Guaranteed Investment Certificate

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A Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC, French: Certificat de placement garanti, CPG) is a Canadian investment that offers a guaranteed rate of return over a fixed period of time, most commonly issued by trust companies or banks. [1] Due to its low risk profile, the return is generally less than other investments such as stocks, bonds, or mutual funds. It is similar to a time or term deposit as known in other countries. [2]

Canada Country in North America

Canada is a country in the northern part of North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic to the Pacific and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering 9.98 million square kilometres, making it the world's second-largest country by total area. Its southern border with the United States, stretching some 8,891 kilometres (5,525 mi), is the world's longest bi-national land border. Canada's capital is Ottawa, and its three largest metropolitan areas are Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

Stock financial instrument

The stock of a corporation is all of the shares into which ownership of the corporation is divided. In American English, the shares are commonly known as "stocks". A single share of the stock represents fractional ownership of the corporation in proportion to the total number of shares. This typically entitles the stockholder to that fraction of the company's earnings, proceeds from liquidation of assets, or voting power, often dividing these up in proportion to the amount of money each stockholder has invested. Not all stock is necessarily equal, as certain classes of stock may be issued for example without voting rights, with enhanced voting rights, or with a certain priority to receive profits or liquidation proceeds before or after other classes of shareholders.

Bond (finance) instrument of indebtedness

In finance, a bond is an instrument of indebtedness of the bond issuer to the holders. The most common types of bonds include municipal bonds and corporate bonds.

Contents

Overview

The rate of return on a GIC varies depending on the various factors, such as the length of the term and specified interest rates from the Bank of Canada. At the time of purchase, the rate is higher than the interest on a savings account. The return on the investment will be low if the savings interest rate becomes higher than the GIC rate of return and will be high otherwise. [3]

Bank of Canada Canadas central bank

The Bank of Canada is a Crown corporation and Canada's central bank. Chartered in 1934 under the Bank of Canada Act, it is responsible for formulating Canada's monetary policy, and for the promotion of a safe and sound financial system within Canada. The Bank of Canada is the sole issuing authority of Canadian banknotes, provides banking services and money management for the government, and loans money to Canadian financial institutions.

The principal amount is not at risk unless the bank defaults. The guarantee for GICs is provided by the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation [4] (CDIC) up to a maximum of $100,000 (principal and interest combined), as long as the issuing financial institution is a CDIC member [5] and the original term to maturity is five years or less. [6]

Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation

The Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation is a Canadian federal Crown Corporation created by Parliament in 1967 to provide deposit insurance to depositors in Canadian commercial banks and savings institutions. CDIC insures Canadians' deposits held at Canadian banks up to C$100,000 in case of a bank failure. CDIC automatically insures many types of savings against the failure of a financial institution. However, the bank must be a CDIC member and not all savings are insured. CDIC is also Canada's resolution authority for banks, federally regulated credit unions, trust and loan companies as well as associations governed by the Cooperative Credit Associations Act that take deposits.

Market growth GICs

The market growth GICs or market stock-indexed GICs have their interest rates determined by the rate of growth of a specific stock market (such as the TSX or S&P 500). For example; if the TSX has a market growth increase of 30% in three years, beginning at the same point in time the GIC was issued, the GIC will return with an interest of 30%. However, unlike other GICs there is always a possibility that the market could perform poorly, having even no growth at all, in which the interest rate could return at 0%. Just like regular GICs, market growth GICs are extremely low-risk; the capital is guaranteed to remain intact (though the purchasing power is not) even if the stock market shrinks.

In economics, capital consists of assets that can enhance one's power to perform economically useful work. For example, in a fundamental sense a stone or an arrow is capital for a caveman who can use it as a hunting instrument, while roads are capital for inhabitants of a city.

Purchasing power is the amount of goods and services that can be purchased with a unit of currency. For example, if one had taken one unit of currency to a store in the 1950s, it would have been possible to buy a greater number of items than would be the case today, indicating that the currency had a greater purchasing power in the 1950s. Currency can be either a commodity money, like gold or silver, or fiat money emitted by government sanctioned agencies.

