How it feels maxing your TFSA every year in your 20s knowing you're on track to be a tax-free millionaire. $583/month from age 23 ≈ $2,400,000 by 65. Tax free.

Financial conversations to have with your parents before it's too late. 🇨🇦 Most families avoid them. Then something happens. 1. What does their retirement look like? - Savings, CPP/OAS, still working? Knowing early lets you plan together instead of being surprised. 2. Does the TFSA name a successor holder or beneficiary? - A spouse named as successor holder keeps it tax-free. Otherwise it stops being a TFSA at death, and any growth after that is taxable. 3. Is there a will, and who’s the executor? - If not, provincial law decides who gets what. 4. Is there a power of attorney? - One for finances, one for personal care. Without one, family may need court approval just to manage their finances. 5. Where is everything kept? - Wills, accounts, insurance policies, passwords. Does someone know where to find it all? These take about 30 minutes. Not having them can cost your family years of stress and thousands of dollars. Have you had this talk with your parents yet?

The TFSA limit is $7,000/year. 🇨🇦 Most people hear that and think it’s out of reach. Here’s what it actually looks like: → $583/month → $269 bi-weekly → $135/week → $19/day Invested in a simple low cost ETF inside your TFSA. At 8% annual return over 35 years, that’s roughly $1,000,000. Tax free. You don’t need a high income. You need a habit.

If your partner earns less than you, you can still use their TFSA room. 🇨🇦 Gift them the money. They put it in their TFSA. Whatever it earns stays tax-free, and none of it is taxed back to you. Works for spouses and common-law partners. One catch: it only holds while the money stays in the TFSA. If they pull it out and invest it elsewhere, the income can be attributed back to you. Check their available room first: CRA My Account. Are you and your partner making the most of both your TFSA accounts?

If you're in your 20s and worried you don't have enough to invest. 🇨🇦 Remember this: A 25 year-old who invests $250/month will end up with more at retirement than a 35 year-old who invests $500/month (Assuming an 8% annual return). Time does the heavy lifting. Start with what you have.

Most people think of Canada as an oil and gas country. 🇨🇦 That's still true. But there's a second story that's easy to overlook. Power grids, defence, semiconductors, data centres and energy storage all require critical minerals like copper, nickel, lithium and cobalt. Canada's critical minerals list includes 34 minerals, and Canada has the potential to produce all of them. And exploration is following the demand: Critical minerals accounted for 47% of Canadian mineral exploration spending in 2025, up from 25% in 2020. You can get broad Canadian exposure through $XIC. If you want the critical-minerals theme specifically, there are targeted ETFs like $XETM, which holds companies producing or exploring energy-transition materials. Just know it's more concentrated, costs more and more volatile than a broad index fund. Are you holding any critical minerals ETFs or stocks?

All six Canadian banks beat earnings estimates last quarter. 🇨🇦 Good news for shareholders. But it's only part of the picture: → They've had a massive run since 2025 → They trade near 15x forward earnings, vs. a ~10.8x decade average → Capital markets and wealth management were major contributors to recent earnings strength A lot of the good news may already be in the price. Banks have a long record of paying dividends. That doesn't mean every price is a good one. Are you buying the banks at today's valuation?

Our parents could buy a home that cost a few years of income. We can't. But we got something they didn't. The TFSA. Tax-free growth. No income limits. Flexible withdrawals. $583/month invested from age 25 at 8% average return: ~$2,000,000 by 65. Tax free. The path to wealth looks different than it did for our parents. But the path still exists.

How to avoid capital gains tax when donating to charity 🇨🇦 If you donate publicly traded stocks or ETFs directly from a non-registered account to a registered charity, the capital gain is not taxed. Sell first and donate the cash, and it is. Example: you bought $2,000 of a stock years ago, it's now worth $10,000. → Sell first, donate cash: half the gain is taxable ($4,000). At a 46% rate, that is about $1,840 in tax before the charity sees a cent. You still get a receipt for whatever cash you donate. → Donate the shares directly: $0 tax on the gain. The charity receives the full $10,000, and your donation receipt is for $10,000. Most brokerages let you donate shares directly. Did you know about this tax-efficient way to give back?

I bank with TD but keep most of my money in Wealthsimple. Here's why: TD Every Day Chequing: $11.95/month (waived at $3,000 balance), no interest. TD Every Day Savings: 0.01% interest. On $10,000, that's $1/year. Wealthsimple Chequing: $0 fees, 1.25% - 2.25% interest, CDIC insured On that same $10,000, Wealthsimple pays roughly $125/year. TD pays $1. Why would anyone leave cash sitting in a big bank in 2026?

Financial deadlines Canadians need to know 🇨🇦 → RRSP contribution deadline: usually the first 60 days of the year → Tax filing deadline: April 30 → Self-employed filing deadline: June 15, but balance owing is still due April 30 → New TFSA room: January 1 → RRSP → RRIF: by December 31 of the year you turn 71 Some of these deadlines can cost you money if you miss them. Bookmark this so you don't forget.

The most popular ETFs in Canada: $VFV — S&P 500 index. MER: 0.09% $XEQT — Global stocks across 9,000+ companies in 50 countries. MER: 0.20% $VEQT — Same idea as XEQT, slightly different mix. MER: 0.24% $XIC — Canadian stock market only. MER: 0.06% $VDY — Canadian dividend stocks (banks, pipelines, telecoms). MER: 0.22% $ZSP — S&P 500 in CAD, similar to VFV. MER: 0.09% All of these can be bought commission-free on Wealthsimple and held inside your TFSA or RRSP. I'm currently holding XEQT in my TFSA. Do you own any of these?

The average Canadian TFSA holder has more room left than money in it 🤔🇨🇦 CRA data (2023 tax year): Ages 40-44 → Average balance: $20,670 → Unused contribution room: $62,618 Ages 60-64 → Average balance: $45,109 → Unused contribution room: $47,631 That's decades of tax-free growth left on the table. Your exact room is in CRA My Account. Have you checked yours?

We spent 12 years in school and nobody taught us how to invest. Arguably the best way to build wealth in Canada is maxing your TFSA as soon as you turn 18. $583/month starting at 18 ≈ $3.6M by 65. Tax free. Nobody taught us this. That doesn't mean it's too late to use it.

If you ever feel like you're falling behind in Canada 🇨🇦 Remember: → The average TFSA balance at age 35 is $20,000. → Only 9% of Canadians max their TFSA every year. → The average household savings rate is 3.7%. → Less than 10% of Canadians aged 55-64 have $1,000,000 saved for retirement. You are not behind. Most people start from the same place. The difference is often consistency. Automate $583 a month toward your TFSA and stay invested.