Responsible or sustainable investing
While there is no official definition of responsible or sustainable investing, many investors would like to adopt an investment approach that combines environmental, socials and governance (ESG) factors with traditional financial research. The Autorité des marchés financiers has compiled information about ESG factors, the challenges of investing while taking ESG factors into account.
Your financial toolkit
A comprehensive learning program that provides basic information and tools to help adults manage their personal finances and gain the confidence they need to make better financial decisions. Learn more about the program and how to use the learning modules.
Steps to offering a financial lifeline
There are many reasons why someone might be struggling financially. Job loss, health challenges, or a sudden financial emergency could cause hardship, preventing someone from staying afloat. In times like these, it’s not uncommon for someone to ask for help from friends or family. Before agreeing to help, make sure you will not be putting your own financial future at risk.
7 reasons to file a tax return
There are many good reasons to keep up to date on your tax filing each year. You may file a tax return even if you don’t have any income. It could help you access certain refundable tax credits and other benefits.
English
Soaring with savings - Tips and tools to help you save
SWS Worksheet #1 – The importance of saving (Fillable PDF)
SWS Worksheet #2 – Create a savings goal (Fillable PDF)
SWS Worksheet #3 – Savings support network (Fillable PDF)
SWS Worksheet #4 – Saving for emergencies (Fillable PDF)
SWS Worksheet #5 – Saving for unstable income (Fillable PDF)
SWS Worksheet #6 – Saving for education (Fillable PDF)
SWS Worksheet #7 – Saving for retirement (Fillable PDF)
Soaring with Savings- Full booklet
Soaring with savings - Training tools
French
Encourager l’épargne - Conseils et outils pour vous aider à épargner
Encourager l’épargne - l’aide d’animation
Ressources
CELI calculatrice, La Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
REER, La Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Investir et épargner pendant une récession, La Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
English
Dealing with debt: Tips and tools to help you manage your debt
Dealing with debt – About this resource
DWD Worksheet #1 – Your money priorities – Fillable PDF
DWD Worksheet #2: What do I owe? – Fillable PDF
DWD Worksheet #3: Making a debt action plan – Fillable PDF
DWD Worksheet #4: Tracking fluctuating expenses – Fillable PDF
DWD Worksheet #5: Making a spending plan – Fillable PDF including calculations
DWD Worksheet #6: Your credit report and credit score – Fillable PDF
DWD Worksheet #7: Know your rights and options
Dealing with debt – Full booklet
Dealing with debt: Training tools
Resources
Managing debt , Ontario Securities Commission
Options you can trust to help you with your debt, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada
Debt advisory marketplace/ consumer awareness, Office of the Superintendent of Bankruptcy Canada
French
Gestion de la dette: Conseils et outils pour vous aider à gérer votre dette
01 – Vos priorités financières
02 – Combien ai-je de dettes?
03 – Faire un plan d’action
04 – Suivi des dépenses variables
05 – Faire un plan de dépense
06 – Dossier de crédit et cote de solvabilité
07 – Connaître nos droits et nos options
Ressources : Pour en savoir plus
Gestion de la dette : Livret complet
Ressources
Gestion de la dette, La Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Des options fiables pour vous aider avec vos dettes, Bureau du surintendant des faillites
Marché des services-conseils en redressement financier et sensibilisation des consommateurs, Bureau du surintendant des faillites
English
Investing with interest: tips and tools for maximizing your savings
IWI – Worksheet #1: What do you want to save for?
IWI – Worksheet #2: Tracking your income and expenses
IWI- Worksheet #3: Are you ready to invest?
IWI- Worksheet #4: What can you invest in?
IWI-Worksheet #5: Where can you get advice?
IWI-Worksheet #6: Watch out for investment frauds and scams
IWI-Worksheet #7: Tips for success
Resources
Crypto Quiz, OSC
Grandparent scams and how to avoid them, OSC
Compound interest calculator, OSC
Emergency fund calculator, OSC
Tips to keep your credit card safe, OSC
Investment products, OSC
Types of fraud, OSC
Multilingual financial resources for Ontarians, OSC
Pay down debt or invest tool, OSC
Reporting fraud, OSC
Introduction to investing, OSC
Scam spotter tool, OSC
Your trusted person and why they matter, OSC
Getting Your Money Back; An Investor’s Guide to Navigating Canada’s Complaint System, FAIR Canada
Study explores Canadian attitudes about Crypto, OSC
How the stock market works, OSC
The basics of personal finance, Credit Canada
French
L’intérêt d’investir: Conseils et outils pour maximiser votre épargne
Ressources
Questionnaire sur les cryptoactifs, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Les arnaques des grands-parents et comment les éviter, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Calculatrice épargne REER, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Calculatrice intérêts composés, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Calculatrice fonds d’urgence, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Astuces pour garder votre carte de crédit en toute sécurité, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Produits d’investissement, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Types de fraude, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Ressources financières multilingues pour les Ontariennes et les Ontariens, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Calculatrice rembourser des dettes ou investir, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Signaler une escroquerie, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Planification de la retraite, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Questionnaire préparation des investisseurs, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Introduction au placement, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Outil détecteur d’escroquerie, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Votre personne de confiance et les raisons qui expliquent son importance, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Une étude explore les attitudes des Canadiens à l’égard de la cryptomonnaie, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Le fonctionnement de la bourse, Commission des valeurs mobilières de l’Ontario
Benefits & credits: factsheets from the CRA
The CRA has compiled benefits and credits factsheets for: These are available in English and French.
Getting Your Money Back: An Investor’s Guide to Navigating Canada’s Complaint System
If you have a complaint, it is important you fully understand your rights, so that you don’t feel taken advantage of during the process. After reading the guide, you will:
● Know how and who to contact when you first make a complaint.
● Understand your basic rights during the process, including how much time your bank or investment firm has to resolve your complaint.
● Know when and where to bring your complaint, if you are not satisfied with your bank’s or investment firm’s response.
● Learn what other options may be available to you, if you are still not happy with the outcome.
● Be aware of time limits that may affect you.
Canada workers benefit
The Canada workers benefit (CWB) is a refundable tax credit to help individuals and families who are working and earning a low income. The CWB has two parts: a basic amount and a disability supplement. You can claim the CWB when you file your income tax return. Learn more including eligibility requirements, how to apply and how much you can expect to receive by clicking on the Get It button below.
The top 6 differences between TFSAs and RRSPs
Confused about whether to contribute to an RRSP or TFSA? Both offer tax advantages to help you reach your savings goals. If you need to choose between the two, you can learn about the differences in this article by the Ontario Securities Commission (OSC).
