New to canada, what are my saving options?

i went to the bank and they were not helpful... the options they had were limiting investment and the interest was 3% guarenteed ... i am from england where i am used to 6% guarenteed interest rate on my cash ISA account. could you please tell me how can i benifit from my savings. i want a secure 3 to 5 years plan so i can save for graduate school.
thank you

IF YOU ARE CLOSE TO THE BORDER YOU COULD OPEN UP AN ACCOUNT IN THE US AND BUY CD OVER HERE == RATE IS ABOUT 5.35!!!

They weren't helpful because it's Canada, good luck.

i guess you could look into buying stock... but let me look into this in more detail... if i understand you correctly you want to retain your capital.

How did you find a bank that was open?...

Interest rates have been higher in the U.K. than in Canada for years and years. There is less inflation here, so you don't need 6% interest. Do you know what? If you had moved here 3 years ago, the bank would have offered you 0%, not 3%.

Nobody in Canada puts their money in the major banks to get interest anymore. The banks take so much away in fees and charges that you're lucky if you gain anything from leaving your money there.

When you have money to save, you should get a good financial advisor. Open an RRSP so you can save money tax-free.

People invest their savings in the stock market here, not in the bank. If you insist on having guaranteed savings, you will be stuck with low returns. Here are some suggestions.

Non-traditional banks such as: ING, President's Choice, and trust companies.
The money market (short-term bonds).
GIC's.
Medium-term (3-5 year) bonds.

Manulife Bank offers up to 4.35%. PC Financial is 4%. ING and HSBC have rates around 4-5% but they are only for the summer months

go to ingdirect.com and get 5.15% on savings and you can withdrawel your funds at any time and there are no minumum account balances.

your saving s options will meet be in an bank or in bed room sosos know one no