More than half polled cite difficulty saving
A new survey by the Royal Bank of Canada shows Canadians are having trouble saving. The poll showed 38 per cent of respondents couldn’t save at all, the majority of whom stated that they had nothing left over after paying the bills. A smaller group cited their impulse-buying habits. Just over a third make regular contributions to a savings account, and 29 per cent said they save “from time to time.” Over half of respondents, the survey showed, have trouble achieving their saving goals, most of whom said it was difficult to be disciplined about saving. “Many of them are starting to focus on other things, like paying down some debt that they’ve accumulated in the last couple of years or other expenses that are coming up, like their children’s education, or just bills that have been piling up over time,” Maria Contreras, product manager for savings accounts at RBC, told the Financial Post. However, official data shows higher rates of savings by Canadians in recent years, according to deputy chief economist for BMO Capital Markets Douglas Porter.