The pace of (technological) change is so fast now that it is considered to be of revolutionary proportion.
Much of what we have learned in our lives is about to become obsolete. In fact, much of it already has.
For example, our schools teach us to get an education, get a good job, get promoted and earn a higher salary, all without teaching us about financial literacy. Then we are told to save part of our pay, to put that into a savings account with interest rates less than inflation (which gets taxed…lol), to invest in RRSP’s, RESP’s etc., supposedly to grow into a retirement nest egg.
The problem is with fees and taxes, unless one invests in the stock market (risky) or real estate (less risky) it is impossible to become financially secure, let alone wealthy.
Some believe that the ‘system’ is designed to keep most people poor, or at least working hard their entire lives just to keep their heads above water. We are seeing this more and more and more.
From a technological standpoint, the advent of (ro) bots and artificial intelligence are about to disrupt our lives in every way possible in the years ahead. Driverless cars? How can this be possible? What is certain however is that bots will result in the elimination of tens of thousands of jobs as we know them, even entire industries.
More and more our lives are affected by the so-called ‘internet of things’. Everything is gravitating towards the Internet. The validity of getting a college or university degree (to get ahead) is being challenged like never before. In short, disruption of the status quo will become the norm.
Much of this coming change will force humans to think and act differently than we do today. However, it is within the internet that lies promise of a more prosperous future for many, in fact for everyone that embraces it because it is ‘levelling the playing field’ like never before.
The truth is that we are seeing more and more people becoming wealthy online. Starting an online business takes less effort, less capital and less time than a conventional grass roots start up. Money, lots of money is being made faster than ever before.
The internet also gives us the opportunity to educate and become informed in a more savvy, meaningful way, and the key is for us to forget what we’ve been taught about making money in the past. We need to learn how to educate ourselves, create our own jobs and make our own money moving forward. Growth in recent years in self employment has accelerated dramatically and will only continue to rise.
Undeniably, personal financial security and wealth creation is largely dependent upon how we view and understand today’s big bank culture and business practices, much of which has been chronicled in the media in a less than favourable light; such that it appears things have gotten ‘out of hand’ and in need pullback. Trust and transparency used to be the pillars of our financial system. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. As politicians, governments and school systems have become outdated and less trusted, so have our banks.
Yet we continue to deposit our paychecks giving the banks free money with which to profit. The banks take fees in an instant while holding our cheque deposits for days (more free money) even when we have more than sufficient funds to clear the cheque. Lending practices including mortgages have in fact become predatory with (potentially harmful) terms and features that are not disclosed to the borrower, which is not only unfair, but not right. Bank mortgage penalties have been systematically manipulated such that when a mortgage is paid out prior to maturity, the lesser of 3 month’s interest somehow no longer applies. Rather the greater of, or the IRD interest rate adjustment factor does, costing Canadians often (tens of) thousands more. Many agree that today’s reality is that the banks’ quest for ever increasing profit at the expense of and on the backs of unsuspecting Canadians is unconscionable.
Just as Fintech (new financial technologies) have begun to revolutionize banking and financial services, we need to revolutionize the way we think about and treat our money. Those in the know pay no annual fees on credit cards, use online bank institutions who charge less or no fees, pay more interest, and they are more likely to obtain the services of a trusted and transparent independent mortgage (broker) professional.
We are reminded from time to time that many people still believe that to use our services means having to pay a fee. This could not be further from the truth since our services are free for arranging prime mortgages (OAC) on approved credit where we are paid a finder’s fee from the lender. Only more difficult, more time consuming mortgages and private mortgages require a fee from the borrower since that is the only way we can be compensated for our services.
Most importantly, we always put you the customer (your interests) first and foremost. We are all about helping you find the most advantageous, cost effective financing possible and our professional advice is invaluable.
If you have relied on the banks until now, perhaps it’s time to become more protective of your money and investigate the mortgage broker option.
Our industry has grown significantly, particularly over the past decade, and there is a growing awareness of the validity and value of our services. But we still have a long way to go before we are thought of as (mainstream) the better option when it comes to mortgage financing.
For your next mortgage need, be part of the revolution and call us first, or at the very least, get a second opinion and experience the positive difference.