Application Guidance

How to Apply for the Student BMO CashBack Mastercard

The Student BMO CashBack Mastercard is designed to help post-secondary students build credit while earning cash back on everyday spending. Applying for the card is relatively straightforward, but students should understand the requirements, approval considerations, and ongoing responsibilities before submitting an application. Below is a step-by-step guide on how to apply, who this card is best suited for, how cancellation works, and answers to the most common questions. Step-by-Step: How to Apply Step 1: Confirm Your Student Status Before applying, make sure you are currently enrolled in a recognized post-secondary institution, such as a university, college, or technical school. BMO may request proof of enrollment during the application or verification process. Step 2: Prepare Required Information You will need to provide basic personal and financial details, including: Full legal name and contact information Date of birth and government-issued identification School name and level of study Income information Income can include part-time or full-time employment, scholarships, grants, student aid, or financial support from parents or guardians. Even though this card is targeted at students, providing a clear and realistic income picture…
Investing

risk x return

Different financial products deliver different returns because they carry different risks. Understanding the relationship between risk and return is key to making investment decisions aligned with your goals and your profile. Why do returns vary? A central principle of the financial market is simple: higher returns require higher risk. Products considered safer pay less; riskier products offer higher expected returns to compensate for uncertainty. Term deposits and savings accounts: generally offer the lowest returns because they are the safest. Bonds: usually provide intermediate returns, as they carry less risk than stocks but more than guaranteed deposits. Stocks: offer the highest expected returns, but also the greatest volatility and uncertainty about actual returns. Expected return vs. actual return The expected return is an average estimate of what an investment should yield. The actual return is what actually occurs, which may be higher, lower, or equal to the expected return. The difference between actual and expected returns is what we call risk or volatility. The greater this variation, the higher the risk. How to measure risk A common statistical measure to capture…