having a strong one - the kind that helps you get approved, receive better terms, and qualify for a lower interest rate.
More details
Income is more important than property
There is a simple financial truth that many people remember too late: income is more important than assets. A house, a car, investments, RRSPs and savings may seem like a familys most important assets, but all of them rest on one foundation - your ability to earn. If income disappears, even the most beautiful home quickly stops being a symbol of success and becomes a monthly obligation that still has to be paid.
More details
The Most Secretive Billionaire in the World
Most people who own something from Zara, Pull & Bear, Bershka, or Massimo Dutti have never heard the name Amancio Ortega. This is entirely by design. The founder of Inditex - the world's largest fashion retailer, with revenues exceeding $45 billion and stores in 93 markets - has given fewer than three interviews in his life. Until 1999, no photograph of him had ever been published. He has refused audiences with Spanish royalty, citing his busy schedule. He lunches in the employee cafeteria, does not wear Zara clothing, and has spent the majority of his life in the same port city in northwestern Spain where he opened his first store in 1975. His wealth, estimated at nearly $150 billion, makes him one of the ten richest people on earth. The man himself remains almost completely invisible - and that, as this story reveals, is no accident.
More details
Millennials Are About to Have a Major Impact on Real Estate Market
Mortgage alphabet
Generation Y represents a massive group of people looking to break into the real estate market. But will affordability challenges and new mortgage rules stand in their way?
More details
Why exactly is $ - dollar
Most people instantly recognize the letter S, crossed by one or two vertical strokes, as the dollar sign. The dollar is the main monetary unit not only of the United States, but also of many other countries. That is why the dollar symbol $ is used to denote not only the American dollar, but also the currencies of other nations, often with additional letters indicating a specific country: for example, Trinidad and Tobago - TT$, Barbados - BDS$, Australia - A$ or AU$, and so on. But why did the letter S become the basis for the symbol of the American currency, when the word dollar does not even contain that letter?
More details
Refinancing as a Way to Save Money and Get a Handle on Debt
Mortgage alphabet
Most homebuyers barely think about their mortgage once they've got it: the payment comes out of their bank account automatically, and few people give much thought to the rate or terms their mortgage broker arranged for them.
More details
What not to do when choosing a mortgage
Whether you are buying your first property or have already been through the process before, choosing the right mortgage, lender, broker and financing terms requires careful planning. For most buyers, this is not just another financial product. It is one of the most important decisions of their lives. A mistake here can cost tens of thousands of dollars and, in some cases, take away the financial breathing room a family needs.
More details
When Your Child Buys a Home
Mortgage alphabet
With current real estate prices and stricter mortgage rules, first-time home buyers can find it very difficult to purchase the home they want. Many, in situations like this, turn to their parents for help, and parents are often willing to gift their beloved children money for the down payment. We do not judge that at all - quite the opposite, we welcome that kind of help!
More details
Muskoka instead of Mexico
Mortgage alphabet
The Canadian dream of owning a cottage has not disappeared. If anything, it has become stronger in recent years. After long winters, crowded cities, expensive air travel and growing fatigue from constant noise, more people are once again drawn to the lake, the quiet, the forest and a dock of their own. For many Canadians, cottage life is not simply a type of vacation. It is part of the national character: leaving for a long weekend, opening the door to the deck, hearing the water, lighting the barbecue and, for a few days, recovering a sense of simplicity and freedom.
More details
How to Win the Fight for the Home You Want
Mortgage alphabet
And still come out of it with your financing intact? $50,000, $100,000, or even $215,000 - no, that's not the price of the home in question, that's the amount many clients today are being forced to pay above the asking price, caught up in genuine bidding wars over a home they love. And we're not talking about newspaper stories or pricey neighbourhoods here - this is happening to real people in Toronto, people just like the ones around you. Today, we want to talk through one very important question: will the financial institution issuing your mortgage actually agree with the price you're about to pay for the property you're buying?
More details
Already Took the Biggest Risk
Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Nearly half of the Fortune 500 - 231 out of 500 companies - were founded by immigrants or their children, generating USD 8.6 trillion in annual revenue and employing more than 15 million people worldwide. In Canada, immigrants account for a full third of all business owners with paid staff, and in some provinces roughly one in two entrepreneurs is projected to be foreign-born within the next decade. These are not marginal statistics, and they're not explained by luck, sentiment, or any single spectacular success story. Researchers who study this pattern closely have identified something more specific: a set of concrete, repeatable behaviors that show up again and again, across countries, industries, and generations - starting with a psychological detail most people never think to name.
More details
Secrets of financing real estate for rent (pt 2)
Mortgage alphabet
Buying real estate for rental income is no longer a simple formula of buy a property, find a tenant, collect passive income. Today, financing investment property in Canada requires much more precise preparation. Banks look more carefully at income, debts, documents, ownership structure, quality of rental income and the number of properties already owned. That is why an investor must understand not only the down payment and interest rate, but also how the lender will calculate rental income, debt service ratios and overall ability to carry a portfolio.
More detailsThe Secrets of Financing Rental Property
Mortgage alphabet
Just a little over four years ago, you could buy an investment property with no down payment at all, and still get the best interest rates on the market.
More details
Purchase, financing and taxation of real estate for foreigners
Mortgage alphabet
We often work with international clients, and for this category of buyers it is especially important to understand that purchasing real estate in Canada today requires far more careful preparation than it once did. Non-residents and foreign buyers face special rules, restrictions, taxes, lender requirements and CRA procedures. A mistake at any stage — from choosing the property to transferring funds and filing tax documents — can become very expensive. The main principle is simple: legal and financial review first, offer to purchase second.
More details
Built to Last
What Family Businesses That Survive Actually Do Differently
Scotland has a proverb for it: the father buys, the son builds, the grandson sells, and his son begs. China has its own version, almost word for word. Italy speaks of fortune traveling "from the stable to the stars and back to the stable." Nobody coordinated these sayings across centuries and continents, and yet they all converge on the identical number: three generations. The statistics back up the folklore with uncomfortable precision - but a small number of families have quietly figured out how to break the pattern, and what they actually do differently turns out to be far less mysterious, and far more learnable, than the proverb makes it sound.
More details
