Case Studies

Ms. J held a credit card with her bank for several years when she learned of a promotional offer that allowed customers to transfer balances from other credit cards to her bank’s credit card at a 0% interest rate for 12 months. She called the bank to ask about this offer and the bank confirmed that it was still available, with a 3% balance transfer fee. 

Ms. W was a smart credit card user, always making sure to pay off her balance in full each month. She used her cashback card for everything from travel expenses to groceries, and for cash advances. Her bank informed her of a promotional offer to transfer balances from other credit cards to her cashback card at a 0% interest rate for 12 months. This offer represented a significant savings from the usual interest rates of 20.99% on outstanding balances and 21.99% on cash advances.

Mr. G, a conservative investor with a modest income and limited investment knowledge, wanted to see growth on his retirement savings. His investments were initially held at Bank ABC where Mr. G thought the fees were too high and the returns were too low. When Mr. G met Mr. U socially, Mr. U said he was an advisor at Firm XYZ, and convinced Mr. G to switch to his firm by promising lower fees and the potential for better returns. Mr. G trusted Mr. U because he was an advisor at a credible firm. In the summer of 2016, Mr. G opened two accounts at Firm XYZ. He transferred $44,000 into a LIRA (locked-in retirement account) and $121,000 into an RRSP (registered retirement savings plan). 

Ms. W was the executor of her father’s estate and was required to file his final tax return. After filing the return in late May, Ms. W received the Notice of Assessment which indicated that her father’s estate owed taxes to the Canadian Revenue Agency (CRA). The estate included several investment accounts at Firm A and Firm B, both of which held securities and cash. After withdrawing the full amount of cash available in the accounts, Ms. W needed to sell more securities to cover the remaining balance owed to the CRA.

Mr. E had a personal chequing and savings account at Bank Y. He enjoyed the convenience of online banking on his laptop and cell phone, and often accessed his bank accounts using Bank Y’s mobile application. Through e-mail, he received notifications from the bank about his account activity and liked being able to confirm account balances online. Mr. E had been a Bank Y customer for over 40 years.

Mr. G had been a loyal business customer of his bank for 30 years. He trusted the bank with his business’ financial matters, and they had always maintained a good relationship.

Ms. L had set up Registered Education Savings Plans (RESPs) for her two daughters, Ms. J and Ms. K. These accounts were set up as a family RESP with their investment firm with the understanding that if one child did not go to or complete post-secondary education, the other child would be entitled to the full amounts of the plans.

Mr. Z was concerned that his Guaranteed Investment Certificates (GICs) earned very little interest due to low interest rates at the time and decided to look for better investment options. He sought the help of Mr. F, a registered investment advisor, to explore investment products that could provide a higher rate of return. Mr. Z wanted his investments to grow over the long term. He had a low tolerance for risk and no immediate need for the money in his investments. To guide their discussion, Mr. F documented Mr. Z's investment goals and risk preferences in his file.

Ms. Q returned to Canada from living abroad. To re-establish her credit history, she applied for and received a prepaid credit card, which held a cash balance and was widely accepted. She used this card to pay bills and make online purchases, such as groceries. The mobile app associated with Ms. Q’s prepaid credit card allowed her to easily add funds to her account, monitor her spending and review her monthly account statements online.

Ms. R was an older investor who held equities in her Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) at an online investing firm. She turned 71 in 2020 and was required to convert her RRSP into a Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF) by the end of the year.