How to Buy a GIC Online from Oaken Financial

I keep some of our emergency fund in 12 one-year-term GICs. Each month one matures and could provide cash needed to pay the bills and buy some food. The interest rate for each GIC varies and is certainly not great but it generally is close to or slightly higher than inflation. I’ve found using an online bank like Oaken gives me a better rate than using one of the Big Five Canadian banks like BMO or CIBC. Recently, Oaken Financial upgraded their online offerings and now I can buy a GIC directly online: here’s how.

Buying a GIC from Oaken Financial, the Online Presence of Home Trust

  1. Sign in to your Oaken Financial accounts.
  2. Check whether you have enough money in your account to pay for the GIC. (If not, you may have to make a transfer or mail in a cheque.)
  3. If you want to check what interest rate is being offered, click on the Current Interest Rates link on the left side and read the details.

To Buy the GIC

  1. Click on the Open New Account tab.
  2. Ensure that the Online tab is selected and read the info about what you’ll need to know to buy the GIC. (Generally, you’ll need your Oaken client account number and if you’re paying using it, your Oaken savings account number.
  3. Click on the button: Let’s get started

The Online Application Page

  1. Click to select the radio button
    • beside whether the account or investment is
      Personal or
      Commercial.
    • beside GIC to answer the question: What account or investment interests you?
    • beside Yes to answer the question: “Are you an existing customer?”
    • beside No to answer the question: “Were you referred by a broker?”
  2. Click on the Next button.

The Investment Details Page

  1. Click to select the desired term for the GIC.
  2. If applicable, click to select your interest payment frequency, such as annual pay, semi-annual, or monthly.
  3. If you do not like the suggested dates for the start and maturity of the GIC, you can change them by selecting the month, day or year from the drop-down lists. Note: this could affect your interest rate.
  4. In the Amount text box, type the cash value of the GIC you wish to purchase.

In the Select Your Instructions Section

  1. Click to select whether you want the interest payment sent to
    * another Financial Institution by direct deposit
    * you by cheque
    * your Oaken Savings Account If so, you will need to enter your Oaken Savings Account number.
  2. Click to select what to do with the GIC when it reaches maturity. You can choose to
    * renew it
    * direct deposit the value of it to another financial institution
    * send you a cheque for the amount
    * deposit the amount to your Oaken Savings Account If so, you will be asked whether to use the same savings account. If you select Yes, it will fill in the account number for you based on what you typed earlier.
  3. Click to select whether you would like to buy another GIC right now.
  4. Click to select where to get the cash to buy the GIC. You can choose
    * to mail in a cheque.
    * to take the money from your Oaken Savings Account. If you do, it will ask if you want to take the money from the same savings account you identified earlier. If you select Yes, it will fill in the account number for you based on what you typed earlier.
  5. Click to select whether you wish to register this GIC/account as an informal trust.
  6. Click on the Next button.

The Customer Details Page

  1. In the Oaken Client Number field, type your number.
  2. Select your title such as Mr. Ms. or Dr.
  3. Type the relevant information in the fields
    * First Name
    * Last Name
    * Email Address
    * Please Confirm your Email Address
  4. Click to answer Yes or No to the questions
    * “Are you a U.S. Citizen or U.S. Resident for tax purposes?”
    * “Has your personal information changed?”
    * “Would you like to add a joint-owner?”
  5. Click on the Next button.

The Legal Statements Page

  1. Click to answer Yes or No to the questions
    * “Does any owner(s) or any of their family members hold or have ever held, or is a close associate to, one of the following offices or positions in or on behalf of a domestic or foreign state?”
    * “Are any owners acting on behalf of an individual or entity other than the account holder or those authorized to give instructions about the account or who directs what happens to the account?”
  2. Read the Acknowledgement and Authorization statement carefully. If you agree, click to select Yes.
  3. Click on the Submit form button.

It will say Submitting and soon respond with the Online application – Thank you page.

Make a note of your reference number.

You should also receive a confirmation email. They state it should be received within two hours on business days during working hours.