All market growth GICs have a maximum return. For example; if the GIC has a maximum return of 25% over three years, and the TSX has a market growth increase of 30% in three years, the GIC will return with an interest rate of only 25%. Maximum returns will typically range from 7% to 15% per year, depending on the market in which the GIC is invested and the length of the investment term.

See also

A certificate of deposit (CD) is a time deposit, a financial product commonly sold by banks, thrift institutions, and credit unions.

United States Federal republic in North America

The United States of America (USA), commonly known as the United States or America, is a country comprising 50 states, a federal district, five major self-governing territories, and various possessions. At 3.8 million square miles, the United States is the world's third or fourth largest country by total area and is slightly smaller than the entire continent of Europe's 3.9 million square miles. With a population of over 327 million people, the U.S. is the third most populous country. The capital is Washington, D.C., and the most populous city is New York City. Most of the country is located contiguously in North America between Canada and Mexico.

A time deposit or term deposit is an interest-bearing bank deposit with a specified period of maturity. It is a money deposit at a banking institution that cannot be withdrawn for a specific term or period of time. When the term is over, it can be either withdrawn or held for another term. Generally speaking, the longer the term, the better the yield on the money.

Related Research Articles

To invest is to allocate money in the expectation of some benefit in the future.

Saving income not spent, or deferred consumption

Saving is income not spent, or deferred consumption. Methods of saving include putting money aside in, for example, a deposit account, a pension account, an investment fund, or as cash. Saving also involves reducing expenditures, such as recurring costs. In terms of personal finance, saving generally specifies low-risk preservation of money, as in a deposit account, versus investment, wherein risk is a lot higher; in economics more broadly, it refers to any income not used for immediate consumption.

Interest rate Percentage of a sum of money charged for its use

An interest rate is the amount of interest due per period, as a proportion of the amount lent, deposited or borrowed. The total interest on an amount lent or borrowed depends on the principal sum, the interest rate, the compounding frequency, and the length of time over which it is lent, deposited or borrowed.

Fixed income

Fixed income refers to any type of investment under which the borrower or issuer is obliged to make payments of a fixed amount on a fixed schedule. For example, the borrower may have to pay interest at a fixed rate once a year, and to repay the principal amount on maturity. Fixed-income securities can be contrasted with equity securities – often referred to as stocks and shares – that create no obligation to pay dividends or any other form of income.

Securities market securities market

Securities market is a component of the wider financial market where securities can be bought and sold between subjects of the economy, on the basis of demand and supply. Securities markets encompasses stock markets, bond markets and derivatives markets where prices can be determined and participants both professional and non professionals can meet.

Deposit insurance Fondo de garantía de depósitos

Deposit insurance is a measure implemented in many countries to protect bank depositors, in full or in part, from losses caused by a bank's inability to pay its debts when due. Deposit insurance systems are one component of a financial system safety net that promotes financial stability.

A structured product, also known as a market-linked investment, is a pre-packaged structured finance investment strategy based on a single security, a basket of securities, options, indices, commodities, debt issuance or foreign currencies, and to a lesser extent, derivatives. The variety of products just described demonstrates that there is no single, uniform definition of a structured product. A feature of some structured products is a "principal guarantee" function, which offers protection of principal if held to maturity. For example, an investor invests $100, the issuer simply invests in a risk-free bond that has sufficient interest to grow to $100 after the five-year period. This bond might cost $80 today and after five years it will grow to $100. With the leftover funds the issuer purchases the options and swaps needed to perform whatever the investment strategy calls for. Theoretically an investor can just do this themselves, but the cost and transaction volume requirements of many options and swaps are beyond many individual investors.

A guaranteed investment contract (GIC) is a contract that guarantees repayment of principal and a fixed or floating interest rate for a predetermined period of time. Guaranteed investment contracts are typically issued by life insurance companies qualified for favorable tax status under the Internal Revenue Code. A GIC is used primarily as a vehicle that yields a higher return than a savings account or United States Treasury securities and GICs are often used as investments for stable value funds. GICs are sometimes referred to as funding agreements, although this term is often reserved for contracts sold to non-qualified institutions.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to finance:

An investment certificate is an investment product offered by an investment company or brokerage firm designed to offer a competitive yield to an investor with the added safety of their principal.

