By Sunny Freeman, The Canadian Press Canada’s economy will grow by 3.2 per cent this year, helped by high commodity prices and a continued recovery in the United States, according to the latest outlook from RBC Economics. It expects gross domestic product will grow at a respectable 3.1 per cent pace in 2012. “Strong demand […]

By Sunny Freeman, The Canadian Press Homes in Vancouver have become so expensive you might have to win the lottery to afford one, says a prominent economist — and with prices that sky-high, odds are the city is ripe for a big drop. Overpriced homes in some Canadian cities, along with elevated household debt, suggest […]

Nicolas Van Praet  The risk that the economic slowdown in the United States will turn into another North American recession is not high, Canada’s finance minister said Tuesday as he cautioned that too many people nevertheless remain jobless in this country. “I do not think the risk is great,” Jim Flaherty said in response to […]

By The Canadian Press Construction activity is expected to remain healthy this summer even after the value of building permits fell 21 per cent in April as the decline followed a particularly strong March, economists say. Statistics Canada reported Monday that building permits fell to $5.3 billion after increases in February and March on a […]

Selling your house can be a huge headache–especially when you’re selling it in today’s buyer’s real estate market. One of the most challenging aspects to deal with is determining your home’s value. When it comes to fixing a fair price, homeowners always shoot high. After all, you love your house and you know how much work […]

By Ross Marowits, The Canadian Press Nearly half of Canadians would consider selling their homes privately but very few are aware of changes implemented several months ago that make that task easier, a new survey suggests. While 45 per cent of Canadians would consider bypassing realtors to sell privately with the advice of a real […]

More Canadians are living closer to the edge as consumer debt loads continued to climb in the first three months of the year, a study shows. Already at record levels, Canadians now owe just under $26,000 on average on their lines of credit, credit cards and auto loans, according to credit rating agency, TransUnion. That’s an […]

Sometimes a parent decides to buy a place for their children while they hit the books in university or college. It can be a good alternative to paying thousands of dollars toward residence fees or rent. Just look at the math: Student rent of $500 a month = $6,000 a year = $24,000 over 4 […]

By Vernon Clement Jones Brokers are finally seeing a change in consumer appetite for risk after the second chop to fixed rates in two weeks. “Up until a couple of weeks ago, we were still seeing 50 per cent of our clients coming in looking for fixed and the other 50 per cent looking for […]

Ray Turchansky, Postmedia News Some 22 years after writing The Wealthy Barber, which became easily the bestselling personal finance book in Canadian history, David Chilton has a dire warning in The Wealthy Barber Returns, to be released this fall. “The worst thing that’s happening to Canadians in the last 20 years has been lines of […]