Housing conditions among racialized groups: A brief overview
In response to Canada's Anti-Racism Strategy, Statistics Canada's Centre for Gender, Diversity and Inclusion Statistics is releasing a second set of five data tables on social inclusion. Over 20 new indicators, for a total of over 120 indicators, can now be used to examine various socioeconomic facets of racialized Canadians.
Money matters
Money Matters is a free introductory financial literacy program for adult learners that has been delivered to Canadians since 2011 and has reached over 80,000 adults. It was developed by ABC Life Literacy Canada in partnership with the Government of Canada and TD Bank Group and was designed by literacy practitioners. The newly released resources as part of the Money Matters program are:
Tips to keep your credit card safe
Your credit card can help you make purchases quickly without needing to have cash on hand. Follow these tips by the Ontario Securities Commission to use your credit card safely.
Government grants and bonds for education savings
Saving for your child’s education can be difficult, especially if you are trying to save for multiple goals or pay down debt at the same time. The federal government offers contributions to your child’s Registered Education Savings Program (RESP) through its grant programs: the Canada Education Savings Grant (CESG) and the Canada Learning Bond (CLB).
4 Reasons to keep saving even when inflation is high
When inflation rates go up, it can be tempting to look for ways to grow your money at rates higher than the rate of inflation. Investing can feel more appealing than the average savings account. While it’s important to stay the course on your investing goals, don’t neglect your savings. There are many reasons why a savings account is still worth tending to, even during tough times. If you’re making ends meet and still have extra to put aside, keep these tips in mind.
Managing debt
Managing debt doesn't have to be overwhelming. These tips and tools from the Ontario Securities commission can help you borrow wisely and pay off debt more quickly.
Start Your Investment Journey
Before you start investing, it is important to consider your budget and financial goals, and how much risk you are comfortable taking on. Like many things in life, investing comes with its own share of risks and rewards. You can do this on your own or with the help of an advisor.
Cyber security & fraud prevention learning guide
Banks take fraud very seriously and have highly sophisticated security systems and teams of experts to protect you from financial fraud. As a banking customer, there are also simple steps you can take to recognize cyber crime and protect your personal information and your money. Educating yourself, your family and your employees about cyber safety can seem overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be that complicated and the CBA has developed a learning path to help.
About the Canada Learning Bond
The Canada Learning Bond (CLB) is money that the Government adds to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) for children from low-income families. This money helps to pay the costs of a child’s full- or part-time studies after high school at apprenticeship programs, CEGEPs, trade schools, colleges, or universities. Learn more about eligibility requirements and the application process using this website.
Resources
Financial education
*Resource is not specific to Indigenous communities
Money Management:
Dollars and Sense Program– AFOA Canada
Financial workshops for youth
Managing your money – Prosper Canada
Worksheets to set and work towards money goals
Financial literacy for Indigenous Peoples – RBC
A two-hour course on financial basics
Financial health & wealth – Native Women’s Association of Canada
Financial literacy information and worksheets
Money Matters for Indigenous Peoples – ABC Literacy
Money Matters workbooks
Money moccasins – Momentum
Workshops for Indigenous peoples on assets, budgets, banking, credit and consumerism.
Money stories– SEED Winnipeg
Customized money management training program for Indigenous youth
Empower U– Esquao Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women
Financial literacy program
The Game Plan – Indigenous Story Studio
Comic book on financial literacy (paid resource)
Financial Education Online*– Credit Counselling Society
Short online courses
Dollars and Sense* – Texas A&M (USA)
Online simulation for Middle and High School Students
Simple budget template* – Prosper Canada
Student budget worksheet* – FCAC
Gift planning worksheet*- Sudbury Community Service Centre
Budget planner* – Government of Canada
Building Native communities – First Nations Development Institute
Debt/Credit:
Credit– AFOA Canada
A Money Smarts podcast on how to build and keep credit in good shape
Proper use of credit* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
Tips on how to build good strong credit
Collection Agencies and You*- Sudbury Community Service Centre
Tips on your rights if contacted by a collection agency
Credit report request form* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
Equifax and TransUnion request forms
Credit report sample*– FCAC
Dangers of credit* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
The dangers of the different forms of credit available
Payday loans and you* – Sudbury Community Service Centre
Understanding how pay day loans work
Debt consolidation calculator * – Ontario Securities Commission
Combine multiple debts into one and calculate how soon you could be debt free
The 4 cornerstones of debt reduction strategies & budgeting* – Credit Counselling Society
Retirement:
Low-income retirement planning* Open Policy
A background paper on maximizing GIS
Taxes and benefits
*Resource is not specific to Indigenous communities
**Tax and benefits information changes on a regular basis, we encourage you to check the CRA website for up to date information.
Tax filing:
Roundtable on Income Tax Filing Supports in First Nation communities and Indigenous organizations (presentation) – Prosper Canada & AFOA Canada
Insights on planning free tax clinics in Indigenous communities – Prosper Canada
Podcast: Host a Free Tax Clinic – AFOA Canada
How to host a tax clinic (manual) – AFOA Canada
Tax packages*– CRA
Indigenous income tax issues– CRA
COVID-19 benefits, your return and repayments– CRA
Get free tax help– CRA
Understanding Indigenous Experience with Tax Filing (2022)– CRA
Benefits:
Benefits wayfinder*– Prosper Canada
Canada Learning Bond* – MySmartFUTURE, AFOA Canada
Canada Learning Bond*– Government of Canada
Podcast: Tax filing and accessing financial benefits – AFOA Canada
Webinar for Indigenous peoples: Get your benefits and credits – CRA
Canada Dental Benefit – CRA
One-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit– CRA
Working from home: Income tax exemption – CRA
Simplified northern residents travel deduction– CRA
Benefits and credits: Information for Indigenous peoples– CRA
Taxes and benefits:
Taxes and benefits for Indigenous peoples – CRA
Let us help you get your benefits! – CRA
Factsheet: Indigenous peoples – CRA (available in 16 languages)
Relevant reading & viewing
*Resource is not specific to Indigenous communities
Money Smarts -AFOA Canada
podcast series
The shared path- First Nations Financial Wellness– Prosper Canada & AFOA Canada
Financial empowerment: Personal finance for Indigenous and non-Indigenous People – Bettina Schneider
Adaptation of openly licensed textbook Person Finance v 1.0 by Saylor Academy
Financial health & wealth: an initiative by the Native Women’s Association of Canada
Report on financial health and wealth from the Native Women’s Association of Canada
Access to ID:
Access to Identification for Low-Income Manitobans* – Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, MB
Research on what can be done to address challenges around ID
Eyeing the ID: Bio-metric Banking for Saint John* – NB Social Pediatrics and the Saint John Community Loan Fund
Identifies access to identification, as well as stringent identification requirements as the most prevalent barriers to receiving services
Beware of One Time Passcode scams with these tips
While cyber criminals are always looking for ways to trick you into revealing information they can use to access your accounts, we have a few simple tips to avoid getting tricked by “one time passcode” scams that you may encounter while attempting to access your accounts securely.
