Jordan Ellis
Pen name of the LoanLens editorial team
Jordan Ellis is a pen name, not an individual person. Guides and calculators on LoanLens are published under this byline and are produced and maintained by the LoanLens editorial team, following the process in our Editorial Policy: research based on official Canadian sources, drafting and checking with the help of software tools (including AI tools), and updates when rules or figures change.
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- General explanations of Canadian rules, with the official sources for the topic listed on many pages
- Calculators that state their main assumptions and produce estimates for planning
- A publication date on every guide, and a "Reviewed" date when a guide has been checked and revised
- No paid coverage: advertisers don't choose topics or change calculator results
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The LoanLens editorial team is not a licensed financial adviser, tax professional, lawyer, lender or broker, and our content is not personalized advice. Please read the Disclaimer and confirm important figures with official sources or a qualified professional.
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Published guides (136)
- The Canada Child Benefit: How Much You Get, the Income Thresholds, and How to Maximize It
- Car Insurance in Canada: How Premiums Are Set and 9 Legal Ways to Pay Less
- CPP Survivor Benefits and OAS After a Spouse Dies: What Widows and Widowers Actually Get
- How to Freeze Your Credit and Report Identity Theft in Canada
- Home Insurance in Canada: What's Covered, What's Not, and How Premiums Are Set
- OSAP and Student Loan Repayment in Canada: Grace Periods, RAP, and the Payoff Math
- Paying for University in Canada: The Full Cost and Every Way to Cover It
- Tenant Insurance in Canada: The $20/Month Policy Every Renter Skips
- Child Care Costs in Canada: $10-a-Day Daycare, the Tax Deduction, and What It Really Costs
- Credit Card Disputes and Chargebacks in Canada: How to Get Your Money Back
- Credit Card Travel Insurance in Canada: What Your Card Actually Covers (and the Gaps)
- FHSA Year-End Strategy: The Deadline Most First-Time Buyers Miss
- Joint Bank Accounts and Shared Finances in Canada: The Rules Couples Get Wrong
- Lifestyle Inflation: The Silent Reason High Earners Stay Broke
- Moving Expenses Tax Deduction in Canada: Who Qualifies and What You Can Claim
- How Much Does a Wedding Cost in Canada — and Should You Ever Finance One?
- The Truth About 0% Car Financing in Canada: When It's Real and When the Rebate Wins
- Getting a Cottage Mortgage in Canada: Type A, Type B, and Why the Down Payment Changes
- Crypto Taxes in Canada: Every Transaction CRA Considers Taxable
- Debt Settlement Companies in Canada: What They Do, What They Cost, and the Safer Paths
- Disability Insurance in Canada: The Coverage Gap That Bankrupts More Families Than Death
- Dollar-Cost Averaging vs Lump Sum: What the Data Actually Says for Canadians
- Financial Advisor Fees in Canada: What You're Paying and Whether It's Worth It
- Gifted Down Payments in Canada: The Gift Letter Rules Every Parent and Buyer Must Know
- How Much Rent Can I Afford in Canada? The 30% Rule and What Landlords Actually Check
- Incorporating vs Sole Proprietor in Canada: The Tax Math That Decides It
- Inheriting a House in Canada: Taxes, Probate, and the Sell-vs-Keep Decision
- Maternity and Parental Leave Pay in Canada: EI Benefits, Durations, and the Real Monthly Math
- Getting a Mortgage as a Newcomer to Canada: No Credit History Required (With the Right Program)
- Pay Down the Mortgage or Invest? The Canadian Math, Finally Settled
- The Principal Residence Exemption: How Your Home Stays Tax-Free (and How People Blow It)
- Probate Fees by Province in Canada — and the 5 Legal Ways to Avoid Them
- Rental Income Tax in Canada: Every Deduction Landlords Can (and Can't) Claim
- RESP Withdrawal Rules in Canada: How to Get the Money Out Without Losing the Grants
- Severance Pay and Taxes in Canada: What You'll Actually Keep
- Side Hustle Taxes in Canada: What Gig Workers and Freelancers Actually Owe
- Spousal Buyout Mortgage in Canada: Keeping the House After a Separation
- Term vs Whole Life Insurance in Canada: The 10x Price Difference Explained
- US Stocks in Your TFSA: The 15% Withholding Tax Nobody Mentions
- What Happens to Your Debt When You Die in Canada? (Your Family Doesn't Inherit It — Mostly)
- Annuity vs RRIF in Canada: Guaranteed Cheques vs Flexible Control
- Why Is My Bonus Taxed So High? Bonus Tax Withholding in Canada, Explained
- Bridge Financing in Canada: Buying Before You Sell, Explained
- Car Loan Rates in Canada (2026): What's a Good Rate Right Now?
