The Bank of Canada has cut its key interest rate for the first time in more than four years, marking a pivot in its long fight to tamp down inflation. After a quarter-percentage-point cut, the central bank’s benchmark rate now sits at 4.75% — welcome relief for variable-mortgage holders, businesses and others feeling the pinch of higher interest rates. Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault is back to discuss the central bank’s decision to cut, what this means for Canada’s...

People are living longer, but the cost of caregiving is something many Canadians don’t plan for. Our guest this episode is Dr. Zahinoor Ismail. He’s a dementia expert and Clinician Scientist at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute at the University of Calgary. He’ll tell us all about the often overlooked emotional and financial impacts of caring for those with dementia as well as the research he’s doing with the help of charity Gordie Howe CARES.  For more information on the University of Calgary...

Generative AI, the kind of artificial intelligence that creates content for you or answers questions based on a prompt, is already changing many aspects of our lives. But according to our guest this episode, that’s just the tip of the iceberg, especially when it comes to businesses taking advantage of this new technology. Divya Goyal is an Analyst in Global Equity Research at Scotiabank and will give us a birds-eye view of how Canadian businesses are approaching and adopting this...

Scotiabank Senior Economist Farah Omran is back this episode to give us her take on the state of the Canadian housing market. She'll break down the latest numbers, explain the high stakes and “suspense” she’s seeing, tell us what might play out in the next six months and much more.    Key moments this episode:  1:10 – Farah catches us up on the market since her last podcast appearance in the fall  2:41 – What Farah means when she says “stakes are high”   3:42 – The mystery behind why we’re...

This episode is a handy primer for anyone looking to get started in investing, or even those looking to refresh their knowledge. Our guest Craig Maddock, Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager with Scotia Global Asset Management, breaks it all down in plain language. Everything from GICs, to stocks and bonds, to ETFs and mutual funds. It even addresses some common misconceptions and provides some questions to ask yourself before you visit an advisor.    Key moments this episode:  1:30 –...

Talking about money with loved ones can be difficult. So in order to make those tricky conversations a little easier, a new project has broken down how we relate to money into six different Money Styles. Think love languages, but for finances. Tanya Eisener, the Senior Vice President of Retail Customer Value at Scotiabank, and Adam Palanica, the Senior Manager of Global HR insights and People Analytics at Scotiabank, are our guests this episode. They tell us how this tool works, why it’s...

Getting into the housing market these days can be daunting. So, this episode we’re answering all the questions you may have had about mortgages and real estate but were too afraid to ask. Our guest is Tracy Gomes, Senior Vice President of Real Estate Secured Lending at Scotiabank. Tracy will define some key terms, give us a primer on how to pick between a fixed and variable interest rate mortgage, how much you might expect to pay for a down payment and more.    Key moments this episode:  1:32...

The Liberal government has laid out its 2024 Federal Budget, with new spending focused on issues such as housing, defence, and childcare, with new tax measures to help offset the cost.   Rebekah Young, Scotiabank Economist and Head of Inclusion and Resilience Economics, joins us to break down the key takeaways Canadians need to know about the federal government’s spending plan, what is missing from the budget, and the impact it is likely to have on the broader economy and inflation.  Read...

The Bank of Canada held its benchmark interest rate steady at 5% for the sixth consecutive time, as expected. Even though inflation and other indicators are heading in the right direction, Governor Tiff Macklem said the central bank needed to see this pattern for longer to be assured it is “not just a temporary dip.”   Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault is back to discuss the Bank of Canada’s latest decision, why he believes a rate cut in September is more likely than in...

In this episode, co-founder and CEO of Willful Erin Bury joins us to give us a Wills 101 lesson. She’ll cover everything from what exactly a will is to when you should get one, some key definitions and much more. An earlier version of this episode said 57% of Canadians don't have a will, and that rises to 75% for younger Canadians. In fact, the poll showed that 43% of Canadians don't have a will, rising to 66% for younger people. Key moments this episode:  1:16 — Before we start, we have to...

Loud budgeting is just one of many money trends you may have seen in your social media feed lately. This episode we get a level-headed take on some of these fads with the help of Kingsley Chak, Senior Vice President of Deposits, Savings and Investments at Scotiabank. He’ll let us know which ones might work, which ones might not and why, as well as give some evergreen tips on getting a handle on your own finances.      Key moments this episode:  1:21 — How are Canadians feeling about their...

This week we’re re-airing an episode that originally came out in June, but the topic is more relevant than ever. The interview you’ll hear is part of our Leadership Series, where we hand the mic to leaders at Scotiabank to interview experts on an issue that resonates with them. You'll hear a conversation hosted by Grace Lee, Scotiabank’s Senior Vice President, Chief Data and Analytics Officer, with Anton Ovchinnikov, Distinguished Professor at the Smith School of Business at Queen’s...

