Financial Product Reviews
Wealthsimple Tax (formerly SimpleTax) is free Canadian tax software that aims to make filing your taxes easy. There’s no downloading necessary – you can go through the process right in your internet browser with step-by-step instructions and auto-fill features. And with maximum refund and accuracy guarantees in place – it’s worth giving it a shot. You’ll even be able to transfer prior year data, an option only available on a handful of other tax software.
- It's free to use
- 100% accuracy guarantee
- Support for all provinces – even Quebec
- Covers simple tax situations, plus some complex ones
- Ability to import prior year data
- Support is through email only
- There is no app
- Limit of 20 returns per account
- Canadian citizen
- Maximum refund guarantee
- RRSP calculator
- Auto-fill available
- Always
Rakuten Canada has long been one of Canada's favourite cash back sites, thanks to its wide range of over 750 retail partners and legit cash back opportunities. Over the last 10 years, it’s paid out more than $100 million to Canadians, which shows how popular Rakuten Canada really is.
- It's so easy to earn free money
- More than 750 partnering stores and services
- Browse and earn with the Gift Card Shop
- Welcome bonus and referral program
- Rewards are only paid out 4 times per year
- Tricky exceptions for cash back purchases
- Cash back amounts change without notice
- Link a credit card and get cash back when shopping in-store
- Rakuten Button browser extension provides automatic cash back alerts
- Impressive $30 referral bonus
MogoMoney (which is what the Mogo loans service is called) offers flexible unsecured loans that are quick and easy to get. A part of the interesting product line offered by Mogo Financial, you can get pre-approved in as little as 3 minutes. Plus by making an account, you'll get free access to your credit score.
- Applying is quick and easy
- Mogo loans available for people with "meh" credit scores
- 100-day test drive
- Flexible terms so you can pay your loan off anytime
- Modern app to keep track of your payments and principal
- Very high interest rate of 34.37%
- Lack of customer service
- Questionable marketing tactics
- Resident of Canada
- Must have a credit profile
- Loans available for "meh" credit scores
- 100 day trial
- Access to credit score
- Receive your loan as soon as the same day
- No impact to your credit score when checking if you qualify
- On-time payments give you access to higher loan amounts
Wealthsimple managed investing is a robo advising investment platform from one of Canada's favourite online brokerages, Wealthsimple. It offers a hands-off investment experience with no paperwork and no account minimums – a huge draw for anyone who's new to the world of investing or simply trying to make smart choices with minimal funds.
- Easy to understand fees
- The set-and-forget-it simplicity
- A good array of account types that can grow with you
- Extraordinary security for your money and accounts
- Grow into Wealthsimple Premium
- Socially responsible and Halal investment options available
- Higher account management fees
- Limited tools
- Talking to a human can be tricky
- Provides socially responsible and Halal investment options
- Can connect your account to Mint for easy budgeting
- Get a dedicated team of advisors if you have more than $500,000 in assets
- RRSP
- TFSA
- Personal
- RESP
- RRIF
- LIRA
- Joint
- Business
- FHSA
Questrade is one of Canada's most popular online brokers. Its surprisingly low fees and utter transparency regarding all costs are intriguing and refreshing for potential investors, and thoroughly enjoyed by its current clients too.
- Total transparency with fees
- Surprisingly low fees
- Lots of investment account and product choices
- Plenty of convenient methods for support
- Limited amount of time to report fraud for full reimbursement
- Excellent array of investing and trading tools
- Trade ETFs for $0
- Commission-free stock trades
- TFSA
- RRSP
- Spousal RRSP
- LIRA
- Locked-In RRSP
- RIF
- LIF
- RESP
- Family RESP
- Corporate
- Investment Club
- Partnership
- Sole Propietorship
- Individual Informal Trust
- Joint Informal Trust
- Formal Trust
- Individual Margin
- Joint Margin
- Individual Forex & CFDs
- Joint Forex & CFDs
- FHSA
- Stocks
- ETFs
- Options
- FX
- IPOs
- CFDs
- Mutual Funds
- Bonds
- GICs
- International Equities
- Precious Metals
LoanConnect is a Canadian loan search engine that can connect you with an unsecured personal loan in minutes. With 12 types of loans available and interest rates starting at only 8.99%, you can compare your options without taking a hit to your credit score.
- Free to use
- Loans available for all credit scores
- 12 different types of loans to search for
- Interest rates as low as 8.99%
- Loans available from $500 to $60,000
- No effect on your credit score
- Available to all of Canada
- Make sure to pay attention to the interest rate
- Potential for bias in search results
- Limited amount of lenders compared
- Canadian citizen
- Age of majority
- Loans available for all credit scores
- Compares several different lenders
The Tangerine Chequing Account is a free, full-featured option that makes banking simple and stress-free. With no monthly fees, no transaction fees, and convenient access to Scotiabank’s extensive coast-to-coast ATM network, it’s easy to see why this account stands out. Setting it up is quick, using it is intuitive, and managing your money online has never been easier.
- No monthly fee
- Unlimited free transfers
- No minimum balance requirement
- Pairs well with a Tangerine Savings Account
- Welcome bonus available
- Advertised interest rates are misleading
- Limited free cheques
- High non-affiliated ATM fees
- Limitations of an online bank
- Age of majority
- Canadian citizen
- Automatically categorizes your spending
- Free first book of 50 cheques