Cyber security toolkit
There are also simple steps you can take to recognize cyber threats and protect yourself. With a cyber hygiene checklist and tips on how to spot common scams, the CBA’s Cyber Security Toolkit can help you protect against online financial fraud.
A guide to the best robo-advisors in Canada for 2022
Robo-advisors first arrived in Canada in the beginning of 2014 presenting young and middle-income investors the option of having their savings passively managed in a bundle of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) matched to their goals and risk tolerance for about a penny on the dollar per year: A perfect set-it-and-forget it solution for people with better things to do. Fast forward to today and the honeymoon atmosphere has dissipated. Against the backdrop of an extraordinarily long-lived bull market in stocks, active management has made a comeback (not least in the ETF space), exotic asset classes like cryptocurrency are on the rise, and new competition is coming from asset-allocation ETFs that do the job of portfolio management all in one security. Suddenly robo-advisors find themselves having to prove their worth anew, all the while trying to establish a profitable business model in a low-margin corner of the investment universe. It’s surprising, really, because amid all the competition their fee structures and value proposition are as good as or better than ever. Investors now must probe deeper in their choice of robo-advisor, asking tough questions around performance, risk and the composition of portfolios. The 2022 survey of the Canadian robo industry shows, they’re not all the same.
8 ways to prepare financially for retirement
This article from OSC provides 8 tips to help you plan for retirement. Transitioning from working life to retirement takes careful financial planning and decision-making – give yourself plenty of time to prepare. Here are some things you can do ahead of time.
Financial wellness tools
The National Disability Institute's Financial Wellness Toolkit is full of free resources for disability service providers, nonprofits, financial professionals and municipalities, including Financial Education Handouts and Quick Reference Guides. This infographic highlights income, banking and credit inequality based on disability, race and ethnicity.
Let’s talk money- seniors edition
With a little preparation, talking about financial matters can help build trust, deepen connections, relieve stress and lead to greater peace of mind. Yet for many people, these conversations can be difficult. In some families, money is just not something you talk about. The same applies to wills, inheritances, senior living, end-of-life care and many more topics that matter most to seniors. Let's Talk About Money: Seniors' Edition -- wants to help you change that. There are tips to help parents talk with adult children and tips for adult children to have meaningful money conversations their parents. The most important thing is to have these conversations early, before there’s a crisis. So let's start talking.Open, honest conversations about money are one of the keys to building a healthy relationship with your family, across the generations.
Investing basics
Whether you’re a first-time investor, thinking of saving for your education, or planning for your retirement, FAIR Canada's investing basics may help you on your investing journey.
English
For frontline staff - Quick tools you can use with clients
Starting the conversation
Here are 7 questions to help you start a conversation about money with your client. Based on what you learn about your clients’ needs, the remaining links on this page to help you find answers and next steps.
Try this coaching readiness checklist to help your client ascertain if they have the time and are interested in receiving financial coaching.
Worksheets & tip sheets
Here are some “go to” worksheets and tip sheets that frontline staff have found very helpful with their clients. They focus on budgeting, saving, and debt management – common FE needs that come up. Try them out for yourself first and see which ones might work for your clients.
The Budget Spreadsheet is an excellent tool for capturing the full picture of an individual’s financial picture. The individual inputs information according to different categories and the tool calculates totals in a summary page to show how much money is left over at the end of the month. [Thunder Bay Counselling]
The Simple budget template is an alternative monthly budget tool clients can use. It includes links to an Income tracking worksheet and Expenses tracking worksheet. [Prosper Canada / Trove]
The Urgent vs Important worksheet can help clients prioritize their spending. This, in turn, can help them save or “find money” for necessary expenses. [Prosper Canada / Trove]
Knowing how to set a SMART goal is important for planning and achieving targets. In the Set a SMART financial goal, clients learn what a SMART goal is and write SMART financial goals that are important to them. [Prosper Canada / Trove]
Making a spending plan is a worksheet clients can use to create a spending plan for each week based on money coming in and out each month. [Prosper Canada / Trove]
Making a debt action plan is a worksheet to help your clients get a handle on their debt. [Prosper Canada / Trove]
Tips for Managing Debt and Bills is a reference sheet you can give clients during tough times when managing cash flow is a challenge.
Prioritizing bills helps clients prioritize what bills to pay when it’s not possible to pay for everything. Note that this tool is from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), an American government agency and includes a link to their website. Let clients know the information on the website is geared to the US context. [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]
Online sites and tools
Here are great online tools you can also share and use in your FE work with clients.
Benefits wayfinder [benefitswayfinder.org]
Support with access to benefits is another powerful FE intervention. The Benefits wayfinder is a simple, easy to use, plain language tool that helps people on low and modest incomes find and track benefits they could get. Clients can use it on their own or with your support.
Read the Benefits wayfinder fact sheet to learn more.
Then watch the How to use this tool video. It highlights and demonstrates how to navigate through the key features of the tool.
If you would like additional training on how to support your clients with access to benefits and use the Benefits wayfinder tool in your money conversations, you can sign up for Prosper Canada’s self-directed online course and/or live workshop.
Trove [yourtrove.org]
Trove is a free bilingual website that clients can visit on their own or with your support. Many of the tools you were introduced to above can be found on Trove, along with a wealth of other user-friendly financial tools, worksheets, and education information to help clients take charge of their spending, learn about tax filing and benefits, and manage debt.
Along with a link to the Benefits wayfinder, you can also find these online tools:
- My money in Canada is a website that can help clients build healthy money habits with simple, easy to use learning modules on a range of money topics. The site also includes videos and a financial wellness checklist for clients.
- The RDSP Calculator for Canadians can be used to assess the potential of opening and contributing to a Registered Disability Savings Plan.
For managers - Tools for getting started with financial empowerment
The resources below focus on starting steps and tools to assist in the initial planning and implementation stages for embedding FE. Future phases of the toolkit will share resources for later stage efforts, as well as non-municipal efforts, such as public libraries and health care systems.
Tool 1. Making the case for financial empowerment
For FE to be successful, it’s critical to get buy-in from staff and stakeholders.
Below are great resources to share with key players who are new to FE. They can help you get others quickly up to speed on what FE is and the value of embedding FE as you onboard them or work to build interest in FE in your municipality.
- Prosperity Gateways Primer gives a quick overview of the “what” and “why” of embedding FE into municipal services.
- FE Brochure provides a more detailed introduction to FE and embedding FE.
