Where the name comes from
In Hong Kong, at Lunar New Year, people slip money into a small red and gold envelope: the lai see (利是). It is given to children, to younger relatives, to colleagues. It is not a big gift, it is a wish: that the coming year be prosperous.
The first character, 利, means “profit” and also “interest”, as in the interest on a savings account. From its very name, the envelope carries the idea of money that grows.
Lai See Wise applies that idea to everyday savings: putting your money in the right place, simply, so it earns a little more every year. The word wise adds what the envelope doesn’t say: choosing with your eyes open.
Our logo
A red envelope, a gold globe and a tassel. The envelope is the savings you protect. The globe is a financial world that crosses borders: the best rates are not always where you opened your first account. The tassel, a lucky charm on Chinese festive objects, is a reminder that the site is here to help, not to sell.
Who is behind the site
My name is Nicolas. I am French, and my work takes me from one country to another: France, the Netherlands, the United States and now Canada.
With every move, the same question comes back: how do you build wealth for your children and for retirement when you keep changing countries? Over time, I realized that savings placed wisely, with the long term in mind, make all the difference. But good resources are scarce, often incomplete, and rarely suited to paths like mine.
When I arrived in Canada on a work permit rather than as a permanent resident, it took me a lot of research to understand how to save here: TFSAs, RRSPs, Canadian taxes, and what happens to all of it if you move abroad one day.
I created Lai See Wise to share what I learned, and to offer what I wish I had found: a clear, bilingual comparison site that dates every rate, cites its sources and says plainly how it makes a living. The goal is simple: to build savings that last, and a more secure future, for yourself and for your children. And because I live between several countries, the site will expand to other countries over time, starting with France.
How we are paid
Lai See Wise is free for you. Some institutions pay us a commission when you open an account through our links: they are marked with a ● in our tables.
That commission never changes the order of our tables, which are sorted by rate. We also show institutions that pay us nothing, because a comparison site that hides half the market isn’t a comparison site.
What we are not
Lai See Wise is not a bank, does not accept deposits and does not give personalized financial advice. For an important decision, talk to a registered advisor.