We shop the GICdirect brokered market — Canada’s largest network of CDIC-insured issuers — so you get the best available rate, laddered across institutions, with no fee on top.
Rates shown are sourced daily from GICdirect.com, are indicative, and are subject to change without notice. Final rate depends on deposit size, term, and issuer availability at the time of application. Contact us for a live quote.
A GIC is a commodity. What differs is the rate, the access, and the operational work of building a ladder that actually fits your plan. Through the GICdirect platform, we put the entire CDIC-insured market in front of you — and we run the paperwork for the life of every deposit.
Schedule I banks, trust companies, and credit unions — most never offered at any bank branch. We shop the entire CDIC-insured market in one call.
Eligible deposits are protected by CDIC (federal) or the relevant provincial deposit insurer up to applicable limits per institution. Every issuer on the platform carries one or the other.
We structure your ladder to maximize that protection across multiple issuers — splitting deposits to stay within each insurer's limit so every dollar of a large GIC position remains fully covered.
The issuer pays a small placement commission. You receive the same rate you'd see on the GICdirect rate sheet — there is no separate advisor fee for the GIC service.
One of the industry's best-kept secrets: credit unions in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba carry 100% unlimited deposit guarantees through their provincial insurance agencies — no per-issuer cap to engineer around.
A proper ladder splits your money across maturities AND issuers — diversifying counterparty risk and capturing the best rate at each rung. The bigger our network, the easier that becomes: we divide the portfolio across many institutions instead of being capped to whatever one bank can offer.
Since 2010 we’ve partnered with GICdirect to source GIC ladders for high-net-worth clients. The strategy resolves the two competing instincts most investors fight — earn more, and keep regular access to your cash — at the same time. You divide your deposit equally across one-, two-, three-, four-, and five-year terms; each year, one rung matures and is either spent or rolled into a fresh five-year at the prevailing rate.
In a normal, upward-sloping yield curve, the long end pays a meaningful premium over the short end. A 5-year GIC routinely yields more than a 1-year. Laddering lets you capture that premium without giving up annual access to a slice of your money.
Each year, one rung matures. Take the cash for whatever you need, or roll it into a fresh 5-year at the prevailing rate. If rates have risen, the new rung captures the higher yield. If not, you’re right back into the long-end term premium.
If rates drop, the rungs you locked in years ago keep paying at their original (higher) rates — only the single maturing slice has to reinvest at today’s market. The ladder smooths reinvestment risk across the full rate cycle instead of forcing one all-or-nothing bet.
We shop 30+ unaffiliated issuers on the day each rung is placed — no incumbent bias, no in-house product to push. Every rung captures the highest available rate at the time it’s set, and gets distributed across institutions to stay within insurance limits.
A GIC at your branch, a GIC you shop yourself, and a GIC through a brokered advisor look identical on paper. What they buy you is not.
| Frontwater GICdirect | Bank Branch GIC | DIY Rate Shopping | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rates available | 30+ CDIC-insured issuers | One bank's posted rate | Whatever your branch can post |
| Negotiation | Brokered market — best wins | Take it or leave it | Limited — only on large deposits |
| CDIC laddering | Built into the plan | Single institution only | You manage it yourself |
| Renewal handling | We rebid the market on your behalf | Auto-rolls to posted rate | Auto-rolls at maturity |
| Paperwork | One signing, one office | Per-account at the branch | Per-institution, per-deposit |
| Integrated with portfolio | Yes — single statement | No | No |
| Cost to you | Issuer-paid commission, no add-on fee | Embedded in the spread | Embedded in the spread |
All issuers shown via the GICdirect platform are eligible for CDIC deposit insurance up to applicable limits. Rates and availability change daily.
Call us with the deposit amount and target maturity. We’ll come back with live quotes from every eligible issuer, structured around your CDIC coverage and cash-flow plan.