- Here are three case examples you can use to show the powerful impact embedding FE into municipal services can have:
- Case example: York region
- Case example: TESS
- Case example: Edmonton
Tool 2. Getting started: the internal scan
Take the time to learn about common FE interventions. Then, assess conditions, capacity and considerations in your municipality for providing these kinds of financial help to your clients.
This tool guides you through an internal scan as you envision what embedding FE might look like in your service delivery context. Consider Tool 2: Getting started: the internal scan a starting point that will continue to evolve as you move through the process.
Tool 3. Exploring partnerships: the external scan
Municipalities do not have to deliver FE supports themselves to turn their services into Prosperity Gateways. In many cases, especially at the outset, it may be more cost-effective and less resource intensive to establish referral pathways to other local service providers or to partner with non-profit organizations, foundations, or financial service providers to deliver the financial help to meet your clients’ needs.
Use Tool 3: Exploring collaborations and partnerships to perform a scan of FE services in your local community and identify potential collaborations and partnerships.
Two additional partnership resources are ‘Elements of Integration‘ and ‘Partnership Tip Sheet‘
Tool 4. Designing the initiative: the service blueprint
Having completed an internal and external scan of barriers and opportunities, you are now ready to design an FE initiative to suit your municipality’s context. Designing the initiative is an important phase where you work out the service model, clarify partnerships, and imagine the ideal client experience.
Tool 4: Designing the initiative guides you through choosing the best service delivery model for your context and designing the client and staff journey.
We hope this toolkit will grow and improve with use and feedback. Current ideas for upcoming tools include:
- Understanding your clients’ financial capability
- Building a successful team
- Supporting staff for success
- Setting up effective data collection and evaluation processes
Tool 5. Designing the initiative: a shadowing guide
Tool 5: A shadowing guide can help frontline staff understand the process from intake to service delivery.
Feedback / Suggestions
We’d love to hear your feedback and suggestions for tools that you would find useful. Please email: Helen Payne Watt at [email protected]
Learn more about FE
Canadian Publications
Prosperity Gateways: Cities for financial empowerment – Building the case outlines evidence for embedding FE.
Read the report How financial empowerment services are helping Ontarians build financial health for more supporting evidence and personal stories.
Financial Empowerment – What is it and how it helps reduce poverty [national] suggests that FE is a critical missing piece of federal government policy that can significantly boost client outcomes when it is embedded into other programs and services.
Financial Empowerment – What is it and how it helps reduce poverty [Alberta] provides an overview of provincial government action on FE in Alberta. The Alberta government adapted the national document (by the same name) to use in their internal discussions with municipal decision-makers. Create a document that you can use for your internal discussions using this as an example.
U.S. Publications
The municipal integration of FE in Canada is grounded in influential work in the US by the Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund. Launched in 2012 in New York the CFE Fund showed that embedding FE strategies into local government infrastructure can have a “supervitamin effect” on public programs, increasing the financial stability of low to moderate income households.
- Read the pioneering article: “Municipal Financial Empowerment: A Supervitamin for Public Programs”
- Learn more about their Financial Empowerment Centers model in this 4-minute video
- Visit their website to see resources and sign up for their quarterly newsletter
- See a three-year evaluation of the model in 5 cities across the US. “An Evaluation of Financial Empowerment Centers – Building People’s Financial Stability as a Public Service”
The Urban Institute examined the cost of residents’ financial insecurity to city budgets in 10 American cities in this 2017 research. Across these cities, the costs range from the tens to hundreds of millions of dollars, suggesting that cities have an economic interest in improving their residents’ financial health.
A report by JP Morgan Chase reviews municipal efforts to integrate financial capability into public services in several US locations in “A Scan of Municipal Financial Capability Efforts.”
French
Pour le personnel de première ligne — Outils rapides que vous pouvez utiliser avec les clients
Amorcer la conversation
Voici sept questions qui vous aideront à entamer une conversation à propos de l’argent avec votre client. En fonction de ce que vous avez appris sur les besoins de vos clients, les autres liens de cette page vous aideront à trouver des réponses et à connaître les prochaines étapes.
Utilisez cette liste de vérification pour aider votre client à décider s’il a le temps et s’il souhaite recevoir un accompagnement financier.
Fiches de travail et fiches de conseils
Voici quelques feuilles de travail et des feuilles de conseils que le personnel de première ligne a trouvé très utiles pour ses clients. Elles portent principalement sur la planification budgétaire, l’épargne et la gestion des dettes — les besoins courants en matière d’AF qui se présentent. Essayez-les d’abord pour vous-même et voyez ceux qui pourraient convenir à vos clients.
La feuille de calcul du budget (anglais seulement) est un excellent outil pour saisir le portrait complet de la situation financière d’un individu. La personne saisit les données selon différentes catégories et l’outil calcule les totaux dans une page de synthèse pour montrer combien d’argent il reste à la fin du mois. [Thunder Bay Counselling]
Le modèle de budget simple est un outil alternatif de budget mensuel que les clients peuvent utiliser. Il comprend des liens vers une feuille de calcul de suivi des revenus et une feuille de calcul de suivi des dépenses. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]
La feuille de calcul Urgent versus Important peut aider les clients à établir des priorités dans leurs dépenses. Cela peut ensuite les aider à économiser ou à « trouver de l’argent » pour les dépenses nécessaires. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]
Il est important de savoir comment établir un objectif INTELLIGENT pour mettre en place et atteindre des objectifs. Avec l’outil Comment établir des objectifs financiers INTELLIGENTS, les clients apprennent ce qu’est un objectif INTELLIGENT et choisissent des objectifs financiers INTELLIGENTS qui sont importants pour eux. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]
La feuille de calcul Comment établir un plan de dépenses est un outil que les clients peuvent utiliser pour créer un plan de dépenses pour chaque semaine en fonction des entrées et sorties d’argent du mois. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]
La feuille de calcul Élaboration d’un plan d’action en matière de dettes est un outil pour aider vos clients à prendre le contrôle sur leurs dettes. [Prospérité Canada/Trove]
Conseils pour la gestion des dettes et des factures est une feuille de référence que vous pouvez donner à vos clients dans les moments difficiles où la gestion des fonds est un défi.
Le classement des factures par ordre de priorité (anglais seulement) aide les clients à déterminer les factures à payer en premier lorsqu’il n’est pas possible de tout payer. Notez que cet outil provient du Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), une agence gouvernementale américaine, et comprend un lien vers son site Web. Expliquez aux clients que les renseignements figurant sur le site Web sont adaptés au contexte américain. [Consumer Financial Protection Bureau]
Sites et outils en ligne
Voici d’excellents outils en ligne que vous pouvez également faire connaître et utiliser dans votre travail en matière d’AF avec les clients.
