July returns from selling CC were lower than expected. $CRWV was down and back to November 2025 lows. Market was tough!! Lots of headwinds. A lot of you have been asking how I do it. I developed my own app to do that. So far my win rate is 70%. It’s still in it’s early stage but comment below if you want an early access 😊 You can follow if you want more updates! À la prochaine!
Is VDY still one of the best Canadian dividend ETFs for a TFSA? 🇨🇦 In this video, I reveal my real VDY holding, my current return, and why I continue investing for long-term passive income. No hype—just my actual portfolio and honest thoughts. If you're building wealth through dividend investing, this video is for you. 💰📈 #VDY #TFSA #DividendInvesting #CanadianInvesting #PassiveIncome #Wealthsimple #ETFInvesting #InvestingCanada https://youtu.be/dEJcZkB3M9A?si=tz4kEIvIo5uBIziQ
If you get a work bonus or have some cash sitting in savings, there is a way to make one lump of money do two jobs at once. I went down a rabbit hole on this recently and it changed how I think about a windfall. Most of us treat a bonus as a simple either-or. Either you throw it at the mortgage, or you invest it. Turns out you can do both with the same dollars, if your mortgage is set up the right way. The setup you need is called a readvanceable mortgage. That just means a mortgage with a line of credit attached to it, and the line of credit grows every time you pay down the mortgage. A few Canadian banks offer this. Now say you owe $600000 on your home and a $15000 bonus lands. Step one, you pay the $15000 straight onto the mortgage. The balance drops to $585000. Step two, because your line of credit grew by that same $15000, you borrow it back out. Step three, you invest that $15000 in something that earns income. Look at what happened. You still owe $600000 in total. You did not add any debt. But $15000 of it is now money you borrowed to invest, and interest on money borrowed to invest is tax deductible in Canada. You converted a slice of plain mortgage debt into deductible debt, and you got the $15000 invested on top. The numbers are small at first and that is the honest part. At around 4.95% on the borrowed $15000, that is roughly $740 of interest in year one, and at a 43% tax rate about $320 comes back as a refund. The bigger win is that this repeats and the deductible slice grows over years. This is not free money and it is not for everyone. The $15000 is now invested, so the market can drop while you still owe the balance. You need stable income and a long time horizon. And the paper trail matters a lot: the borrowed money has to stay traceable to the investment, so keep it out of your everyday chequing. One more trap if you fund this by selling investments at a loss: do not buy the same thing back within 30 days or you lose the loss for tax. Talk to your accountant before you set any of this up.read more
This week I’m running a small experiment: $100 into PLTU, a 2x leveraged ETF that tracks Palantir (PLTR) stock, held from Monday through Friday’s close. Why PLTR this week Palantir reports earnings this week, and it’s known for making big, violent moves the day after — sometimes 15-20%+ in a single session. A 2x leveraged fund amplifies whatever direction that move goes. What “2x leveraged” actually means PLTU aims to deliver double PLTR’s daily move. If PLTR is up 5% on a given day, PLTU aims to be up roughly 10%. If PLTR drops 5%, PLTU drops roughly 10%. It resets every day, so a full week’s return isn’t just “2x the week” — it compounds daily, for better or worse. The risk, plainly This is a high-risk, high-reward bet, not a long-term investment: • If PLTR pops on earnings, this could be a genuinely strong week. • If PLTR drops or the market chops around, I could lose a meaningful chunk of the $100 — potentially most or all of it. • Leveraged single-stock ETFs aren’t built for holding long-term; I’m using it here specifically for a short, one-week window tied to a known catalyst. The plan • $100 in Monday, before PLTR reports. • Hold through the week, no adjustments. • Report back Friday with the result — win or lose. • Next week: same experiment, different stock, different catalyst. This isn’t investment advice — it’s a transparent, small-stakes experiment in short-term, catalyst-driven trading. Follow along if you want to see how it plays out.read more
