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Take a good, hard look at your financial situation to decide where to focus your efforts.
2017-10-26
Following nearly seven years of sustained, near historic low interest rates, Canadian debtholders were surprised this summer when the Bank of Canada introduced two back-to-back increases in less than three months. For a nation already over extended by record levels of debt, the moves put an unexpected dent in millions of budgets and have brought almost half the country within $150 of not being able to pay their bills each month. With some economists predicting the upward trend will continue, many are left wondering how they will keep up with the added interest costs.
To understand how rising interest rates will affect you and to avoid further financial difficulty, it is important to understand:
The Bank of Canada's overnight (or policy) interest rate dictates the cost for major financial institutions to borrow and lend money amongst themselves. This price influences the interest rates banks charge their customers for the various loans, mortgages, credit cards and lines of credit.
Importantly, the policy rate does not directly translate to interest rates charged to the public by banks and other lenders. Rather, those are marginally higher to allow creditors to profit from their lending activities. For example, if the overnight rate is set at 1%, the prime rate charged by banks may by upwards of 3%.
Similarly, when the Bank of Canada increases its overnight rate, the increase for consumers will also be slightly higher. A 0.25% increase may actually mean a 0.35% jump for the public – or in the case of this summer's increases, the 0.50% reported in the media may actually be closer to a 0.70% hit to Canadians' pocketbooks.
When interest rates go up, you may or may not see the immediate consequences.
If you are carrying fixed rates on your mortgage, loans or lines of credit, your interest rate will most likely remain the same for the duration of your fixed term. However, once it comes time to renew, your new rate will be influenced by the current overnight rate at that time, which may be higher or lower than what was agreed to at the outset of your previous term.
If you are carrying variable rates on any debt, your interest rate will increase immediately and you will most likely see the difference on the following bill.
When and how significantly the effects of increased interest rates are felt will depend on several factors – including the type of debt you have (fixed or variable), how many debts you own, how much debt you are carrying and if (and how much) you are currently contributing to the principal value.
Mortgages – Mortgages can be fixed rate or variable rate. It is important to know which you have so you can be prepared for potential increases to your monthly budget.
If you are on a fixed term:
If you have a variable rate:
If fixed or variable:
Lines of Credit / Home Equity Lines of Credit – The interest rates on lines of credit are usually variable (though not always) and therefore the effects of increases will be similar to those of a variable rate mortgage. However, unlike a variable rate mortgage, there may not be an option to lock your rate in – meaning your only option to slow or offset rising interest costs will be to pay down the principal value of the debt.
Credit Cards – Most credit cards use a fixed interest rate and therefore should not fluctuate based on the Bank of Canada's overnight rate. However, issuers do reserve the right to raise interest rates at their discretion – including as a response to an increase in the overnight rate – and they can do so without the card owner ever having missed a payment. Therefore, it is important to keep an eye on statements to be aware of your current interest rate and avoid expensive, unexpected increases to credit card debt.
The more debt you have, the more expensive interest rate increases will be for you. Therefore, the best and most effective way to cope with rising interest rates is to pay down your debt as quickly as possible. Some helpful steps may include:
With the cost of debt increasing, you may also want to reconsider your current relationship with credit. To avoid getting further into debt, you may also want to:
If you've already felt the pinch of increased interest rates and are worried further increases to your debt costs will mean you can't pay your bills, an MNP Licensed Insolvency Trustee may be able to provide you with the Life-Changing Debt Solution you need. Call us for a free confidential consultation to learn which one might be best for you.
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