How to choose a rewards card
From Air Miles to credit cards, Canadians are inundated with loyalty card options. If you choose the right ones, you can save money, even as you’re spending. But picking the right plastic isn’t easy.
Must Reads
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After the “loss” decade
You only have to glance at your RRSPs to know that the first decade of this century has been a disaster for stocks. The 10 years that started with Y2K are on track to be the worst since the 1930s. But with 2010 around the corner, will the next decade be any better? Wall Street optimists point out that after a dismal decade, stocks tend to roar back the following one.
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Indexes finish year in positive territory
Last year was a tough one for stock market indices, with most of the world’s indexes ending 2008 off deep in negative territory. Of course, what goes down must also, eventually, go up. In 2009 almost all the indexes tracked by Bloomberg were in the black. Unfortunately, Bahrain, Bermuda and Slovakia weren’t so lucky — these are the only countries that have a big minus sign in front of their year-end exchange numbers.
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Canada’s first bank machine celebrates its fortieth birthday
In the age of iPhone banking, it’s easy to forget that it wasn’t long ago that we had line up for the teller during banking hours just to get out some cash. This month Canada’s first bank machine, CIBC’s Instant Teller, turns 40. The first “24-hour cash dispenser” launched in 1969 to save clients the hassle of waiting in lines during banking hours. Clients needed a key to activate the machine, and the could withdraw a maximum of $30.
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Christian ETFs target faithful investors
The first Christian ETFs were launched this week on the New York Stock Exchange by U.S.-based FaithShares Advisors LLC. One fund is aimed at Catholics, another to Methodists and the last one to non-denominational church members. FaithShares is planning to launch ETFs for Baptists and Lutherans later this month. The funds exclude companies involved in gambling, alcohol, tobacco, pornography and weapons. Depending on the denomination, other criteria may be used to screen out companies.
