Meet Sean Pynaert, the lucky winner of the #MyKindaCup promotion powered by LowestRates.ca throughout the World Cup.  Sean and his family are big fans of soccer, and thoroughly enjoyed the conclusion to the world’s biggest soccer game.

The #MyKindaCup promo asked fans to correctly guess which team they think would be the eventual winner of the World Cup.  Each person that correctly picked the winning team, which turned out to be Germany, was entered into a draw to win the prize – $300 in cash or a gift card to Sport Chek at the same value.

These myths have unfortunately burrowed their way into our collective financial consciousness.

I got a call from The Captain the other day. In fact, I’ve been getting calls from The Captain for a while now. It’s always the same message – a foghorn blares into my ear, followed by the sea-farer’s robotic voice: “This is your Captain speaking …” He wanted me to know that I’ve won a free cruise to the Bahamas. I don’t wait for the “Captain’s” voice anymore – now I hang up as soon as I hear the foghorn.

There is something undeniably appealing about earning cash as you make purchases with your credit card. Money might not grow on trees, but sometimes cash back rewards really do feel like the next best thing. That’s probably why cash back is by far the most popular credit card category, surpassing even travel points.

The way that Canadian families and households manage their money has dramatically changed since the global recession of 2008.  Gone are the days of easy access to credit, or mapping out long term financial plans that are set in stone.  The world has changed, and people must adapt to it.