Financial Product Reviews

Fairstone Financial is a Canadian lender and offers secured and unsecured personal loans to people who cannot normally obtain them from more traditional lenders. They’ve been around since 1923 and have over 240 branches in Canada.

Equifax is one of Canada's 2 national credit bureaus and the Equifax Complete Premier subscription service provides unlimited access to your Equifax credit score, credit report, and much more. Getting this information straight from the source can be invaluable for many Canadians who are worried about identity theft and/or improving their credit. This aids in spotting errors, fraud, or any potential leaked data and getting it fixed.

From one of Canada's official credit bureaus comes TransUnion Credit Monitoring, a subscription service that provides unlimited access to your credit score, report, and many other valuable features.

The BMO US Dollar Premium Rate Savings Account is available for existing BMO customers who want a place to hold any USD they have coming in, without having to convert it to Canadian dollars first. This sort of account exists so you can save money in USD when conversion rates are less beneficial, then convert it all over when exchange rates are working more in your favour. Or if you spend money in USD, you won’t have to worry about getting it converted.

Instacart Canada is known specifically as a grocery delivery service, but it actually partners with a wide range of retailers to deliver all sorts of products, such as pet supplies, alcohol, high-end makeup, office supplies, and more. If you need it, odds are that Instacart Canada can deliver it.

UFile is Canadian-made tax software that starts at $20.95 for individuals, though many people can actually use it for free. Students, newcomers, low-income earners (under $20,000), and anyone with a simple return can file without paying a cent, making it one of the more accessible paid tax solutions in Canada. For those who value privacy, UFile Windows is available for $22.99, allowing you to store your tax data locally instead of in the cloud.

You want to budget but you want it to be easy. No work. No pain. Almost…fun? That’s the premise behind You Need a Budget or “why-NAB” software.

Quicken (Deluxe) is a type of subscription-based budgeting software available for desktops or mobile devices via apps or a web browser. This product has been around for decades and remains a popular option for Canadians trying to manage their finances.

Sonnet Insurance is an online-only insurance company that offers lower insurance rates than many of its competitors. It does this by having no physical presence, passing those savings on to its customers. This could be great if you’ve just bought a house and are primarily concerned about premiums, but if you’re looking for a more personal touch, Sonnet probably isn’t the company for you.

Sonnet Car Insurance is a fully online insurance provider offering home and auto coverage, backed by Definity Financial Corporation. Their biggest draw is competitive rates on car insurance, made possible by their online model that passes savings directly to customers. Sonnet promises an auto insurance quote in just 5 minutes after answering a few easy questions.