With life expectancy on the rise, people’s retirement years could soon be longer than their working years. So, how will that affect how you save? Our guest this episode is the Chief Investment Officer of Global Wealth Management at Scotiabank, Andy Nasr. He’ll tell us what those years might look like, give us some tips for saving at any age, and explain why living longer may change the conventional thinking around how we invest for retirement.    Key moments this episode:  0:05 — What does a...

The Bank of Canada held rates steady, again, for the fifth consecutive time to no one’s surprise (but disappointing perhaps for homeowners and others anxiously awaiting a cut).   Its latest decision came even though the latest data from January shows inflation in Canada is slowing and is within the central bank’s target range of 1% to 3%, but not quite at its target of 2%. Still, Governor Tiff Macklem said that while it’s clear the central bank’s previous moves are working, it’s too early to...

Something a little extra in your feed this week: a conversation recorded at a live event with the Chief Investment Officer of Global Wealth Management at Scotiabank (and Perspectives regular) Andy Nasr. Andy gives his take on the current state of the economy, interest rates, inflation, geopolitical events, and all the ways those factors are affecting stock markets and investing looking ahead towards the rest of 2024.    Key moments this episode:  2:00 — It’s been a roller coaster of sometimes...

In this episode, we bring you another instalment in the occasional series where leaders at Scotiabank interview experts on an issue that resonates with them. You'll hear a conversation between Janice Holzscherer, Managing Director and Head of Agriculture at Scotiabank and Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, farmer, speaker, advocate and Scotiabank Women Initiative participant. Recorded on location at Cherilyn’s farm in Saskatchewan, the two discuss the misconceptions around the role of women in...

Imagine it’s late one night and you’re awoken by a call. It’s a panicked loved one telling you they’ve been in an accident and need money right away. Except it’s not actually a loved one, it’s a fraudster using AI to perfectly mimic their voice. That’s just one example of the latest in advanced schemes being employed these days to trick you into parting with your money. Tammy McKinnon, Senior Vice President of Fraud Management at Scotiabank is our guest this episode to walk us through some...

Canada’s productivity is declining and has been lagging for some time. A country’s productivity is an economic measure that boils down to how much stuff is produced by each working person. And according to our guest, Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault, it’s the most important economic variable we have. And declining productivity can have big implications for everyday Canadians. This episode, we have a crash course on productivity. We'll learn exactly what it is, how it’s...

Critical minerals are used in the manufacturing of just about all modern technology — including things like solar panels and EV batteries that are key to the global energy transition. But according to our guest, Rebekah Young, the world doesn't currently have enough of these minerals and what we do have is concentrated in just a handful of countries. Rebekah is the Head of Inclusion and Resilience Economics at Scotiabank and recently wrote a report all about this shortage. She’ll give us a...

We go behind the scenes of a modern family farm to see how cutting-edge technology is helping farmers run a more sustainable operation. This episode, Terry Aberhart gives us a tour of Aberhart Farms and tells us about the advanced tools he uses, the hurdles he sees in implementing these practices on a wider scale and the public perceptions of sustainability in agriculture vs. the reality.    Key moments this episode:  1:59 — Terry tells us more about Aberhart Farms and their mission  3:25 —...

The Bank of Canada’s decision to hold its key interest rate — for the fourth consecutive time — was no surprise. However, this time the central bank signalled that the discussion going forward won’t be about how high its key rate should go, but how long it will stay at 5%.  Scotiabank’s Chief Economist Jean-François Perrault is back to break down the Bank of Canada’s latest decision and what factored into it, why inflation remains stubborn, when rate cuts could begin, and the risk factors...

Markets have been doing pretty well lately, but what's in store for 2024? Hugo Ste-Marie is our guest. He is the Director of Portfolio and Quantitative Strategy in Equity Research at Scotiabank and he provides advice to global institutional investors, but his insights will be of interest to investors of all kinds. This episode he'll tell us what the markets might look like in the year ahead, where there may be some opportunities, what a ‘perfect soft landing’ is — and whether we may see one —...

If your resolution is to get a handle on your money, this year might be a little more challenging for some people. Lucky for us, personal finance expert Bruce Sellery is back this episode. He’s the CEO at Credit Canada Debt Solutions and host of Moolala, the weekly personal finance radio show on SiriusXM. He has some concrete tips for managing your money in a year with continued high-interest rates, high inflation and a looming threat of recession.  For more financial advice...

Gillian Riley joins us in the studio for a candid interview as she marks her fifth anniversary as the head of Tangerine — a pioneer in digital banking in Canada. She’ll tell us about the evolution of digital banking and her experiences as a woman in the corporate world and how that inspired her to found the Scotiabank Women Initiative five years ago. Also, she gives some leadership lessons she's picked up along the way.  For more on the Scotiabank Women Initiative, read this article featuring...