Cliff Boodoosingh

Prepayment privileges allow you to pay off your home loan at a faster rate — just make sure that it is included in your mortgage agreement, or you could face substantial penalties.

High car insurance rates and young drivers seem to go hand in hand in Canada. Here's how you can save funds on your premium.

It's generally taken for granted that we'll all experience debt in our lifetime.

The Royal Bank of Canada is expecting that Canadians will jump on the wearable technology bandwagon and use a wristband to pay retailers.

On average, Canadians carry $3,720 in credit card debt according to TransUnion.

From Abu Dhabi to Zurich, Uber has found a market for connecting drivers to passengers looking for a ride through a GPS-based smartphone app.

Apparently Canadians are shunning the white picket fence, big backyard and spacious suburban home and flocking to the hustle and bustle of downtown areas, according to a recent housing report from PricewaterhouseCoopers and the Urban Land Institute.

To no one's surprise, many auto collisions or crashes with other vehicles occur with greater frequency during the winter months.

First-time homebuyers continue to drive the real estate market in Canada.

Some financial advisors will tell you that past performance is not an indicator of future outcomes. This is most often a cautionary note to potential investors to warn them of risks and uncertainties in financial markets.

Soaring house prices continue to drive more first-time buyers into the red hot condominium market in the Greater Toronto Area.

Impaired driving continues to be one of the top traffic concerns not only for law enforcement officials but basically anyone concerned with safe and responsible driving.

Whether you have your own home or rent an apartment, one common fear is that someone breaks in and steals your belongings.

The constant barrage of cybersecurity threats on corporate networks in Canada, and the US for that matter, has been in the media spotlight continuously for several months now.

There are new entrants moving into the driverless car fray. With technological developments unfolding rapidly, car insurance providers will need to adjust.

As Home Depot continues to install new encrypted terminals to replace those infected with malware that affected 56 million payment cards across the United States and Canada, a Canadian law firm is preparing for a huge class-action suit against the giant home improvement retailer.

Buying a home for many people is one of the most important and expensive purchases they make. As such, the decision often requires a great deal of thought and rational judgement--or so you'd think.

If a Waterloo-based tech firm has its way, we'd all be following instructions and taking safe driving tips from sensor-based monitors and tools in our cars, while keeping an eye on our health.

Since the housing market crash in the United States eight years ago, there has been speculation that the Canadian market would follow suit.

Distracted driving not only kills dozens of people in B.C. each year but costs the provincially-owned insurance provider nearly $2 billion dollars in associated injury claims.

Canadian customers using their credit cards to purchase home improvement goods at Home Depot stores over the past few months would do well to check their previous statements for suspicious activity.

Detecting car insurance fraud in Ontario will get a much needed boost in 2015 as a new not-for-profit group joins in to help reduce the escalating threat. Canadian National Insurance Crime Services, or CANATICS for short, has teamed up with BAE Systems to develop analytical tools to identify potentially fraudulent...

An extensive survey of more than 42,000 households in Toronto and Vancouver, showed that 82.9% of people who own a condo reside in it year-round.

Household debt ratcheted up significantly for the average Canadian, according to recent research from BMO.

Pet owners are discovering that pet insurance is often the best way to keep their pets healthy and safe.

Insurance companies have yet to finalize specific policies geared toward car and ride-sharing operations.

Most major insurance firms in Canada will offer significant discounts for homes that are electronically guarded against theft, vandalism and fire, as it reduces the risk of robbery or property damage.

Thousands of Ontario car drivers are now enjoying discounts on their auto insurance policies thanks in part to the Ontario Liberal Party.

Loss of a smartphone, even for part of a day, can represent a substantial loss of business and place sensitive information in the wrong hands.

In the digital banking arena, it would appear that Canadians have been keener to use mobile devices than their neighbours to the south.

In Canada, public insurance is available to residents in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Quebec, while drivers in Ontario, Alberta, and the Atlantic provinces deal with private insurance companies.

Corkboards in the lobby and flyers in the elevator might be on the way out if a Vancouver tech firm has its way.