Orienteur en mesures d’aide [benefitswayfinder.org/fr]
L’aide à l’accès aux mesures d’aide est une autre façon puissante d’intervenir en matière d’AF. L’Orienteur en mesures d’aide est un outil simple, facile à utiliser et rédigé en langage clair qui aide les personnes à revenus faibles ou modestes à trouver et à répertorier les mesures d’aide auxquelles elles peuvent prétendre. Les clients peuvent l’utiliser seuls ou avec votre aide.
Pour en savoir plus, lisez la fiche d’information sur l’Orienteur en mesures d’aide. (anglais seulement)
Ensuite, regardez la vidéo Comment utiliser cet outil (anglais seulement). Elle explique et démontre comment naviguer à travers les principales caractéristiques de l’outil.
Si vous souhaitez obtenir une formation supplémentaire sur la façon d’aider vos clients à accéder aux mesures d’aide et d’utiliser l’Orienteur en mesures d’aide dans vos conversations au sujet de l’argent, vous pouvez vous inscrire au cours autodidacte en ligne ou à l’atelier en direct de Prospérité Canada.
Trove [yourtrove.org/fr]
Trove est un site Web bilingue gratuit que les clients peuvent visiter par eux-mêmes ou avec votre aide. La plupart des outils qui vous ont été présentés ci-dessus se trouvent sur Trove, ainsi qu’une multitude d’autres outils financiers conviviaux, des feuilles de calcul et des renseignements éducatifs pour aider les clients à prendre en charge leurs dépenses, à se renseigner sur la déclaration et les avantages fiscaux et à gérer leurs dettes.
En plus d’un lien vers l’Orienteur en mesures d’aide, vous trouverez également ces outils en ligne :
- Mon argent au Canada est un site Web qui peut aider les clients à acquérir de bonnes habitudes en matière de gestion de l’argent grâce à des modules d’apprentissage simples et faciles à utiliser sur toute une série de sujets liés à l’argent. Le site comprend également des vidéos (anglais seulement) et un questionnaire relatif au bien-être financier pour les clients.
- La calculatrice du REEI pour les Canadiens peut être utilisée pour évaluer la possibilité d’ouvrir et de cotiser à un régime enregistré d’épargne-invalidité.
Pour les gestionnaires — Outils pour démarrer avec l’autonomisation financière
The resources below focus on starting steps and tools to assist in the initial planning and implementation stages for embedding FE. Future phases of the toolkit will share resources for later stage efforts, as well as non-municipal efforts, such as public libraries and health care systems.
Outil 1. Argumenter en faveur de l’autonomisation financière.
Pour que l’AF soit un succès, il est essentiel d’obtenir l’adhésion du personnel et des intervenants.
Vous trouverez ci-dessous d’excellentes ressources à faire connaître aux acteurs clés qui ne connaissent pas encore l’AF. Elles peuvent vous aider à faire comprendre rapidement aux autres ce qu’est l’AF et la pertinence d’intégrer l’AF lorsque vous les accueillez ou lorsque vous travaillez à susciter l’intérêt pour l’AF dans votre municipalité.
● L’abécédaire des passerelles pour la prospérité (anglais seulement) donne un aperçu de « qu’est-ce que c’est » et du « pourquoi » au sujet de l’intégration de l’AF dans les services municipaux.
● La brochure de l’AF (anglais seulement) fournit une introduction plus détaillée à l’AF et à l’intégration de l’AF.
● Voici trois exemples de cas que vous pouvez utiliser pour montrer l’impact puissant que peut avoir l’intégration de l’AF dans les services municipaux :
o Exemple de cas : Région de York
o Exemple de cas : Services sociaux et d’emploi de Toronto
o Exemple de cas : Edmonton
Outil 2. Commencer : l’analyse interne
Prenez le temps de vous renseigner sur les types d’interventions courantes en matière d’AF. Ensuite, évaluez les conditions, la capacité et les considérations dans votre municipalité pour fournir ces types d’aide financière à vos clients.
Cet outil vous guide à travers une analyse interne qui vous permet d’envisager ce que pourrait être l’intégration de l’AF dans votre contexte de prestation de services.
Considérez l’outil 2 : Commencer : l’analyse interne un point de départ qui continuera à évoluer à mesure que vous avancerez dans le processus.
Outil 3. Explorer les partenariats : l’analyse externe
Les municipalités ne sont pas obligées de fournir elles-mêmes des mesures d’aides en matière d’AF pour transformer leurs services en passerelles pour la prospérité. Dans de nombreux cas, surtout au début, il peut être plus rentable et moins exigeant sur le plan des ressources d’établir des liens de référence vers d’autres prestataires de services locaux ou de s’associer à des organismes à but non lucratif, des fondations ou des prestataires de services financiers pour fournir l’aide financière répondant aux besoins de vos clients.
Utilisez l’outil 3 : Explorer les collaborations et les partenariats pour effectuer une analyse des services en matière d’AF dans votre communauté locale et identifier les collaborations et partenariats potentiels.
Deux autres ressources à propos du partenariat sont les « Éléments de l’intégration » et les « Conseils pour le partenariat » .
Outil 4. Concevoir l’initiative : le plan de service
Après avoir effectué une analyse interne et externe des obstacles et des opportunités, vous êtes maintenant prêt à concevoir une initiative d’AF adaptée au contexte de votre municipalité. La conception de l’initiative est une phase importante où vous élaborez le modèle de service, clarifiez les partenariats et imaginez l’expérience client idéale.
L’outil 4 : Conception de l’initiative vous guide dans le choix du meilleur modèle de prestation de services pour votre contexte et dans la conception du parcours du client et du personnel.
Nous espérons que cette boîte à outils se développera et s’améliorera avec l’utilisation et les commentaires. Les idées actuelles pour les outils à venir incluent :
- Comprendrela capacité financière de vos clients
- Mettresur pied une équipe performante
- Soutenirle personnel pour qu’il réussisse
- Mettreen place des processus efficaces de collecte de données et d’évaluation
Outil 5. Concevoir l’initiative : un guide d’observation
L’outil 5 : Un guide d’observation peut aider le personnel de première ligne à comprendre le processus, de l’accueil à la mise en œuvre du service.
Commentaires et suggestions
Nous serions ravis d’entendre vos commentaires et vos suggestions d’outils que vous trouveriez utiles. Veuillez nous envoyer un courriel : Helen Payne Watt à l’adresse [email protected].
En savoir plus en matière d’AF
Publications canadiennes
Passerelles de prospérité : Les villes pour l’autonomisation financière — établir le dossier (anglais seulement) décrit les preuves qui sont pour l’intégration de l’AF.
Lisez le rapport intitulé Comment les services d’autonomisation financière aident les Ontariens à renforcer leur santé financière (anglais seulement) pour obtenir plus de preuves et de récits personnels.