- CMHC Insurance Explained: What Mortgage Default Insurance Really Costs You
- Co-Signing a Loan in Canada: What You're Actually Signing Up For
- Coast FIRE in Canada: The Number That Lets You Stop Saving (Not Stop Working)
- Consumer Proposal vs Bankruptcy in Canada: Cost, Credit Damage, and Which Fits
- CPP at 60 vs 65 vs 70: The Real Break-Even Math for Canadians
- Debt-to-Income Ratio in Canada: GDS, TDS and the Numbers Lenders Use
- Deposit vs Down Payment in Canada: What's the Difference and When Each Is Due
- EI Benefits in Canada 2026: How Much You Get, For How Long, and the Traps
- ETF vs Mutual Funds in Canada: What a 2% Fee Really Costs You
- GIC Laddering: The Boring Strategy That Beats Chasing the Best Rate
- GST/HST New Housing Rebate 2026: Up to $50,000 Back for First-Time Buyers
- Home Buyers' Plan Repayment Rules: The $60,000 RRSP Loan You Can't Forget
- How to Start Investing in Canada: The Complete Beginner's Order of Operations
- Investment Property Mortgages in Canada: The 20% Down Rule and the Rest
- Lease vs Finance a Car in Canada: The 5-Year Money Math
- Mortgage Penalties in Canada: Why IRD Can Cost $20,000 and How to Dodge It
- No Credit History in Canada? The Newcomer and Student Playbook
- Guaranteed Approval and No-Credit-Check Loans in Canada: The Fine Print
- Pension Income Splitting in Canada: The Free Tax Cut Most Couples Miss
- Reverse Mortgages in Canada: The Real Cost of Tax-Free Cash at 55+
- Is an RRSP Loan Worth It? The Math on Borrowing to Contribute
- RSU Taxes in Canada: What You Owe at Vesting, at Sale, and Why Paycheques Shrink
- Getting a Mortgage Self-Employed in Canada: The 2-Year Rule and Your Options
- The Smith Manoeuvre in Canada: Turning Your Mortgage Into a Tax-Deductible Investing Machine
- TFSA Over-Contribution Penalty: The 1%-Per-Month Tax That Sneaks Up on You
- TFSA vs Savings Account: Why the Question Is Backwards (2026)
- Vacation Pay in Canada: How 4% (or 6%) of Your Paycheque Actually Works
- Line of Credit vs Personal Loan in Canada: Which One Fits Your Situation?
- Mortgage Broker vs Bank in Canada: Who Actually Gets You the Better Deal?
- Canadian Tax Brackets, Explained With Real Paycheque Math
- Capital Gains Tax in Canada: The 50% Rule, Explained With Numbers
- What Credit Score Do You Need for a Mortgage in Canada? (2026)
- FHSA vs TFSA for a Down Payment: Which One Wins? (It's Not Close)
- How Much Do You Need to Retire in Canada? (The Real Formula)
- How to Retire at 55 in Canada: The 10-Year Bridge Problem
- Accelerated Biweekly vs Monthly Mortgage Payments: The Canadian Math
- GIS in Canada: The Guaranteed Income Supplement, Explained (2026)
- How Credit Card Interest Is Calculated in Canada (Worse Than You Think)
- What Is the Mortgage Payment on $500,000 in Canada? (2026 Rates)
- The OAS Clawback in 2026: The 15% Surtax Nobody Plans For
- The Real Cost of a Payday Loan in Canada (2026 Rules)
- RESP Rules in Canada: How to Collect the Free $7,200 (2026 Guide)
- RRSP Withholding Tax: What You Actually Lose When You Withdraw Early
- Student Loans in Canada: What's Actually Interest-Free in 2026
- CPP and OAS in 2026: How Much Will You Actually Get?