Nothing was received within the first few minutes after sending in the request. No change was visible to my savings account balance either. However, sometime in the next 22 minutes, a message was sent to my email account. According to the email, no further action is required by me.

The cash has not been taken out of my Oaken savings account yet, though, within the first half hour after sending in the application. Ah, now at 7:30 p.m. the same day, the money is out of my Oaken savings account.

I will wait to receive the usual GIC investment confirmation in the mail.

Related Reading

Join In
Do you keep your emergency fund in cash in a savings account? Or do you keep some of it in GICs to try to get a slightly higher interest rate? Please share your views with a comment.

Where Can I Get the Best Rate of Return on my RRSP GIC?

If you’re planning to take money out of your RRSP for the Home Buyers’ Plan or Lifelong Learning Plan you may need to keep it safe in either a cash account of a short-term GIC. Or you may just want to keep some of your fixed income RRSP investments in GICs. Whatever the reason, it’s getting harder each year to find a decent interest rate for your GICs. Today I went searching around the internet to see what types of rates are on offer. I was disappointed to find that very few places are offering a promotion with a good rate for this RRSP season. Here’s where I found the best (and worst) rates for RRSP GICs.

RRSP GIC Rates Vary Daily: Be Wary

These are the rates being offered on Monday February 9 2015. They are subject to change without notice but may give you some idea of where to start looking. Please be sure to call and confirm a rate before applying!

A Comparison of RRSP GIC Rates February 2015

Place Cash deposit rate 1 year GIC 5 year GIC Insurance and Other Comments
BMO 0.1% 1.0% min $1000 1.5% min $1000 A 5-year RateRiser Max GIC has an annual equivalent rate of 1.82%CDIC insured
CIBC 0.25% 0.65% min $500 or0.75% on Bonus Rate RRSP GIC min $500 1.5% min $500 or1.5269% on Escalating Rate GIC min $500 CDIC insured
DUCA n/a 1.8 % min $500 2.6% m in $500 DICO insured
Meridian n/a 1.4% min $500 2.1% min $500 3 month term GIC with an annual rate of 3% min $500 DICO insured
Oaken Financial n/a 1.9 min $1000 2.6 % min $1 000 1.75% min $2500 cashable after 90 days CDIC insured
PC Financial 0.50 % 1.05% 1.8% CDIC insuredFee to transfer out
People’s Trust n/a 2.4% min $1000 2.65% min $1000 Currently no transfer fees! CDIC insured
Tangerine 1.05 % 1.05 1.8 % CDIC insuredFee to transfer out
BMO InvestorLine 1.00 % min $5000 1.5% min $5000 2.05% min $5000 CDIC insured
CIBC Investor’s Edge 1.1% min $1000 1.4% min $5000 2.05% min $5000 CDIC insured
RBC Direct Investing 1.0% min $500 1.5 % min $3500 2.05% min $3500 CDIC insured

Note: None of these GICs can be cashed before maturity unless otherwise noted. Be sure to check the terms and conditions before buying any GIC.

People’s Trust Is Offering the Best RRSP GIC Rate and Deal (At Least for Today!)

So the best rate I could find today for a 1-year term, RRSP GIC was from People’s Trust. They are offering 2.4%. They are also insured by CDIC. That’s the same one that insures big bank GICs like those offered by BMO and CIBC.

At this time, People’s Trust is also advertising that it does not charge any fees for transfers. That’s great news but always be aware that they could change that just like Tangerine did.

Upon maturity, your People’s Trust RRSP GIC will be re-invested for the same term if you don’t give alternate instructions. You can also change the instructions for 10 days after it matures. I’m not quite sure how you are supposed to handle it if you want to transfer the money out to another RRSP at maturity. I think you could do it by specifying on your transfer form that you want the transfer to be effective on the date the GIC matures. (It may also be possible to transfer the GIC in kind to a brokerage. You can discuss that with your brokerage ahead of time.)

Related Reading

Join In
Do you have some of your RRSP in GICs? Are you finding an acceptable rate? Please share your experiences with a comment.