Le document Autonomisation financière — qu’est-ce que c’est et comment cela aide à réduire la pauvreté [national] (anglais seulement) suggère que l’autonomisation financière est une pièce manquante essentielle de la politique du gouvernement fédéral qui peut considérablement améliorer les conditions de vie des clients lorsqu’elle est intégrée à d’autres programmes et services.
Le document Autonomisation financière — qu’est-ce que c’est et comment cela aide à réduire la pauvreté [Alberta] (anglais seulement) donne un aperçu de la démarche du gouvernement provincial en matière d’AF en Alberta. Le gouvernement de l’Alberta a adapté le document national (du même nom) pour l’utiliser dans ses discussions internes avec les décideurs municipaux. Créez un document que vous pourrez utiliser pour vos discussions internes en utilisant cet exemple.
Publications américaines
L’intégration municipale de l’AF au Canada est fondée sur les travaux influents réalisés aux États-Unis par le Fonds Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE). Lancé en 2012 à New York, le Fonds CFE Fund a montré que l’intégration de stratégies d’AF dans l’infrastructure des gouvernements locaux peut avoir un « effet super vitaminé » sur les programmes publics, en augmentant la stabilité financière des ménages à revenu faible ou modéré.
- Lisez l’article pionnier : « Municipal Financial Empowerment: A Supervitamin for Public Programs » (anglais seulement)
- Apprenez-en davantage sur leur modèle de centres d’autonomisation financière (anglais seulement) dans cette vidéo de quatre minutes.
- Visitez leur site Web (anglais seulement) pour voir les ressources et vous inscrire à leur infolettre trimestrielle.
- Découvrez une évaluation de trois ans du modèle dans cinq villes des États-Unis. « An Evaluation of Financial Empowerment Centers – Building People’s Financial Stability as a Public Service » (anglais seulement)
L’Urban Institute a examiné le coût de l’insécurité financière des résidents sur les budgets municipaux de dix villes américaines dans cette recherche de 2017 (anglais seulement). Dans ces villes, les coûts vont de dizaines à des centaines de millions de dollars, ce qui suggère que les villes ont un intérêt économique à améliorer la santé financière de leurs résidents.
Un rapport de JP Morgan Chase passe en revue les efforts déployés par les municipalités pour intégrer la capacité financière dans les services publics dans plusieurs villes américaines dans « A Scan of Municipal Financial Capability Efforts » (anglais seulement).
Introduction to investing: A primer for new investors
Whether you’re new to investing, or new to Canada, InvestingIntroduction.ca can help. Visit the Ontario Securities Commission's refreshed website and find resources to help you make more informed investment decisions and better protect your money. The information is available in 22 languages.
Translated financial terms
The Consumer Finance Protection Bureau has developed resources to help multilingual communities and newcomers in a selection of languages. The translated financial terms are available in Chinese, Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean and Tagalog. This website has many other multi-lingual resources, covering a range of topics from opening a bank account, money transfers, money management, debt collection and many others. Some terms are US based but most are universal.
Retirement budget worksheet
Good financial planning starts with knowing what you spend. Try out this budget worksheet, prepared by the Ontario Securities Commission, to see the difference in your costs before you retire and after you stop working.
Fraud Prevention Toolkits
In 2021, losses reported to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reached an all time high of 379 million with Canadian losses accounting for 275 million of this. Fraud Prevention Month is a campaign held each March to inform and educate the public on protecting yourself from being a victim of fraud. This year's theme is impersonation, and focuses on scams where fraudsters will claim to be government official, critical infrastructure companies, and even law enforcement officials. This collection of fraud prevention toolkits is available in English and French. In English: En Français:
Banking for newcomers to Canada
Banks offer extensive information on how newcomers to Canada can get started in their new country, including checklists, information, financial services and advice. The Canadian Bankers Association has compiled some basic information to get you started including an infographic with features of the Canadian banking system.
Canada learning bond for 18 to 20 year olds
The Canada Learning Bond is money that the Government of Canada adds to a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) to help pay the costs of full- or part-time studies after high school. If you are eligible for the Canada Learning Bond and have not already received it in an RESP, you will receive $500 deposited into your RESP, plus an additional $100 for every subsequent year that you were eligible, up to the age of 15. This money can help cover the costs of tuition, books, tools, transportation, and housing. You do not need to put any money into the RESP to receive the Canada Learning Bond. This single page insert tells you everything you need to know to apply for the Canada learning bond. Disponible en Français.
Tools for 2022: Tamarack’s Top 10 Resources Published in 2021
The Tamarack Institute develops and supports collaborative strategies that engage citizens and institutions to solve major community issues across Canada and beyond. Our belief is that when we are effective in strengthening community capacity to engage citizens, lead collaboratively, deepen community and end poverty, our work contributes to the building of peace and a more equitable society. This toolkit contains the top ten resources they published in 2021 including: index of community engagement techniques, the community engagement planning canvas, a guide for community-based COVID recovery, a guide for engaging people with lived and living experience, asset-based community development, a guide for advancing the sustainable development goals in your community and much more.
Gathering a Bundle for Indigenous Evaluation
This guide brought together by the Indigenous Learning Circle (ILC) in Winnipeg's North End details how to conduct an Indigenous-grounded evaluation process. While not a comprehensive guide to complete an evaluation, the Bundle builds upon what is understood about evaluation and provides a guide that can be used in planning, designing, implementing and reporting based upon Indigenous values and principles. The Bundle provides a common understanding of the purpose of evaluation; how it can be beneficial for community; and Indigenous principles, values, considerations, and methods that could be used in the design and implementation of evaluation. It can be used by community organizations and staff to understand evaluation and increase community members’ capacity to actively participate in evaluation efforts in their programs and organizations.
P4P Planning Network Resource Hub
The P4P Planning Network was launched by Partners for Planning to support relatives, friends, or caregivers of a person with a disability with planning resources and tools. Resources on relationship building, school transitions, community involvement, financial objectives and more are shared and continuously updated on the website. Their Early Planning Toolkit includes an action guide, a checklist to help identify ways to build an everyday childhood while planning for the future and webcasts.
Early Planning Toolkit
A toolkit for parents/caregivers with a child with a disability ages 2 to 10, containing:
Practitioner tools for navigating financial exchanges with family and friends
Financial educators are particularly aware of the prevalence of these types of financial arrangements – otherwise known as family financial exchanges (FFEs). To support practitioners helping clients through these often sensitive conversations about these arrangements, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau released the Friends and Family Exchanges Toolkit , a four-part guide for coaching clients in asking for financial help or changing an existing agreement due to their own financial hardship.