- Minimum Down Payment Rules in Canada: What You Need at Every Price Point
- The FHSA: Canada's Only Double Tax-Free Account (And How to Milk It)
- Every First-Time Home Buyer Program in Canada, Stacked (2026 Edition)
- HELOCs in Canada: How Much You Can Borrow and When It's a Terrible Idea
- What Is $30 an Hour Annually in Canada? (After Tax, By Province)
- How Much Car Can You Actually Afford? The 20/4/10 Rule, Canadian Edition
- Land Transfer Tax in Every Canadian Province, Ranked Cheapest to Most Painful
- Mortgage Renewal in Canada: Why Signing the First Offer Costs You Thousands
- Canada's Mortgage Stress Test, Explained: The Rule That Cuts Your Buying Power by 20%
- Net Worth by Age in Canada: Where You Actually Stand (And the Formula to Catch Up)
- How to Pay Off Your Mortgage Faster in Canada (Without Breaking the Rules)
- Rent vs Buy in Canada: The Net Worth Math Nobody Shows You
- RRSP Deadline 2027: The Last-Minute Guide (What Counts, What's Worth It)
- RRSP vs TFSA: Which Account Should You Max Out First?
- Why Canadian Mortgages Compound Differently (And Why US Calculators Lie to You)
- What a $70,000 Salary Actually Takes Home in Every Canadian Province
- TFSA Contribution Room: How to Check Yours (And the 1%-a-Month Trap)
- 25 vs 30 Year Amortization: What the Extra 5 Years Really Costs Canadians
- The 50/30/20 Budget Rule: A Simple Framework That Actually Sticks
- Balance Transfer Cards Explained: When 0% APR Is Worth the Fee
- GIC vs High-Interest Savings Account: Where Should Your Cash Go in Canada?
- Closing Costs in Canada: Land Transfer Tax, Legal Fees and Everything Else
- Compound Interest Explained: The Math That Builds (or Destroys) Wealth
- The Minimum Payment Trap: Why Your Credit Card Balance Never Falls
- Credit Utilization Explained: The 30% Rule and How to Beat It
- Debt Avalanche vs. Debt Snowball: Which Method Wins?
- Debt Consolidation Loans: When They Work and When They Backfire
- Fixed vs Variable Mortgage Rates in Canada: How to Actually Choose
- Hard vs. Soft Credit Inquiries: What Actually Hurts Your Score
- High-Interest Savings Accounts in Canada: Rates, CDIC Insurance and What Matters
- How Credit Scores Work in Canada: The 300–900 Scale Explained
- How Mortgage Amortization Works in Canada (Why Early Payments Are Mostly Interest)
- How Much Should Your Emergency Fund Be? (By Income and Situation)
- How Much House Can I Afford in Canada? GDS, TDS and the Stress Test
- How to Get Out of Credit Card Debt: 5 Realistic Paths
- How to Improve Your Credit Score Fast: 7 Moves Ranked by Impact
- How to Pay Off Debt Fast: A 7-Step Plan That Actually Works
- How to Start Saving Money When You Feel Like You Can't
- Inflation and Your Savings: The Silent Tax on Cash
- Loan Origination Fees: What They Are and How They Inflate Your APR
- Mortgage Pre-Qualification vs Pre-Approval in Canada
- Personal Loan vs. Credit Card: Which Is Cheaper for Your Situation?
- Mortgage Default Insurance (CMHC) in Canada: What It Costs and How to Avoid It
- Secured Credit Cards: The Complete Guide to Building Credit From Zero
- Secured vs. Unsecured Loans: What's the Difference and Which Is Riskier?
- What Is APR? Interest Rate vs APR in Canada, Explained Simply
- When to Refinance or Break Your Mortgage in Canada (The Penalty Math)