Term Deposits / GICs
Is a Comtech Fire Term Deposit / GIC the right investment for you?
At Comtech Fire we offer a variety of term deposits / GIC certificates ranging from one month, three months, six months and longer terms of one, two, three, four and five years. You can start your investment with as little as $500 (registered) or $1000 (regular) and feel confident about guaranteed growth as your rate is fixed for the term. In addition, your Credit Union also offers the highest-value term deposit / GIC rates in comparison to the big banks.
Looking to get the most out of your term deposit / GIC investment? You may want to consider “Laddering” them.
When you ladder your term deposits / GICs you start by spreading your money in equal parts, across a range of terms, from 1 to 5 years. For example, if you have $41,000 to invest, you would invest $8200 for one year, 2 year, 3 year and so on. You now have five term deposits / GICs worth $8200 invested for the next one to five years, each maturing in a different year. As each term deposit matures, you reinvest those funds in a new 5 year term deposit and repeat this process year after year. This ensures you capitalize on receiving the top term deposit / GIC rate each year. If you’re nervous about investing for five years, you can build a shorter ladder, say for three years. Laddering provides you with less risk and a higher chance of better returns because your entire investment isn’t renewing all at once, possibly at a lower rate.
With laddering your term deposits / GICs, you also have the added flexibility of having the annual interest earned from one or all five term deposits / GICs credited to your day-to-day account for additional income or you can reinvest it for greater returns. In the event that you need funds in any given year, you always have a term deposit / GIC maturing each year.
Below is an example of a 5 Year ladder. The total Investment of $41,000 is divided into 5 term deposits / GICs of $8200 each.* Rates shown are for illustrative purposes only.
| Term | Rate | Amount Invested |
Interest/Income earned |
| 1 Year | 1.45%* | $8200 | $118.90 |
| 2 Year | 1.55%* | $8200 | $127.10 |
| 3 Year | 1.75%* | $8200 | $143.50 |
| 4 Year | 1.95%* | $8200 | $159.90 |
| 5 Year | 2.25%* | $8200 | $184.50 |
| Total | $733.90 |