With a data monitoring device capturing relevant information, drivers may have solid proof that they are safe on the roads and worthy of discounted insurance premiums.

In May, existing-home sales in Canada recorded their biggest month-over-month increase in almost four years.

In the United States 60% of those polled would be boosting their cyber security budget. In Canada, 54% would do the same compared to 64% in Australia and 49% in Britain.

Two Canadian insurance companies are tackling the flood damage issue with different solutions.

Scandals, high profile hacks, and wild price swings continue to take a toll on the world's most popular digital currency.

More than half the homes sold in Canada last year were to first-time buyers, according to CAAMP.

Selling a home may be a difficult and time consuming process, which is enough reason to seek out a good real estate agent or qualified salesperson. Can social media help?

The increasing cost of house prices in Canada and the financial struggle to purchase a new home has led a few international financial experts to conclude that the housing market in this country is overvalued.

The self-driving car movement continues to garner worldwide attention.

Texting while driving continues to be a serious problem in Canada.

The recent European Court of Justice's decision to force Google to remove damaging personal information from search results may be instituted in North America eventually.

Millennials comprise 30% of the country's population according to Statistics Canada, and will make up about 75% of the labour force in 15 years.

One of the provincial Liberal party's pledges to Ontario drivers is that they can expect a 15% reduction in auto insurance costs by 2015.

As long as drivers and bicyclists share the same roadways and cross the same paths, there will be friction.

Canadian insurers may choose to remember that when forecasting and planning future budgets, especially considering the record $3.2-billion payout in claims made in 2013 due to floods, hail and ice storms.

Research firm eMarketer expects 4.55 billion people worldwide to use a mobile phone in 2014.

Starting on May 30th, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation will discontinue insuring mortgages on second homes and will stop offering mortgage insurance to self-employed people lacking proper third-party income validation.

Some observers might offer that the Toronto-Dominion Bank has been on a mission as far as acquiring credit-card related businesses over the past few years.

Insurance companies, like many other businesses, are using social media sites to share helpful industry-related content and to engage with their customers on a more frequent basis.

Traditional timber and concrete homes aren't quite going away just yet, but some builders believe using shipping containers will emerge as an effective and inexpensive way to construct homes.

Social media has become a powerful tool and its widespread use makes it almost second nature to those of the Internet generation.

Aggressive policies and spending must be implemented to curb the grave effects of global warming, warned a United Nations panel studying the impact of climate change worldwide.

The first hurdle has been cleared for Canadian merchants seeking lower credit card fees for customer transactions.

Many Canadians embarking on retirement aren't financially ready. In fact, the retirement shortfall may be as high as $430,000 according to a BMO study released in August 2013.

The search for a new home is an exciting process, not to mention time-consuming and demanding. However, there is a way to save some valuable time and effort before you set out on your home hunting mission.

While Target recovers from the hacking fallout that exposed the personal information of more than 70 million customers, including some cross-border shoppers from Canada, those in the payment and credit card business are busy looking for a solution.

The popularity of car-sharing continues to grow as drivers discover paying for automobile use by the hour without shelling out for gas and insurance has its appeal.

Canadian banks racked up record profits in 2013 and that momentum has so far been extended to the first quarter of 2014.

The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation is raising its mortgage loan insurance premiums for homebuyers who make down payments of less than 20%.

To help Canadians save money for the future without an additional tax burden, the Government introduced the Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) in 2009.

Canadians are downloading more and more apps as smartphone use continues to rise.

A new wireless gadget is making its way into automobiles and insurance companies are giddy.

A software glitch, distributed denial of service attack or my personal favourite, 'transaction malleability', were reasons cited over the past few days for shutting down major exchanges for everyone's favourite digital currency - Bitcoin.

Headquartered in Hamilton, ON, easyMortgages will focus on helping customers with less than perfect credit to get a suitable mortgage.

The Toronto Police department wants motorists to understand how serious and deadly texting and driving can be.

