Whether renting or buying, Canadians are exposed to risk
Buying a home can help you build household wealth, but renting has fewer overall costs, which allows you to save more of the money you earn. While the conventional wisdom has been that buying is the better financial decision for most people, sky-high real estate costs change the equation. Stock markets have also performed well in recent decades, and investing the surplus left over from renting can pad your personal finances in a big way—if you actually do it.
Ambiversion can be a workplace superpower
Being an introvert or an extrovert isn’t an either-or proposition. People who fall somewhere in the middle of the spectrum are called ambiverts, and ambiversion can be a beneficial trait in business leaders. Prof. Karl Moore estimates that about 20% of business leaders are true ambiverts.
Companies are bringing employees back to the office, but over time, the trend could reverse
Large Canadian companies such as Rogers, RBC and BMO recently announced their employees will be required to spend more time in the office moving forward. Many employees aren’t happy about it at all. “Research tells us that employees are more productive when they can work the way they want to,” said Prof. Jean-Nicolas Reyt in an interview with Radio-Canada’s Les faits d’abord.
Punitive tariffs more about political leverage than trade
On August 1, a 35 per cent US tariff on Canadian goods came into effect. But these tariffs are less about trade and more about political leverage, says Vivek Astvansh, associate professor of quantitative marketing and analytics at McGill Desautels.
Reimagining legal frameworks for sustainability: The 2025 TBLSA Impact Paper
Earlier this summer, from May 4th through May 9th, McGill’s Sustainable Growth Initiative (SGI) and Faculty of Law co-organised the 2025 McGill SGI Transformative Business Law Summer Academy (TBLSA).
McGill Law launches Transnational Business+Law Network
Business + Law is different from Business Law. With this framing in mind – and recognising the plethora of issues emerging at the intersection of law, business and finance in an age of rapid climate and technological change – McGill’s Business Law Platform and the University's Sustainable Growth Initiative launched a new collabora
Caisse de depot’s stake in UK nuclear project is a model to emulate
The Caisse de dépot et placement du Québec is taking a 20% stake in the Sizewell C nuclear power station in Suffolk, England. It is the UK’s first new nuclear power plant since the 1990s, and Professor Sebastien Betermier credits the government there with creating the favourable circumstances for private investors like the Caisse to take part in infrastructure development.
IT teams can bring insights into how best to deploy AI
Business leaders understand that AI has the power to generate tremendous value, but it is IT teams that have a deeper understanding of the underlying processes and what’s going on behind the scenes. “They better understand the potential dangers and pitfalls,” says Maxime Cohen, Professor of Retail and Operational Management and Director of Research at the Bensadoun School of Retail Management.
Infrastructure bank model can encourage investment in infrastructure projects
Private market developers face an “investment catch-22” in getting infrastructure projects off the ground, Professor Sebastien Betermier wrote in a recent report for the C.D. Howe Institute. Private investors view new infrastructure markets as complex, unfamiliar, and high risk. But the infrastructure bank model can create value as a cost-efficient policy tool in the government ecosystem, Betermier concluded.
McGill Personal Financial Essentials course is basis for Cayman Islands financial literacy initiative
Twenty-eight young people in the Cayman Islands recently became the first group to complete the British Overseas Territory’s Youth Financial Literacy Programme. The government sponsored program prepares youth for real-world financial challenges and opportunities—and it is centered on the McGill Personal Financial Essentials course. The three-hour version of the course teaches youth budgeting, investing and retirement planning.
Minority business owners can benefit from guilt marketing
A recent study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that white consumers with higher levels of ‘white guilt’ were more likely to buy from a Black-owned business than from a white-owned one—even if the Black-owned business was more expensive or had lower customer ratings.
Workshop on tackling food waste facilitates cross-sector collaboration
On June 3, the McGill Sustainable Growth Initiative partnered with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to deliver a workshop called ‘Tackling Food Waste’.
Sustainability Academic Network connects sustainability researchers
Big problems demand collaboration—and climate change is one of the biggest problems we face. The Sustainability Academic Network (SUSAN) is a collaborative place where researchers from around the world can share their work. “I want SUSAN to be a social network for academics to get to know each other and connect their initiatives, so we can all fight climate change more efficiently,” says Prof.
Master's degree offering in Luxembourg brings McGill Desautels to Europe
McGill Desautels will offer its Master of Management in Finance program in Luxembourg. The version of the program delivered in Luxembourg will be the same as the one taught in Montreal. A strategic partnership between McGill, Luxembourg’s Ministry of Finance, the Luxembourg Bankers’ Association (ABBL) and the Association of the Luxembourg Fund Industry (ALFI).
Donald Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ does away with de minimis exemption for impots from all countries
The de minimis exemption has played a major role in the rise of Chinese fast fashion brands like Shein and Temu. The exemption works like this: if an imported good has a value of less than $800, it is exempt from tariffs. The loophole has been around since the 1930s, but in recent years, it has given e-commerce brands that ship many smaller orders an advantage.