Sharing our family’s recent experience in hopes it helps anyone facing a sudden layoff. My wife was laid off just three months after returning from maternity leave. The company offered her 3 months of severance and 6 months of benefits.Here is how we handled it—and why you shouldn't sign right away: 1. Don't Sign Immediately Companies give you deadlines, but you have the right to review the document. Refusing to sign on the spot gave us the time to seek legal advice. 2. Hire an Employment Lawyer on Contingency We hired an employment lawyer on a 30% contingency fee. Crucially, the 30% only applied to the improvement above the initial offer. If they didn't get us more money, we owed nothing extra—making it completely risk-free. 3. The Negotiation Our Demand: 10 months of severance. Company Counter: 4 months (we rejected this). Filing a Claim: Before going to trial—which costs employers heavy time and legal fees—we filed an official claim. Final Result: The company came back to negotiate and ultimately settled on 8 months of severance. Key Takeaway Never rush to sign an initial severance agreement. Consult an employment lawyer—especially under a contingency model where you only pay if they get you a better deal. It is always worth exploring your options!read more
You know what I love about investing? It’s personal. Everyone has different goals, strategies, and risk tolerances. Some investors prefer ETFs. Others build portfolios entirely with individual stocks. Many choose a combination of both. There isn’t one “right” way to invest. There is only the approach that fits you. No matter where you are on your investing journey, there’s always something new to learn. Keep showing up, stay curious, and keep improving. Keep grinding, y’all 🫡
I created three new charts for my personal dashboard. - Book Value (ACB) - Broker Book Value (Chart title: "Margin Book Value") - Market Value US currency has been FX converted. It is interesting to look at your overall portfolio and see which underlying companies you are more invested in. My next enhancement is to add a slider to change the view based on the accounts. read more
Lots of messages on here about RN Financials on IG (rn.financials). IG has deactivated my entire account saying I’m violating community standards. I have submitted an appeal and fingers are crossed. Pray for me y’all 🙏🏼
I’m relatively new to investing, I started in early 23, but didn’t really get into until recently. Most of my moves I get from my dad, well atleast he put me onto the AI train with $NVDA. From there I started doing my own research, and have created this portfolio. I’m happy with it. I was holding $MU for some time, bought it as it was climbing from March lows, around $515 for about 10 shares. Around this time I also bought around 11 shares of $MSFT for about $424. Just before Microns June earnings I decided to sell half of my shares, I saw what happened after last earnings in March when the dipped for an entire month and thought it be a brilliant idea. Micron rocketed to ATHs for a couple days after and instead of being patient, I panicked, and bought it up at those ATHs, not only with the cash I had from selling, but also I sold my Microsoft shares and bought more with that as well. I recently ended up selling all of my Micron shares dispersing it between QQQM, NOW, WMT, and META. That has been my biggest regret yet, and has taught me my biggest lesson. Just hold long, all of these companies are good companies, they hold the future and aren’t going anywhere. This has inspired me to want to start doing daily or somewhat daily journaling or my investing journey. It will allow me to look back on why I made certain decisions, and also how to avoid making those some poor decisions again. Who knows I may also find people who are wise and have great advice to share!
The market is closed today yet I still can’t get it off of my mind! After seeing what Trump said last night about reopening the Straig of Hormuz, I’m expecting tmrw to be very bullish. This also makes me have a bit of FOMO for selling my $MU shares. Not because I don’t have conviction in the stocks I replaced it with, but because I’m a very anxious investor. “What gains will I be missing out on? Did I just pass up a generational opportunity?” All those kind of things run through my mind, and I have no idea how to stop it. Anyways, I look forward to market open tmrw and to see where the cash is being thrown at!
