An infographic highlighting how to attend post-secondary education with no student debt.  It shows how a family eligible for the Canada Learning Bond, with average family savings, student earnings and available grants can cover the cost of post-secondary education (PSE) with no need to...

Building savings is a fundamental strategy for empowering individuals and families with low incomes. Even relatively small amounts of savings can serve as a buffer against inevitable financial shocks that can otherwise undermine social service efforts and successes – and short-term savings offer...

People manage their money in a variety of different ways, sometimes in ways that others fail to understand, but that work well for them. The research in this new report focuses on one of those ways: informal saving. Informal saving can take many forms: saving in cash at home (sometimes literally...

This Economic Insights article documents the characteristics of families with children under the age of 18 who hold registered education savings plan (RESP) investments. The article also examines the relationship between holding an RESP account at age 15 and postsecondary enrolment between the ages...

Using data from a survey of young, enlisted Army service members, we explore whether soldiers have emergency funds and other types of savings. We find different sets of predictors for having an emergency fund and for the amount held in the fund. In general, education and money management...

Canada’s performance in higher education and skills development has been fairly strong for many years. On key measures we are at or near the top of international rankings and our highly skilled people contribute to economic competitiveness, social innovation, and political and community...

These are the webinar slides from the Center for Financial Security webinar on the role of education in retirement...

A registered disability savings plan (RDSP) is a savings plan that is intended to help parents and others save for the long-term financial security of a person who is eligible for the disability tax credit...

The Omega Foundation commissioned this research to better assess the influence of education savings and the federal government’s savings incentive grants for saving on post-secondary access. Our hope was to clarify the facts which have until now been largely obscured. This information gap has...

This is a webinar presenting the results of the Building Savings For Success evaluation report of matched savings account programs in 2 United States cities. One city used a coaching model, the other a case management model. The program showed that participants increased their liquid assets and...

This is a short brief on the RESP and Canada Learning bond. Education savings are an important first step in making a post-secondary education more attainable for a low income student. The Canada Learning Bond, a federal grant that can only be received into a Registered Education Savings Plan...

Canada has quietly moved from the era of the health care review to the era of the review of postsecondary education. Having digested (or set aside) the recommendations of the Romanow and Kirby commissions, federal and provincial governments have developed an appetite for proposals on how to enhance...

In 2008, research conducted by Omega revealed that high-income families took advantage of Canada’s programs to encourage education savings at four times the rate of lower-income families. The findings also showed that only 16% of eligible Canadian children had received their CLB. In response to...

Individual development accounts (IDAs) help low-income families save by matching their personal savings for specific investments, such as a first home, business capitalization, or higher education and training. The Assets for Independence (AFI) program is a federally supported IDA grant program...

The Postsecondary Education Participation Survey (PEPS) is a new survey designed to collect information on three important themes in postsecondary education: access to, persistence in and financing of postsecondary education. Access looks at characteristics of and barriers faced by those who enrol...

The cost of obtaining a post-secondary education has risen rapidly over the last decade, and that price tag is likely to continue to rise faster than the price of inflation. Numerous academic studies show that the higher future income stream resulting from the investment in a post-secondary...

This paper has two main goals. First, we provide a review of 38 studies on the relationship between assets and children’s educational attainment. Second, we discuss implications for Child Development Accounts (CDAs) policies. CDAs have been proposed as a potentially novel and promising asset...

This is a brochure about the Canada Learning Bond: what it is, how to get it, and how much it gives you. As a parent, you do your best to help your child succeed. You may have already started thinking about your child’s education after high school. The Government of Canada can help you save in a...

Children’s education savings accounts are a vital tool in boosting high school completion rates, increasing post-secondary education attainment, and reducing poverty. Research shows that saving for a child’s education is connected to improved child development, greater educational and career...

Enrolled By Six: Peel Post Secondary Strategy is a community impact strategy, rooted in research, to enroll every eligible child in Peel Region in the Canada Learning Bond – Registered Education Savings Plan for post secondary tuition before the age of...

This report analyzes federal spending on elementary and secondary education for students living on First Nations reserves. It examines the evolution of spending over the past decade and analyzes how funds were allocated and how these allocations compared to the provinces. It also provides forward...

Empirical evidence gathered over the last several years documents the potential of Children’s Savings Accounts (CSAs) to expand educational and economic opportunity for low- and moderate-income families. While much of the research on CSAs is based on regression analyses of panel data, randomized...

Current income is usually insufficient to cover college costs in most families, who believe that they must save for college for their children. Furthermore, effects of household savings and asset holding may extend beyond financial security and affect long-term development of children through...

There was a time, not very long ago, when Canadians were savers. In 1982, we routinely set aside 20 percent of our yearly income for large household purchases, education, starting businesses, retirement or just plain rainy days. Having a savings ‘nest egg’ was accepted wisdom and the norm. Then...

This presentation covers information about retiring on a low income in Ontario. It covers: 1. What seniors get in Ontario 2. What does ‘low income’ mean? 3. What does ‘taxable income’ mean? 4. How to reduce taxable income or get money back ─ understanding the system 5. Protecting...