Financial Product Reviews
The MAXA Financial High Interest Savings Account offers 1.85% interest on every penny you keep in the account, which is much more than the big banks offer. You can access your money with a debit card, which isn't always an option for online banks. And though MAXA is a division of the Westoba Credit Union (based in Manitoba), this savings account is available Canada-wide.
- Older than 18
- Canadian citizen or permanent resident
- Make a one-time purchase of $5 in membership shares
- Deposits 100% guaranteed by Deposit Guarantee Corporation of Manitoba
Like most major Canadian banks, TD offers several different investment products, including mutual funds. You can invest in mutual funds with TD through their DIY investment platform, TD Direct Investing, or through your TD Wealth financial advisor.
- Plenty of funds available
- Small minimum investment
- Wide range of account types available
- Portfolio options for even easier investing
- Mutual funds take time to see results
- High fees for mutual funds
- DIY investing option
- Set up regular contributions to your investment accounts
- TFSA
- RRSP
- Cash
- RESP
- RIF
- Margin
- LIRA
- LIF
- RDSP
- Balanced
- Canadian Equity
- Global Equity
- Fixed Income
- Money Market
- Sector
- US Equity
- Portfolio Solutions
- Retirement
- Conservative
- Balanced Income
- Balanced
- Balanced Growth
- Growth
- Aggressive
Vanguard offers an array of different exchange traded funds (ETFs) for Canadians, including equity, fixed income, and asset allocation products. There are a number of different ETFs in each of these categories. On the other hand, Vanguard prides itself on having lower fees and associated costs than other investments, which may be of interest.
- Different types of ETFs are available
- Available through a number of online brokerages
- Lower associated costs than other ETFs
- No minimum investment amount
- As with all investments, there are risks
- Designed for Canadian residents
- Education and commentary blog
- Fund comparison tool
- Cost simulator tool
- Investor questionnaire
- YouTube channel with investment commentary
- All In One
- Total Market ETFs
- ESG
Questrade is a discount online brokerage tool that not only offers Canadian traders the ability to embark on DIY investing journeys, but also offers a more laid-back robo advisor option through Questwealth. Whichever option you choose, you can opt to open a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), which lets you grow your money without worrying about taxes.
- Your money grows tax free
- ETFs and stocks are low cost
- Get guaranteed and tax-free return with a TFSA GIC
- Mutual funds available
- Let the pros do the work with Questwealth portfolios
- Get $50 off commission fees OR $10,000 managed free for a year
- No savings account available
- GICs and bonds have high minimum investments of $5,000
- Mutual funds are $9.95 a trade
- Canadian citizen
- Low cost investing
- ETFs are free to buy
If you're looking to finance, refinance, or lease a car, Coast Capital Auto Finance is worth checking out. With flexible, low-interest and competitive car loans, they put money back in your pocket. Plus, as a Certified B Corp, they reinvest 10% of their profits each year back into the communities they work, live and serve in. The best part? You can apply online in as little as 10 minutes.
- Coast Capital is a B Corp
- Financing, refinancing, and leases available
- Easy applications and quick approvals
- Potentially low interest rates
- You'll need to have a good credit score
- You'll need a decent income
- Only available in 8 provinces
- Must be legal age of majority
- Financing is not available for students or people with limited credit
- Can't have a SIN that starts with a 9
- Anyone with a prior insolvency doesn't qualify
- Coast Capital is a certified B Corporation
- Financing, refinancing, and leases available
- No payment for the first 90 days
If you've ever wanted to get into the world of cryptocurrency trading but weren't quite sure where to start, Wealthsimple Crypto is designed for you. Wealthsimple Crypto supports 140+ cryptocurrencies – including Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana. And while they charge higher transaction fees than other exchanges, the simplicity of Wealthsimple Crypto might be worth it.
- Incredibly easy to get started
- Designed by and for Canadians
- Ties directly to your Wealthsimple account
- Easy to understand transaction fees
- New user offer
- Higher transaction fees than some other options
- Lacks advanced trading features
- Be a Canadian citizen, Canadian resident, or have a valid Canadian visa
- Meet the minimum age requirement set by your province
- Have a Social Insurance Number (SIN)
- Have a Canadian residential address
- Satisfy identity verification requirements
- Quick and easy sign up
- No account minimums
- Simple and transparent pricing
- No fees to deposit or withdraw
- Extensive cold storage insurance coverage
With high transaction fees and zero interest on balances under $10,000, the TD ePremium Savings Account is pretty lacklustre. Its main draw is that it's with one of the biggest and most reliable banks in Canada.
- Age of majority in your province or territory
The CIBC eAdvantage Savings Account is a basic savings account with a few convenient perks, but lacklustre interest rates. Still, as a product from one of the country's largest and most respected financial institutions, familiarity and reliability can make it feel like quite an attractive option.
- No monthly fee
- Sweet promotional interest rate
- Earn Smart Interest on top of your regular interest
- No fee for transferring money between CIBC accounts
- Low interest rate
- No other free transactions
- High per-transaction fees
- And everything else incurs some kind of fee
- You must be a Canadian resident
- You must meet your province's age of majority
PureVPN helps protect your data and your privacy while using the internet, from any of your devices. With support for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android, Linux, Chrome, and Firefox, you'll be hard pressed to find a device that you can't use with PureVPN.
- Get 4-tools-in-1 with PureMax
- Customer support available 24/7
- Support for the vast majority of devices
- Up to 10 simultaneous connections
- Low fees for longer subscriptions
- 31 day money back guarantee
- Relatively high month-by-month subscription fee
- Optional extras increase your fees
- Frequently offers discounted trials
- 24/7 customer support
- Supports Linux, Chrome, and Firefox
- Optional dedicated IP, port forwarding, DDOS protection addons
- Servers in over 65 countries
Car Loans Canada turns the car buying process upside down by getting you pre-approved for a loan before you even start browsing vehicles to buy. After filling out an application on their website, you work with a loan specialist who matches you with a lender based on your eligibility. Their goal is to get your finances figured out early to save you the frustration of being rejected for financing on a car you really like.
- Quick and easy to get started
- Doesn't impact your credit score (yet)
- Will help you find car loans for bad credit
- Not a lender, just a loan matchmaking service
- Requires a lot of personal information up front
- Cannot complete the process entirely online
- Age 21+
- Monthly income of $2,000+
- Must be employed with at least 3 months on the job
- Income verification
- Valid driver's license
- Must have a valid Canadian address
- Car loan preapproval
- No impact on your credit score
- Free credit score at the start of the process