Asset and liability management is the practice of managing financial risks that arise due to mismatches between the assets and liabilities as part of an investment strategy in financial accounting.

A market-linked CD (MLCD) is also referred to as an equity-linked CD, market-indexed CD or simply an indexed CD as well. It is a specific type of certificate of deposit that is linked to the performance of one or more securities or market indexes, like the S&P 500. Additionally, the term length is usually much longer, with periods ranging over many years rather than several months.

A fixed deposit (FD) is a financial instrument provided by banks or NBFCs which provides investors a higher rate of interest than a regular savings account, until the given maturity date. It may or may not require the creation of a separate account. It is known as a term deposit or time deposit in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and The United States, and as a bond in the United Kingdom and India. For a fixed deposit is that the money cannot be withdrawn from the FD as compared to a recurring deposit or a demand deposit before maturity. Some banks may offer additional services to FD holders such as loans against FD certificates at competitive interest rates. It's important to note that banks may offer lesser interest rates under uncertain economic conditions. The interest rate varies between 4 and 7.50 percent. The tenure of an FD can vary from 7, 15 or 45 days to 1.5 years and can be as high as 10 years. These investments are safer than Post Office Schemes as they are covered by the Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC). However, DICGC guarantees amount up to ₹ 100000(about $1555) per depositor per bank. They also offer income tax and wealth tax benefits.

A stable value fund is a type of investment available in 401(k) plans and other defined contribution plans as well as some 529 or tuition assistance plans. Stable value funds are often made available in these plans under a name that intends to describe the nature of the fund. They offer principal preservation, predictable returns, and a rate higher than similar options without proportionately increasing risk. The funds are structured in various ways, but in general they are composed of high quality, diversified fixed income portfolios that are protected against interest rate volatility by contracts from banks and insurance companies. For example, a stable value fund may hold highly rated government or corporate debt, asset-backed securities, residential and commercial mortgage-backed securities, and cash equivalents. Stable value funds are designed to preserve principal while providing steady, positive returns, and are considered one of the lowest risk investment options offered in 401(k) plans. Stable value funds have recently been returning an annualized average of 2.72% as of October 2014, higher than the 0.08% offered by money-market funds, and are offered in 165,000 retirement plans.

Equitable Bank is a Canadian bank founded in 1970. The bank provides residential and commercial real estate lending services. In 2013, it became a Schedule I Bank offering savings products. It is now Canada’s ninth largest independent bank, with more than $25 billion in assets under management. As of June 2017, the bank had over $10 billion in deposits. Equitable Bank, including its EQ Bank digital banking service, is a member of the Canada Deposit Insurance Corporation.

Singapore Savings Bonds (SSBs) are a type of Singapore Government Securities that are issued for investors who want to participate in the Singapore Government Securities (SGS) market but in smaller denominations.

References

  1. ↑ Dan Fournier (20 March 2008). The Young Investor: The North American Guide to Investing Online. Dan Fournier. p. 94. ISBN   978-1-4251-5212-3 . Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  2. ↑ Bryan Borzykowski; Andrew Bell; Matthew Elder; Andrew Dagys; Paul Mladjenovic; Michael Griffis; Lita Epstein; Christopher Cottier; Ann C. Logue; Douglas Gray; Peter Mitham (23 February 2012). Building Wealth All-in-One For Canadians For Dummies. John Wiley & Sons. p. 28. ISBN   978-1-118-22393-2 . Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  3. ↑ Helen Cunningham (1999). A Quarter in Your Piggy Bank: Teaching a Child to Manage Money. GeneralStore PublishingHouse. p. 88. ISBN   978-1-896182-94-0 . Retrieved 19 April 2012.
  4. ↑ GICs and Other Term Deposits
  5. ↑ CDIC, List of CDIC Members. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  6. ↑ CDIC, Frequently Asked Questions. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
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