Category: American Business News

What are the best companies to work for in Canada?


A chocolate maker, a children’s hospital and several universities are among Canada’s top employers right now, according to a newly released ranking by Forbes.


The business- and lifestyle-focused media company released its annual list of Canada’s “best” employers Wednesday, a ranking based on factors including a competitive salary, opportunities for promotion and work-life balance.


Forbes’ editors said the ranking involved results of more than 40,000 survey responses.


They said they divided the respondents’ list into two categories: testimonies given by current employees and those who know the company through friends, family or industry connections.


Based on this criteria, Forbes gave the top spot to Hershey Co., noting its “family-friendly” work hours and training initiatives, and the added perk that employees get to sample “the newest chocolate creation.”


Also in the top five were the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Brock University, Elections Canada and Concordia University, which all scored high for their commitments to employee wellness, Forbes said.


Of the top 100 employers on the list, about 20 per cent are organizations in education, while 15 per cent are government organizations.


Here are Forbes’ picks for the top 25:


  1. The Hershey Company

  2. Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

  3. Brock University

  4. Elections Canada

  5. Concordia University

  6. Government of Prince Edward Island

  7. Hydro-Quebec

  8. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

  9. Parks Canada

  10. Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  11. Canadian Mental Health Association

  12. Carleton University

  13. The Keg Steakhouse + Bar

  14. Western Financial Group

  15. Bank of Canada

  16. Google

  17. Ville de Quebec

  18. WM (Waste Management Inc.)

  19. Mount Royal University

  20. Pratt
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Durbin outlines Credit Card Competition Act to Springfield businesses

Owning a small business is not easy and costly credit card fees are making it harder. That was a message heard repeatedly during a meeting Monday with U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill, who outlined proposed legislation that would increase competition and choice in the credit card network market.

Durbin met with small business owners in Springfield to explain his credit card competition act and discuss the business fees that merchants are forced to incur with every customer’s swipe. 

“Merchants and consumers pay $3.8 billion dollars in credit card interchange fees to line the pockets of the biggest Wall Street bank,” Durbin said. “These institutions raised those fees last October and plan another increase in April. Interchange fees are the second largest cost for many small businesses only behind operating costs. As a consumer, you don’t even know it exists.” 

More: Senator Durbin introduces billSenators Durbin, Duckworth introduce bill to expand boundaries of the Lincoln Home site

According to Durbin, Senate Bill 1838 the Credit Card Competition Act of 2023, or CCA, introduced in June would enhance credit card competition and customer choice to reduce excessive credit card fees which negatively impact businesses. 

“Every time you swipe a card, we are paying a minimum of three percent,” said Gordon Davis, co-owner of Whimsy Tea Company where the meeting and press conference with Durbin was held. “When you add on service fees and all that fun stuff, it can quickly jump up to seven-point-eight percent. That’s why Senator Durbin’s Credit Card Competition Act is so important, it gives us a choice.”

The legislation would require the largest credit-card-issuing financial institutions in the country — those with assets over $100 billion − to enable at least two credit card networks to be used on their credit cards instead of just one.

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Capital One Business Card Intro Offer Worth $5,550

This article only covers the business card offered by Capital One Venture X business card. We may get compensation if you visit partner links on our site. We may not cover every available offer. Our relationship with advertisers may impact how an offer is presented on our website. However, our selection of products is made independently of our relationship to advertisers.

The intro offer on the Capital One Venture X Business card is a jaw-dropping 300,000 bonus miles, worth between $3,000 and $5,550 when redeemed for travel. That’s one of the most generous available of any rewards credit card and a doubling of the card’s 150,000-mile bonus offer last year. The catch? You need to charge a boatload of cash to your card to qualify; you earn 150,000 miles once you spend $20,000 in the first three months, and an additional 150,000 miles once you spend $100,000 in the first six months.

That $100,000 spend requirement is so steep that we debated whether or not to profile this card. But because the miles value is compelling we opted to include it with a few caveats.

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You should only apply for this card if you can answer “yes” to at least one of these questions. And remember, you cannot charge personal expenses to a business card. 

  • Does your business typically spend at least $17,000 a month on expenses that could be paid with a card?
  • Have you planned some major capital expenditure in
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Today’s news: Trending business stories for January 19, 2024

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Easiest Business Credit Cards to Get of February 2024

If you run a small business or plan on starting a business, having a business credit card can help you streamline expenses, earn rewards and finance larger purchases. However, opening a new credit card can sometimes be easier said than done.

