Banks rarely fail in Canada. In fact, since Parliament created the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation (CDIC) almost 50 years ago, there have been 43 failures of its member financial institutions. That may seem like a lot in a country where most of us believe that it can't happen, but the last one occurred 20 years ago.

The important thing to remember is that CDIC protected depositors in each of those instances, and no one lost a single dollar of insured deposits. But how does deposit...

Want to check the status of your tax return? Or maybe you'd like to register for direct deposit? Or perhaps you need proof of income so you can sponsor a family member to come to Canada?

With My Account, the Canada Revenue Agency's secure online portal, you can complete all these tasks easily online. My Account can also help you file your tax return—new this tax filing season, you can use your My Account user ID and password to access the CRA's new Auto-fill my return service when...

Although we are often consumed with goals to be healthier, save money and budget better, paying down debt also remains top priority for many Canadians. For the sixth straight year, a Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce survey revealed that 26 per cent of us named debt reduction as our top financial goal for 2016. Coupled with predictions from the parliamentary budget officer that the debt-to-income ratio will hit its highest level since 1990, more so than ever, we need financial tools such as prepaid...

Building and maintaining strong communities in the modern world may seem difficult, as we are all increasingly immersed in our own lives, families and technologies. There are many ways to positively impact your community:

1. Shop locally. Buying products from businesses in your neighbourhood means that you are supporting local owners rather than giving the same money to big-box stores. When you purchase from a local business, a percentage of the sales tax goes right back into your...

Fraud is big business – affecting companies both small and large. It can occur online, over the phone and in person and can take many different forms, such as internal fraud, identity theft, and business directory and supply scams. This could have impacts on your revenue, your reputation and the longevity of your business. This is why it is important to take proactive steps to ensure that you can prevent losses to your bottom-line, and lessen the impact of possible fraud.

The Competition...