$UPC is trading near an important technical area where price action may determine the next move. Key levels to watch: Current price: 6.35 Resistance: 6.50 to 6.75 Support: 5.80 Initial targets: 6.80 to 7.25+ Extended target: 10.00 to 12.00 Rather than chasing strength, many traders will be watching how the stock reacts around resistance. A confirmed breakout could improve the technical outlook, while failure to hold support would shift attention back to lower levels. In the current setup, patience and disciplined entries may matter more than speed.read more
Rich people don't guess with money. They follow rules. 1. Never withdraw more than 4% a year in retirement — your money outlives you. 2. Keep 3-6 months of expenses in a high-yield account. Untouched until it's a real emergency. 3. Housing never eats more than a third of your income. Ever. 4. Buy something nice, invest the same amount. Every time. 5. Cars — 20% down, 4 years to pay it off, under 10% of your income. Five rules. That's the whole system. Save this before you forget it. Post to save #followme read more
You plan buying a house in Canada. Where do you save the down payment today? In your savings account? Or checking? The First Home Savings Account (FHSA) offers benefits for the purpose of buying your first home. 1. When you contribute this year it reduces what you pay in taxes because it’s TAX-DEDUCTIBLE. 2. When you withdraw from it for the purpose of purchasing your first home, you pay ZERO TAXES on your capital gain. These two benefits are unique and shouldn’t be swept under the rug. I help people understand this better. DM for help. #InvestingInCanada #FHSA #investingforbeginners read more
In the past, my portfolio consisted 100% of individual stocks. Over the last few years, it has gradually shifted towards ETFs. I like the benefits that ETFs provide (i.e. diversification at a low cost) but they can be somewhat boring ... 🥱 By holding a handful of individual stocks, it adds some spice into my portfolio (i.e. the odd takeovers, quarterly results, etc.) ... 😲 Case in point, I hold both $AMZN and $MSFT. With $AMZN, I initially started my position on August 2021 and bought more shares as well. I've seen the share split and my position increase over 100%. With $MSFT, I only started my position on September 2024 and bought more shares afterwards. I have rode this share down but it has been on a bit of a run lately. I know these type of swings are uncommon with ETFs (unless you hold leveraged ETFs - no thanks). With my portfolio holding roughly 50/50 between ETFs and stocks, I find it forces me to only hold the stocks with the 'highest conviction' in them (determined by me). Is there duplication between the ETFs and stocks? Yes - but that is OK if you did this intentionallyread more
Than Outliving Their Money - This is one of my fears as well. 😬 ——————- One Often Overlooked Option Is An Annuity: Canadian Annuities Explained: The Complete Guide to Lifetime Income, Canada’s Leading Providers & Whether They’re Worth It Most Canadians spend decades building RRSPs, TFSAs, pensions, and investment portfolios. But eventually, every investor faces the same question: “How do I turn my savings into a paycheque I’ll never outlive?” That’s where annuities come in. They don’t get the same attention as ETFs or dividend stocks, yet annuities quietly power one of the world’s most reliable retirement inventions—the defined benefit pension. If you’ve ever admired someone receiving a guaranteed pension cheque every month for life, you’ve admired an annuity. Today, Canadians can purchase that same type of guaranteed lifetime income from a life insurance company. ⸻ What Is an Annuity? An annuity is a contract with a Canadian life insurance company. You exchange a lump sum for guaranteed income that can be be paid: * For life * For the lives of you and your spouse * For a fixed number of years Unlike a RRIF, a lifetime annuity cannot run out because you live too long. For that reason, many retirement specialists call annuities “personal pensions.” ⸻ Why Can Insurance Companies Guarantee Lifetime Income? The answer is something most investors have never heard of: Mortality Credits Imagine 1,000 retirees each contribute $100,000. Some unfortunately pass away earlier than expected. Others live well into their 90s—or even past 100. Insurance companies pool this longevity risk across thousands of policyholders. Money that is no longer needed for those who die earlier helps fund payments to those who live much longer. No ETF. No stock portfolio. No GIC. No bond ladder. Only a lifetime annuity creates mortality credits, which is why annuities can often provide higher guaranteed lifetime income than conservative investments alone. ⸻ The Main