When applying for a business credit card, issuers may consider your personal credit score if you don’t have a business credit report yet. As such, business owners with low personal credit scores may have difficulty being approved for a business credit card with favorable terms.

Fortunately, there are some business cards that are easier to get than others. CNBC Select reviewed dozens of popular options to determine which business cards are the easiest to get approved for. (See our methodology for more information on how we made this list.)

Easiest business credit cards to get

Best for an average credit score

Capital One Spark 1% Classic

Information about the Capital One Spark Classic has been collected independently by CNBC Select and has not been reviewed or provided by the issuer prior to publication.

  • Rewards

    Earn unlimited 5% cash back on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Travel and 1% on all other purchases

  • Welcome bonus

  • Annual fee

  • Intro APR

  • Regular APR

  • Balance transfer fee

  • Foreign transaction fee

  • Credit needed

Pros

  • No annual fee
  • Free employee cards
  • Average credit may qualify
  • Redeem cash back for any amount at any time
  • No fee charged on purchases made outside the U.S.

Cons

  • No welcome bonus
  • No introductory 0% financing offers for purchases or balance transfers

Who’s this for? The *Capital One Spark 1% Classic is best for business owners who have fair or average credit. It’s often difficult to find an unsecured credit card that accepts applicants with less-than-ideal credit scores, making the *Spark 1% Classic stand out.

Standout benefits:

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What are the best companies to work for in Canada?


A chocolate maker, a children’s hospital and several universities are among Canada’s top employers right now, according to a newly released ranking by Forbes.


The business- and lifestyle-focused media company released its annual list of Canada’s “best” employers Wednesday, a ranking based on factors including a competitive salary, opportunities for promotion and work-life balance.


Forbes’ editors said the ranking involved results of more than 40,000 survey responses.


They said they divided the respondents’ list into two categories: testimonies given by current employees and those who know the company through friends, family or industry connections.


Based on this criteria, Forbes gave the top spot to Hershey Co., noting its “family-friendly” work hours and training initiatives, and the added perk that employees get to sample “the newest chocolate creation.”


Also in the top five were the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), Brock University, Elections Canada and Concordia University, which all scored high for their commitments to employee wellness, Forbes said.


Of the top 100 employers on the list, about 20 per cent are organizations in education, while 15 per cent are government organizations.


Here are Forbes’ picks for the top 25:


  1. The Hershey Company

  2. Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO)

  3. Brock University

  4. Elections Canada

  5. Concordia University

  6. Government of Prince Edward Island

  7. Hydro-Quebec

  8. Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB)

  9. Parks Canada

  10. Fisheries and Oceans Canada

  11. Canadian Mental Health Association

  12. Carleton University

  13. The Keg Steakhouse + Bar

  14. Western Financial Group

  15. Bank of Canada

  16. Google

  17. Ville de Quebec

  18. WM (Waste Management Inc.)

  19. Mount Royal University

  20. Pratt
Read More ...

How to Get a Business Credit Card: Step-by-Step Guide and Tips

Our experts answer readers’ credit card questions and write unbiased product reviews (here’s how we assess credit cards). In some cases, we receive a commission from our partners; however, our opinions are our own. Terms apply to offers listed on this page.

The information for the following product(s) has been collected independently by Business Insider: Capital One Spark Cash Plus†, Capital One Spark Miles for Business†, Capital One Spark Cash Select for Excellent Credit†, U.S. Bank Business Triple Cash Rewards World Elite Mastercard®, Costco Anywhere Visa® Business Card by Citi, CitiBusiness® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard®. The details for these products have not been reviewed or provided by the issuer.

  • You can qualify for a business credit card even if you don’t have a traditional business.
  • You need a good personal credit score to qualify for a business credit card.
  • Business credit cards often have large welcome bonuses and good benefits, so they’re good options if you’re eligible.

It’s entirely possible that you could qualify for a business credit card even if you don’t run a thriving enterprise. You may even be operating a small business in your life without ever having considered it as such. Any sort of for-profit business activities count as a business — even on a very small scale — and can likely qualify you for a business credit card. 

A business credit card is a relatively convenient way to cover your business expenses without finding an investor or shopping for a business loan. Some business credit cards can even build up rewards and bonuses like a personal credit card. See whether you qualify for a business credit card and how to apply for one. 

