An overview of some of the more interesting economic charts from our latest Chart Attack report. 

By Ellen Roseman

In this episode, Ellen Roseman speaks with Larry Bates, author of the book Beat The Bank: The Canadian Guide to Simply Successful Investing. They talk about banks, advisors, low-cost investing, fees and retirement.

By Ellen Roseman

Telecom woes are a staple of my life – the filling in the sandwich – as a consumer advocacy journalist. I started my On Your Side blog with a post called Bell Blues, which is still current more than a decade later.

Some common themes emerged when I asked Toronto Star readers if Bell’s service was improving:

• Bell needs an ombudsman or a central point of contact for complaints.
• It’s hard to speak to a supervisor or get the names of anyone in authority. 
• Many customers can’t communicate well with staff in overseas call centres. 
• Some call centre staff reps are courteous and patient, but others are arrogant, insensitive to customers’ time constraints and just