Beat the Bank

Make the big banks work for you, not against you!

You work hard. You sacrifice to save. You risk your money in the market over your working lifetime and you trust your bank to treat you fairly. But your bank strips away half of your lifetime investment returns in fees. Without realizing it, millions of Canadians are in precisely this position.

How does the industry pull this off? The big Canadian banks - and by extension our entire financial industry - occupy a position of paternalistic authority that too many individual investors respect unquestioningly. The industry brilliantly capitalizes on the combination of poor understanding of fees, deep loyalty, and misplaced trust by charging Canadians the highest investment fees in the world. There is a better way!

"The Wealthy Barber taught Canadians the importance of saving. Beat the Bank will teach Canadians the importance of investing well." Wanda Morris VP of Advocacy, CARP

"Larry Bates offers a detailed look at everything that's wrong with our "traditional" investment model and even more importantly, shows readers just how easy it is to invest their money simply - and successfully. A must read." Robert R. Brown, Author of Wealthing Like Rabbits, An Original and Occasionally Hilarious Introduction to the World of Personal Finance

"...enlightening, horrifying, entertaining and enormously useful" Neil Gross, former Executive Director, FAIR Canada

"If you wonder why your bank-sold mutual funds are going nowhere, Larry Bates has the answers." Ellen Roseman, Toronto Star consumer columnist and investing instructor at University of Toronto school of continuing education.

"Millions of Canadian mutual fund investors unknowingly pay fees that erode their returns by as much as 50% over time! Industry insider Larry Bates clearly explains how, why, and what you can do about it." Robb Engen, Boomer & Echo

"Larry shares some powerful stories over his 35 years as an investment banker. It's like you're a fly on the wall in his office. Beat the Bank should be required reading in Ontario's new financial literacy course in high school." Sean Cooper, Bestselling Author of Burn Your Mortgage and Mortgage Agent