I started investing at 19. I am 29 today. Most financial advice pitched to Canadians is expensive noise designed to generate advisory commissions. Here are 9 lessons I had to learn the hard way: 🏛️ Portfolio & Fees 1. Buy the haystack: Over 15 years, 90% of active fund managers underperform the index. You do not need to pick winning stocks. One globally diversified all-equity ETF beats the pros. 2. The 2% bank trap: A 2% mutual fund fee sounds minor. Over 30 years, it compound-strips roughly 45% of your lifetime nest egg compared to a 0.20% index ETF. Keep your returns in your pocket. 3. Total return > dividends: Dividends are not free money. When a company pays a dividend, the share price drops by that exact cash amount. Chasing yield forces you into concentrated, slow-growth sectors. 🏠 Real Estate & Insurance 4. Real estate is a job: The pitch is "passive income." The reality is debt, maintenance, property taxes, and tenant calls. Equities compound quietly without middle-of-the-night furnace repairs. 5. Term over whole life: Whole life insurance bundles mediocre investing with high-commission coverage. Buy cheap term life to protect your family while working, and invest the difference in index funds. 🍁 The Canadian Account Hierarchy 6. Play the tax code properly: • TFSA is non-negotiable. Max it first. • Use an FHSA next if you plan to buy a home. • Not in your peak tax bracket yet? A non-registered account can actually beat an RRSP. Save that RRSP deduction room for higher-income years when it moves the needle. 🧠 Behavior & True Wealth 7. Savings rate beats rate of return early on: Chasing an extra 2% return on a $1,000 portfolio makes you $20. Saving an extra $500 from your paycheck changes your life. Your career is the cash engine. 8. Day trading and crypto are expensive tuition: Speculation feels like fast money, but it is emotional gambling where retail investors pay the bill. Real compounding is shockingly boring. 9. Wealth is owning your calendar: The goal of investing is not flexing luxury status symbols. It is buying back 100% of your time from jobs and situations you dislike. 🎯 The Takeaway Simplicity beats complexity every time. Which of these 9 lessons took you the longest to learn?
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6 Comments
Tope Amos
@withtope · 7d
"Real estate is a job" I wish everyone knows this and not only hype the leverage.
Noah @spaceagent2000 · 6d
Great post! I agree with the paycheque thing. That’s 100x more important than beating the market at the start. As a 20 year old investor I acknowledge that, and put the majority of my money towards etfs. Still gunna actively speculate with the extra cash because I love it!
Retired
@retired · 7d
Awesome post Jashan! 👌🏻💪🏻🚀
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