National Indigenous History Month 2021
In June, we commemorate National Indigenous History Month 2021 to recognize the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. The Crow-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada website contains resources on Indigenous history, promotional and educational materials, and information on how the Government of Canada is responding to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission's Calls to Action.
Guaranteed Income Community of Practice resources
The Guaranteed Income Community of Practice (GICP) convenes guaranteed income stakeholders, including policy experts, researchers, community and program leaders, funders, and elected officials to learn and collaborate on guaranteed income pilots, programs and policy. The GICP website includes resources on:
Living your retirement
These resources from the Ontario Securities Commission are oriented towards planning for retirement. Resources include tips on insurance planning, government benefits, RRSP calculator, and more.
CFPB Consumer Education Resources
Resources to provide consumers up-to-date information to protect and manage their finances during the coronavirus pandemic. Resources include: And resources for specific audiences, including:
National Housing Strategy
The National Housing Strategy is a 10-year, $70+ billion plan creating a new generation of housing in Canada giving more Canadians a place to call home.
Nurturing Supporting Relationships: The Foundation to a Secure Future
This handbook provides a guide for actions to take when nurturing supporting relationships for people living with a disability.
Tax Credit Outreach Resources
The Get It Back Campaign helps eligible workers in the United States claim tax credits and use free tax filing assistance to maximize tax time. A project of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Campaign partners with community organizations, businesses, government agencies, and financial institutions to conduct outreach nationally. For 30 years, these partnerships have connected lower and moderate-income workers to tax benefits like the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), the Child Tax Credit (CTC), and Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA). Their website contain a variety of outreach materials that can be adapted for your organization, including:
Virtual VITA Toolkit: Program Strategies
Program strategies grounded in an understanding of your community can increase the likelihood of engagement and follow-through. The following resources are intended to support VITA programs with implementation strategies at key program stages, like outreach and intake, and offer examples of how other virtual VITA programs have addressed critical challenges.
2019 Financial Coaching Network Bi-Monthly Peer Call Series
These calls, featuring guest practitioners, cover a variety of topics most pressing to the financial coaching field, provide useful tips and resources and serve as a peer-learning platform. Topics include:
Communicating on Race and Racial Economic Equity
This document is a compilation of best practices and recommendations from a wide range of resources that Prosperity Now’s Racial Wealth Divide Initiative (RWDI) and Communications teams thought would be helpful for naming, framing, defining and understanding the issue of racial economic equity. Design guidelines on visually depicting diverse communities and definitions of important terms and concepts for understanding the nuance and complexity of racial economic equity, the racial wealth divide and racial wealth equity are provided.
Colour of Poverty – Colour of Change
There is a growing "colour-coded" inequity and disparity in Ontario that has resulted in an inequality of learning outcomes, of health status, of employment opportunity and income prospects, of life opportunities, and ultimately of life outcomes. Colour of Poverty-Colour of Change believes that it is only by working together that we can make the needed change for all of our shared benefit These fact sheets provide data to help understand the racialization of poverty in Ontario.
Creating Financial Security: Financial Planning in Support of a Relative with a Disability
This handbook covers the following topics:
Money Mentors – Savings & Debt Resources
Collection of money management resources, including how create effective budgets, realistic spending plans, deal with your debts, save more money, build a stronger credit rating, and prepare for retirement.
The MIX Challenge Toolkit: Tools & Techniques for Challenge-Based Innovation Partnerships & Procurement
The Municipal Innovation Exchange (MIX) project team created this Toolkit to assist municipalities - individual line managers or project owners, or municipal strategic teams (like a Smart Cities Office) - that are contemplating or undertaking a procurement by means of innovation partnership. The Toolkit can help municipal staff decide which projects are a good fit for this approach to procurement. It can help them initiate and manage an innovation partnership. It can also help them assess the whole experience afterwards and determine if and how to apply innovation partnership again.
Resources
Virtual self-filing model
This section contains resources that describe the flow of the virtual self-file model (two options), and examples of scripts and documents that may be used to support the process. These may be customized for your own agency.
Guide to the virtual self-file model of tax filing
Virtual self-file overview (Journey map)
Sample script: Recruiting clients for the virtual self-file project (Used in 2020)
Email templates (Independent filing method)
Booking confirmation email sample (Two-step method)
Sample introduction scripts (Woodgreen)
Sample disclaimer statement
Sample client intake form (Woodgreen)
Document and income eligibility check
Sample document check form (Woodgreen)
Virtual review of tax return: Quick tips
Additional support resources
This section contains additional resources to support at tax time. Be sure to also review our Tax filing toolkit and Financial Coaching toolkit for other relevant resources.
Sample client profiles (Woodgreen)
Common tax deductions
Common sources of income and their tax slips
Notice of Assessment – how to read it
Questions and answers about filing your taxes
Questions and answers released by the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) about filing your taxes, including information on:
Stop Overpaying, Start Switching
In the past year, 1 in 4 Canadians surveyed renegotiated their contracts or switched providers to take advantage of better deals and services. This webpage provides information on switching or renegotiating your contract to reduce your monthly bills and get better products and services.
Northwest Territories Income Assistance Handbook
The Income Assistance Program provides Financial Assistance to Northerners to help meet basic and enhanced needs. The program encourages and supports greater self-reliance to improve the quality of lives. This plain language handbook is for people who may want to play for Income Assistance. It provides information on: The handbook also contains helpful contact information on the following resources in the Northwest Territories including:
Guide de recours : Lors d’un conflit avec un fournisseur de communication
A guide for consumers to help with problems related to communications services. Information is provided to allow consumers to better assert their rights and facilitate the resolution of a dispute with communication service providers. (Please note this is a French-language resource.)
Bien choisir son crédit : un guide pratique [A Practical Guide to Making Smart Credit Choices]
A guide comprised of 12 fact sheets for consumers to learn more about credit, grouped into the following topics: general information, warnings, credit products, and comparison tables. (Please note this is a French-language resource.)
Creating Communities Where We Live – A Good Practices Guide
Creating Communities Where We Live - A Good Practices Guide is a locally-driven community-based researched project conducted in Edmonton, Alberta, by e4c and the University of Alberta Community Service-Learning program. The project seeks to add to the knowledge and practice of community care around supporting people to achieve a safe, secure, and affordable housing experience. The 10 good practices in this guide describe structures, roles, and relationships which promote community and wellbeing for tenants who live in affordable housing. The practices are informed, in part, by research into tenant and staff experiences at affordable housing complexes run by four Edmonton housing providers.
COVID-19: Exclusive resources for service provider heroes
Families Canada is the national association of Family Support Centres. With a network of 500+ member agencies and thousands of frontline family service workers across Canada, they committed to providing leadership and support in the campaign for Canada’s children. Families Canada has compiled resources for service providers to support families during COVID-19.
