Finance
Five sneaky good deals in investing and personal finance to pursue in 2024
Some of the best deals in investing and personal finance never get any hype or marketing, which means they’re quietly waiting for you to discover them. Here are five examples I have accumulated over the past year. Take a moment to see if any of them can help you in 2024:
4 per cent savings accounts
Three financial players offered 4 per cent interest on savings in early 2024 – the investment company Wealthsimple, and the alternative banks Neo and Wealth One Bank of Canada. A fourth alt bank, Motive Financial, offered 4.1 per cent. Motive and Wealth One are members of Canada Deposit Insurance Corp., while deposits with Wealthsimple are protected because they are held with a CDIC member. Neo’s account is provided by Peoples Bank of Canada, which is a CDIC member. Big bank savings accounts are typically below 2 per cent, while alternative banks are typically in the 2.5 to 3.8 per cent range.
A 4.55 to 5 per cent investment savings account
Investment savings accounts are just savings accounts for your investment account. They trade like mutual funds, which means they’re accessible through all online brokers. Most ISAs pay 4.55 per cent to 4.75 per cent, which is pretty good considering your money is covered by deposit insurance and thus virtually risk-free. One ISA that pays 5 per cent is the F-series version of the Scotiabank Investing Savings Account, with the order symbol DYN6004. It’s available to clients of Scotia iTrade.
No-cost ETF investing
Exchange-traded funds in their classic form are a cheap, well-diversified way to buy into the stock and bond markets. If you’re looking to move out of safe havens like guaranteed investment certificates in 2024, give ETFs a look. And, look for a digital broker that lets you at least buy ETFs at no cost. BMO InvestorLine, Qtrade Direct Investing and Scotia iTrade all have a limited menu of ETFs available commission-free. There’s enough at each broker to build a diversified portfolio. CI Direct Trading and Questrade allow clients to buy ETFs commission-free, but there’s a cost to sell. And, or course, National Bank Direct Brokerage and Desjardins Online Brokerage have no commissions of any kind for stocks and ETFs. One more option is the mobile all TD Easy Trade, which offers no-cost investing in TD’s family of ETFs.
Asset allocation ETFs
These ETFs are gaining traction quickly, but they should be more popular because of the low-cost simplicity they offer. Each is a fully diversified portfolio of bonds and stocks from Canada, the United States and the rest of the world. Just pick your risk level – conservative, balanced, growth or all-stocks. Costs are as low as 0.2 per cent, compared to around 1.5 to 2 per cent for balanced mutual funds.
Pre-paid bank cards
Load money on cards issued by EQ Bank, Koho, Wealthsimple and Wise and you can pay for purchases outside Canada without incurring the 2.5 foreign currency fee applied by most credit cards. These prepaid cards are connected to credit card networks, so they’re accepted wherever major cards are. These cards are unlike the first generation of prepaid products, which were loaded with fees and expiry dates.
Finance
What is Considered a Good Dividend Stock? 2 Financial Stocks That Fit the Bill
Written by Jitendra Parashar at The Motley Fool Canada
Dividend investing can be one of the simplest ways to build long-term wealth while creating a steady stream of passive income. But in my opinion, a good dividend stock is about much more than just a high yield. Beyond dividend yield, investors should also look for companies with durable businesses, reliable cash flows, and a history of rewarding shareholders consistently over time.
That’s exactly why many investors turn to financial stocks. Banks and asset managers often generate recurring earnings through lending, investing, and wealth management activities, allowing them to support stable dividend payments even during uncertain market conditions.
Two Canadian financial stocks that stand out right now are AGF Management (TSX:AGF.B) and Toronto-Dominion Bank (TSX:TD). Both companies offer attractive dividends backed by solid financial performance and long-term growth strategies. In this article, I’ll explain why these two financial stocks could be worth considering for income-focused investors right now.
