At the start of the year, my goal was simple: keep investing boring, consistent, and automated. Stick to a low-cost, diversified, broad-market ETF and let time do its thing. By June, I had maxed out my TFSA, and my FHSA was just $1,000 away from being maxed out. Things were going according to plan. But life had other plans. In October, we faced an unexpected setback. Both of our work extensions were refused, which meant we had to temporarily stop working. That was when I truly understood the importance of financial planning. Thankfully, we had a dedicated 6-month emergency fund sitting in a high-interest savings account. What could have been a major financial crisis became something we could manage. It reminded me that investing shouldn't feel like a second job. It should run quietly in the background while you focus on living your life. I also learned that having cash set aside for specific purposes is just as important as having an emergency fund. Having separate cash buffers for different expenses helps protect your investments and, more importantly, gives you peace of mind. Another thing I'm proud of is maintaining an average savings and investing rate of 45–50% for three consecutive years since I moved from the Philippines to Canada last 2022. It wasn't always easy, but consistency made the difference. Going into the new year, our approach isn't changing much. My fiancée and I want to keep things simple and stick to a financial system that works for us. We'll continue building our foundation through an all-in-one ETF and an S&P 500 ETF for our future home, both through weekly dollar-cost averaging. Our bigger focus next year will be increasing our cash flow and adjusting our cash allocations as we prepare to welcome our little one in April 2027. At the end of the day, the goal isn't to have the most complicated investment strategy. It's to build a financial system that can handle both the good times and the unexpected ones. Keep it simple. Stay consistent. Build a life that your money can "support". This might be an early year ender post, but my holidays will be busy as I am working in a hotel industry so might as well post it while I have time. p.s. Thank you for your budget template. I'm using it in about 2 years now :) @meghanmakesmoney
0 views
0 Comments
No comments available.
Join the conversation with 500,000+ other investors 💸
Create an account to get access to everything Blossom has to offer!
📊 Personalized algorithm based on your investing style, experience level and interests
📈 Powerful portfolio and dividend tracking tools
👀 See what top creators and others in the community are investing in