Financial Literacy Month – 10th anniversary Resources
For the 10th anniversary of Financial Literacy Month in Canada, Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC) has released resources to help Canadians learn how to manage their finances in challenging times. Resources include the following topics:
COVID-19 Resources for people with disabilities
National Disability Institute (NDI)'s Financial Resilience Center offers resources and assistance to help those with disabilities and chronic health conditions navigate financially through the COVID-19 crisis. Resource topics include:
COVID-19 Financial Resilience Hub
The Global Financial Literacy Excellence Center (GFLEC) focuses on financial literacy research, policy, and solutions. This toolkit contains suggestions and resources for managing personal finances and protection against the financial emergencies caused by COVID-19.
National Strategies for Financial Education: OECD/INFE Policy Handbook
Financial education has become an important complement to market conduct and prudential regulation and improving individual financial behaviours a long-term policy priority in many countries. The OECD and its International Network on Financial Education (INFE) conducts research and develops tools to support policy makers and public authorities to design and implement national strategies for financial education. This handbook provides an overview of the status of national strategies worldwide, an analysis of relevant practices and case studies and identifies key lessons learnt. The policy handbook also includes a checklist for action, intended as a self-assessment tool for governments and public authorities.
OECD/INFE Toolkit for measuring financial literacy and financial inclusion
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organisation establishes evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic and environmental challenges. The OECD/INFE Toolkit includes a financial literacy questionnaire that captures the financial literacy of diverse populations, first piloted in 2010. In 2015/16 around 40 countries and economies participated in an international survey of adult financial literacy competencies; using data collected using this toolkit. The OECD/INFE financial literacy and financial inclusion measurement toolkit incorporates:
COVID-19 financial literacy resources
CPA Canada has put together resources to help manage your finances and provide you with the tools you need during this crisis – and beyond.
COVID-19 Financial Resource Centre
Credit Canada has pulled together financial information from trusted sources and released original content to help Canadians manage their finances during COVID-19.
The Common Approach
The Common Foundations are a minimum standard for how to do impact measurement without prescribing a particular tool or approach. This can help to overcome a widespread challenge of grantmakers, donors, lenders and investors imposing impact measurement approaches on the social purpose organizations that they give money to. They do this for assurances that the impact measurement is of a sufficient quality and comparability. The Common Foundations solves part of this problem. Funders can require social purpose organizations to demonstrate that the are doing all five essential practices while leaving the social purpose organization to choose which tools and approaches to use. In addition to the quick guide, videos, key documents, and a self-assessment are provided as tools to meet the standard of impact measurement in Canada.
The Institute for Gender and the Economy
The Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE) at the Rotman School of Management promotes an understanding of gender inequalities and how they can be remedied – by people of all genders – in the world of business and, more broadly, in the economy. Resources including research brief, videos and articles are presented on COVID-19 and inequality, the gender wage gap, parental leave and more.
Human Insights Tools & Resources
Human insights are used when designing programs and improving services through understanding clients’ hidden preferences, environment factors and behaviors. The Human Insights Tools from Prosperity Now are intended to take you through the process of discovering opportunities for innovation from clients’ point of view, designing solutions to meet those needs, and testing your ideas to ensure they bring about the needed change. Tools and resources are presented for each of the discover, design, and test phases.
Disability Alliance BC
Disability Alliance BC supports people in British Columbia with disabilities through direct services, community partnerships, advocacy, research and publications. Their website provides information on disability benefits including the Disability Tax Credit (DTC), CPP Disability, Registered Disability Savings Plans (RDSP) and more.
Plan Institute Learning Centre
The Plan Institute Learning Centre presents workshops, webinars, publications and other resources for individuals and/or families of a person with a disability, support-care workers, and organizations.
Helping Consumers Claim their Economic Impact Payment: A guide for intermediary organizations
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) released a guide to assist intermediaries in serving individuals to access their Economic Impact Payments (EIPs). The guide, Helping Consumers Claim the Economic Impact Payment: A guide for intermediary organizations , provides step-by-step instructions for frontline staff on how to:
Set a Goal: What to Save For
America Saves, a campaign managed by the nonprofit Consumer Federation of America, motivates, encourages, and supports low- to moderate-income households to save money, reduce debt, and build wealth. Information and tips for setting a savings goal, making a savings plan, how to save automatically, and other tools and resources are included.
Global Learning Partners: Shareable Resources
Global Learning Partners (GLP) helps individuals and organizations to learn by providing practical expertise in learning assessment, design, facilitation and evaluation. Their shareable resources cover a variety of topics in learning, taking a learning-centered approach, including: Learning Design, Needs Assessment, Facilitation, Evaluation, and others.
Questions and answers to legal topics in Ontario
The Community of Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) website contains answers to common questions pertaining to a number of legal topics, including: COVID-19, debt and consumer rights, and employment and work.
Youth Reconnect Program Guide: An Early Intervention Approach to Preventing Youth Homelessness
Since 2017, the Canadian Observatory on Homelessness and A Way Home Canada have been implementing and evaluating three program models that are situated across the continuum of prevention, in 10 communities and 12 sites in Ontario and Alberta. Among these is an early intervention called Youth Reconnect. This document describes the key elements of the YR program model, including program elements and objectives, case examples of YR in practice, and necessary conditions for implementation. It is intended for communities who are interested in pursuing similar early intervention strategies. The key to success, regardless of the approaches taken, lies in building and nurturing community partnerships with service providers, educators, policy professionals, and young people.
Identity theft
Identity thieves try to use your personal information to take money from your bank account, shop with your credit card, or even commit crimes in your name. This publication explains how to spot the warning signs of identity theft, how to protect yourself, and what you can do if it happens to you.
Your rights at work
This publication explains a worker’s legal rights under the Employment Standards Act regarding hours of work and pay, overtime, breaks, holidays and vacations, and leave from your job. It also has information about how to make a claim against an employer.
Workers’ Compensation: Making a claim
This resource explains what a worker should do if they have a job-related injury or disease, how they can apply for benefits from the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board, and what happens when the Board gets a report of their injury. It also has sections about what their employer must do, and where injured workers can get legal help.
Legal Resources Catalogue: Free legal information
This resource provides a list of free legal information resources produced by Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO).
Beware of scams related to the coronavirus
Scammers are taking advantage of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic to con people into giving up their money. Though the reason behind their fraud is new, their tactics are familiar. It can be even harder to prevent scams right now because people 62 and older aren’t interacting with as many friends, neighbors, and senior service providers due to efforts to slow the spread of disease. This blog post presents consumer protection toolkit resources produced by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau in addition to tips for consumers regarding COVID-19 related scams.