Google reignited the self-driving car concept in 2010 when it unleashed a fleet of Toyota Prius hybrid cars loaded with sensors, artificial intelligence software, video cameras and GPS arrays.

About 6 in 10 Canadians now own RRSP accounts, up 5% from 2012 and the average planned contribution has increased by $500.

New auto sales will reach 1.76 million in 2014, topping a record-setting 1.74 million vehicles sold last year in Canada.

Nearly 90% of Canadians are counting on using the Canada Pension Plan/Quebec Pension Plan upon retirement.

The luxury home market remains healthy in Canada as RE/MAX data shows 75% of the major centres experienced strong sales in 2013.

A BMO/Pollara survey found that Canadians plan to sock away $9,635 on average, a considerable bump up from 2013's average of $8,764, as noted on BMO's Household Savings Report.

Canada's insurance companies expect to payout at least $3.2 billion dollars to settle claims from severe flooding and ice storm disasters that decimated both eastern and western regions in 2013.

There are currently 130 highrise construction projects in Toronto, which is the most in North America according to building data firm, Emporis.

The cold December temperatures may have heated up online shopping transactions and contributed to a major eCommerce milestone in the process.

Are you ready to ditch the credit card, leave the wallet at home and pay for items with your cell phone?

If you've ever sought protection for equipment breakdown in your home including appliances, electronics and service lines and were unsure where to find it, the Boiler Inspection and Insurance Company of Canada has it covered.

How much junk do you have in your trunk? If you are like most Canadian drivers (61%) you have a fair bit including such items as used food containers, clothes or children's toys.

Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. reported on Jan. 9th that housing starts for December were 195,760 compared to 197,797 in November.

With the frigid temperatures, we are currently experiencing and talk of the polar vortex getting more popular, it’s not surprising that many Canadians are looking to travel south to bask in warmer temperatures and sandy beaches.

Only 3 in 10 Canadians plan to contribute to an RSP plan this year according to a Scotiabank survey.

Getting in shape both physically and financially are the top resolutions for Canadians in 2014.

RBC is the first bank in North America to introduce electronic Interac money transfer for Facebook messenger contacts.

As 2013 comes to an end, how would you summarize your financial status? Ipsos Reid and Sun Life surveyed 1,239 and found that 57 percent of Canadians believe that they were no better off now than they were last year.

Today's fraudsters use more technology and have access to much more information than past generations.

Calgary has the strongest major housing market in Canada, according to a new report from BMO Economics.

Evidently, Canadian shoppers found plenty of bargains online this Cyber Monday, which fell on December 2.

Customers who find the process of depositing cheques at the ATM too impractical or just too slow are getting a helping hand from their banks.

Would it surprise you to learn that a third of all car collisions happen on Thursdays and Fridays?

New regulations on prepaid credit cards will put an end to expiry dates and curb excessive fees for their use.

Paul Grewal, President of Street Capital Financial, is now a member of the Canadian Mortgage Hall of Fame..

This holiday season Canadians are expected to shop online in record numbers.

With the busiest shopping season almost in full swing, Canadian shoppers are ready to pounce on discount deals being offered this Black Friday.

The latest report from the Canadian Association of Accredited Mortgage Professionals (CAAMP) indicates that Canadians are comfortable with their mortgage debt levels, and reaffirm that their mortgages are a form of "good debt."

Surprising to many, a recent study from MasterCard Canada found that Canadian youth are more likely to have a budget in place than their elders.

While Canadian credit cardholders are happy to join rewards programs and consider it the most valuable feature of their card, many fail to do proper research before applying.

Rainstorms, flooding and train derailments have caused many Canadians hardship in the past year but luckily insurance coverage has eased the pain.

Visa Canada reports that 3 in 4 Canadians will be purchasing holiday gifts online this year.

Just like throwing on a pair of jeans has become a casual Friday ritual, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business (CFIB) hopes that Canadians will start observing Credit Free Fridays.

The Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) recently received the New Brunswick Crime Prevention Association's Business Excellence Award for its development of the Provincial Auto Theft Network (NB PATNET).