Industry News

Demand for variable annuities remains strong: U.S. Study

Selling variable annuities — guaranteed minimum withdrawal products in Canada — may not be the easy sell it was, but it’s still a strong product offering. The challenge is whether product providers can continue to afford to offer them without rolling back more features and raising fees, a comprehensive study by the Financial Research Corporation […]

By Mark Noble |September 4, 2009

4 min read

Briefly:

The Canadian economy generated about 27,000 net new jobs in August, according to StatsCan, led by an increase in part time work. Part-time employment increased by 30,000 in August, while full-time jobs dropped by approximately 3,000. “Half a loaf, or in this case, half a job, is better than none,” CIBC said in its analysis […]

By Staff |September 4, 2009

3 min read

Education saving: Balancing RESP with TFSA

With the start of the school year just around the corner, many Canadian parents are tapping into the education funds that they set aside for their children. Until this year, probably the best way to save for post-secondary expenses was the RESP, but with the advent of the TFSA in January, there’s a new kid […]

By Steven Lamb |September 3, 2009

2 min read

Briefly:

American consumer sentiment has virtually flatlined as summer draws to a close, according to the RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) survey. Confidence in their local economy and personal finances has been volatile over the summer, and the CASH index managed only a 2.5 point gain in the latest survey, released Thursday. That […]

By Staff |September 3, 2009

2 min read