Meaghan and David of London, Ontario are balancing jobs and a passion for lifelong learning with raising their children, Daivia, age eight and Deagan, age six.
Saving for their children’s education has been a priority, but between household expenses, work and after school programs, starting a Registered Education Savings Plan (RESP) seemed out of reach.
“I knew you could open a RESP, but wasn’t sure how to go about it,” says Meaghan. “We spoke to a representative from SmartSAVER who explained that we could register online and receive $500 from the Government of Canada for each child with zero down and zero cost to us.”
Children born in 2004 or later whose family income is under $45,000 can get $500, and up to $2,000 in free money from the Government of Canada through the Canada Learning Bond. The Canada Learning Bond is a contribution into the RESP of an eligible child and requires no contribution by the family.“I have online banking and saw that the RESP accounts began at zero,” says David. “But a few weeks later while I was paying some bills, I saw a thousand bucks in the accounts—Santa came early.”
SmartSAVERSmartSAVER 's online RESP starter and Canada Learning Bond applicationRESP starter and Canada Learning Bond application  is offered in partnership with six major financial institutions: BMO Bank of Montreal, Meridian Credit Union, RBC Royal Bank, Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust, and Vancity credit union. It's free to use and takes less than 10 minutes to complete. And if you apply before December 31 you could win one of nine weekly cash prizes of $1,000 from SmartSAVER! A new winner will be selected every week so apply early for more chances to win!
SmartSAVERSmartSAVER  is a national non-profit program working with communities to make it easier for families to save for their kids’ future education using RESPs and the Canada Learning Bond. Over 700,000 kids across Canada are already getting free money through the Canada Learning Bond. Don't miss out, get your child's Bond today! For full contest rules and to apply for the Canada Learning Bond visit  SmartSAVER.org.