How to get a business credit card

There are still business credit card approval requirements you need to meet,

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Can I Get a Business Credit Card Without a Business? | Credit Cards

Key Takeaways

  • You can apply for a business credit card if you don’t own a business. Freelancers, gig workers and anyone else who earns money independently are eligible to open a business credit card. 
  • You don’t need to register your business to get a business credit card – but you will need to provide information about your business and some personal information. 
  • While it’s legal to use a business credit card to pay for personal expenses, it does come with risks.

Business credit cards offer convenience as well as unique perks and rewards, and they help keep business expenses separate from personal ones. To carry a business credit card, you may not need to be the owner of a formal business – everything from freelancing to house-sitting can help you qualify. Here’s what you need to know about opening a business credit card.

Can You Get a Business Credit Card Without a Business?

In general, you can apply for one of the best business credit cards even if you don’t own a business. Freelancers, gig workers and anyone else who earns money independently can be considered business owners, and are therefore eligible to open a business credit card.

You don’t even need to have earned money yet to be considered for a business credit card. However, you might need to have good credit and income in your personal life.

Business Credit Card Requirements

To begin with, you don’t need to have registered your business to get a business credit card. You will need to provide some personal information and information about your business, though.

If you’re the only owner and employee, you’re a sole proprietor, and may be able to apply using your Social Security number instead of a government-issued employer identification number, or EIN. The card issuer may conduct

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Best Antivirus of 2024: Expert Picked

Antivirus Software

Real-time protection capabilities: This is arguably the most important, baseline feature of any modern antivirus. While manual scanning was perfectly fine decades ago, modern malware is incredibly resourceful and capable, meaning you need regular scans and live monitoring of your PC to watch out for ransomware and more traditional malware attacks as they happen, letting the antivirus stop them in their tracks before they can do too much harm.

“[Any] antimalware solution must continually interrogate incoming files and packets in real-time to determine if they are malicious in nature,” Schwarberg says. “Additionally, the solution must allow the user to run scans at any time or schedule them in the future.”

Feature set and additional security tools included: There are a range of additional features that come as part of most modern antivirus suites. These can include useful tools like VPNs, password managers, cloud storage, tracking and detection of phishing websites and emails, blocking of malicious links, and ransomware protections.

“The best antivirus software would also be the best anti-ransomware tool, as well,” says data-driven defense evangelist at KnowBe4, Roger Grimes. Although he’s skeptical that a targeted ransomware attack on an organization can be stopped by off-the-shelf applications, they do provide a layer of defense against more randomized, chance-based ransomware attacks.

Compatibility with your operating system and other software: There’s no use in buying an antivirus solution that doesn’t work with your devices. Make sure that whether you’re looking to protect your desktop PC, your smartphone, or your kids’ laptops, you buy an antivirus that supports the various operating systems you want to install it on. Also, make sure it supports the number of devices you want to protect.

“Companies typically have computers for daily use and servers that perform various

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Can you use a business credit card for personal expenses?

One of the primary reasons we recommend small-business owners get a business credit card is to separate business expenses from personal ones.

Since business expenses are generally tax-deductible, keeping a wall between personal and business makes it that much easier during tax time — and even more so if the government ever conducts an audit.

Still, things happen. You could pull out the wrong card when making a purchase or you might decide last minute that you want to extend an upcoming business trip and turn it into a mini vacation (even though you’ve already booked a hotel stay and flights on your business card).

Here’s what you should know about putting personal expenses on business cards.

Is it illegal to put personal expenses on a business credit card?

It’s not illegal to use a business credit card for personal expenses — but that doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Most credit card issuers don’t allow small-business owners to put personal expenses on a business credit card. If you do, it’s possible you could be breaking the terms of your cardmember agreement which could have consequences.

What happens if you put personal expenses on a business credit card?

Aside from having to untangle the spending on your business ledger, are there other consequences? Yes. Your issuer could close your account if it sees purchases obviously unrelated to your business and if that happens, you might lose any points, miles or cash-back rewards you have saved.

YOUNGOLDMAN/GETTY IMAGES

While there’s no evidence this is widespread, all major business credit card issuers say putting personal spending on your business card is a no-no. They even require you to agree to put spending on their business cards for business purposes only.

Here are some examples of this verbiage from popular business cards:

  • The
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