GICs & GIAs

GICs – Bank of Trust Company
GICs can be Registered or Non-Registered, and come in many forms, from conventional term deposits to market investments.  GIC’s regularly have lifespans of 6 months, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 10 year terms.  Usually, to own a GIC you must deposit at least $500.00.  At maturity they can be cashed as taxable income or renewed for another term.  Usually, regular term deposits for financial institutions carry an interest rate from 1-9% depending on the various factors, such as the length of the term and specified interest rates form the Bank of Canada.  Most GICs cannot be broken before the end of their term.  Many institutions charge a fee to transfer registered monies out to someone else.
 
GIAs – Insurance Company
GIAs are the Insurance Industries version of GICs.  They have the same basic rules as GICs, except for one type that can be broken at any time you want.  You may be charged a fee to do so if current interest rates are higher than to rate you had in your current term.  Insurance Companies also have locked-in GIAs that pay slightly higher rates of interest than cashable GIAs pay.