AGF Management stock continues to reward shareholders
AGF Management is a Toronto-based asset manager with businesses across investments, private markets, and wealth management. Through these divisions, the company offers equity, fixed income, alternative, and multi-asset investment strategies to retail, institutional, and private wealth clients.
Following a 59% rally over the last 12 months, AGF stock currently trades at $16.67 per share with a market cap of roughly $1.1 billion. At current levels, the stock offers a quarterly dividend yield of 3.3%.
One reason behind AGF’s strong recent performance is its increasingly diversified business model. The company has expanded its investment capabilities and broadened its geographic reach, helping it perform well across varying market environments.
In the first quarter of its fiscal 2026 (ended in February), AGF posted free cash flow of $36 million, up 14% year over year (YoY), driven mainly by higher management, advisory, and administration fees. These fees climbed to $92.5 million as demand for the company’s investment offerings strengthened.
AGF has also been focusing on expanding its alternative investment business and introducing new investment products. With strong cash generation and growing demand for alternative investments, AGF Management looks well-positioned to continue rewarding investors over the long term.
TD Bank stock remains a dependable dividend giant
Toronto-Dominion Bank, or TD Bank, is one of North America’s largest banks, serving millions of customers through its Canadian banking, U.S. retail banking, wealth management and insurance, and wholesale banking operations.
Finance
UK watchdog says car finance legal challenge hearing unlikely before October
Finance
Martha Aguirre, former El Paso ISD interim superintendent, resigns as CFO as district finds ‘key financial challenges’
El Paso Independent School District Chief Financial Officer Martha Aguirre, who served as interim superintendent last year, resigned this week as the district said it had discovered “key financial challenges.”
The district issued a news release late Thursday afternoon that lacked details but indicated that a recent review had raised questions about the district’s fund balances, a key indicator of financial health.
“Through this process, key financial challenges were identified that must be addressed prior to closing out the 2025-26 school year including a current budget shortfall that is being actively addressed ahead of the district’s final financial presentation to the Board of Trustees in June,” the news release said.
A CFO is charged with developing a school district’s budget and overseeing its finance department. The EPISD Board of Trustees must adopt a budget for the 2026-27 school year by the end of the fiscal year June 30. The operating budget for the current school year is $547 million.
EPISD Deputy Superintendent David Bates will oversee the budget while the district searches for an interim and permanent CFO, district officials said in a statement.
EPISD Board President Leah Hanany said trustees were notified about Aguirre’s resignation this week. She said the district plans to give the public more information on the current year’s budget during a board meeting later this month.
“The board was also notified of a potential budget shortfall for the 2025 budget, but we don’t have final numbers yet. My understanding is that we are still primed to pass a balanced budget for fiscal year 2026-27 in June,” Hanany said in a statement.
Aguirre could not be reached for comment. EPISD’s CFO makes $148,200 to $209,900 a year, according to the district’s administrative pay plan.
She served as EPISD’s interim superintendent from June to December 2025 after the district’s former superintendent, Diana Sayavedra, resigned under pressure from the board. She returned to her position as CFO when Brian Lusk was hired as EPISD’s new permanent superintendent.
Aguirre’s resignation comes amid an uncertain budget season after a state funding calculation error tied to school property tax breaks caused EPISD to lose out on $17 million in projected revenue. In late April, EPISD officials estimated it would cause the district’s spending to exceed its revenue next year by $10 million.
The district is also considering calling for a bond election in November to upgrade its aging campuses as part of the larger 2024 Destination District Redesign initiative to close schools and improve the ones that remain open.
El Paso Teachers’ Association President Norma De La Rosa said Aguirre’s departure was unexpected.
“We’re right in the middle of the committee meetings for a possible bond and getting ready to get that budget to the June board meeting for next school year. So, to say that I’m highly surprised is an understatement,” De La Rosa told El Paso Matters.
Aguirre started working with the district in 1996 as a general clerk, according to a video published by the district.
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