Types of Annuities Immediate Life Annuity Income begins almost immediately and continues for life. Ideal for retirees who want dependable monthly income. Joint Life Annuity Income continues until both spouses have passed away. A popular choice for married couples who want to protect the surviving spouse. Deferred Life Annuity Purchased today. Payments begin years later. Because payments start later, monthly income is generally larger. Term Certain Annuity Provides guaranteed payments for a fixed number of years. If you die before the term ends, remaining payments continue to your beneficiary or estate. ⸻ Customizing Your Annuity Most insurers allow buyers to customize an annuity with features such as: * 10- or 20-year guaranteed payment periods * Joint survivor benefits * Cash refund guarantees * Annual payment increases * Inflation-indexed payments Each additional guarantee provides more protection but generally reduces the starting monthly income. ⸻ Canada’s Leading Annuity Providers Canadian annuities are issued by life insurance companies, not ETF or mutual fund companies. Some of Canada’s largest providers include: * BMO Insurance * Manulife * Desjardins * Canada Life * RBC Life * Sun Life * Empire Life All are federally regulated insurers and members of Assuris, Canada’s policyholder protection organization. (Canada) Who Pays the Most? There is no permanent winner. Annuity payouts change continually as long-term interest rates and bond yields change. One month BMO Insurance may offer the highest payout. A month later it could be Manulife, Desjardins or another insurer. The best company depends on: * Your age * Your sex * Province of residence * Single or joint annuity * Guarantee period * Inflation protection * Current interest rates That’s why experienced advisors almost always obtain quotes from several insurers before recommending one. ⸻ What Could $100,000 Buy? There is no single answer. Unlike GIC rates, annuity payouts change frequently with financial markets. Your quote depends on: * Age * Sex * Interest rates * Type of annuity * Optional guarantees * Whether registered or non-registered money is used As a broad historical reference, healthy retirees in their early 70s purchasing a registered lifetime annuity have often received payouts in roughly the 5%–8% annual range, but actual quotes vary and should always be obtained at the time of purchase. ⸻ Why Interest Rates Matter Interest rates have an enormous impact on annuity pricing. Insurance companies invest much of the money they receive in high-quality long-term bonds. When bond yields rise, insurers can generally offer larger monthly payments. When bond yields fall, new annuity payments usually decline. This is why Canadians purchasing annuities today may receive considerably higher guaranteed income than buyers who locked in contracts during the ultra-low interest-rate environment of the late 2010s and early 2020s. ⸻ How Safe Are Canadian Annuities? Many retirees ask: “What happens if my insurance company fails?” Every licensed Canadian life insurance company that sells annuities belongs to Assuris. If a member insurer becomes insolvent, Assuris protects annuity owners by covering 100% of monthly income up to $5,000 per month, or 90% of the promised monthly income if it exceeds $5,000—whichever provides the greater benefit. (Canada) This protection provides an additional layer of security beyond Canada’s already strict insurance regulation. ⸻ Taxation The tax treatment depends on where the money comes from. Registered Funds (RRSPs & RRIFs) Payments are generally fully taxable because the contributions were tax-deferred. Non-Registered Funds Part of each payment is often treated as a return of your own capital, while the remainder is taxable income. Certain prescribed annuities can spread the taxable portion more evenly over time, making them attractive for some retirees. (Canada) ⸻ RRIF vs. Lifetime Annuity Feature RRIF Lifetime Annuity Market Growth ✅ ❌ Guaranteed Income ❌ ✅ Flexible Withdrawals ✅ ❌ Estate Value ✅ Limited Liquidity ✅ ❌ Can Outlive Savings Possible No Neither is universally better. Each solves a different retirement challenge. ⸻ Understanding Sequence-of-Returns Risk One of retirement’s biggest risks isn’t simply poor investment returns. It’s when those returns occur. Two retirees can earn exactly the same average return over retirement. If one experiences major market declines immediately after retiring while withdrawing income, their portfolio can shrink much faster—even if markets later recover. This is known as sequence-of-returns risk. A lifetime annuity removes this risk entirely because payments continue regardless of market performance. ⸻ The Biggest Weakness: Inflation Traditional annuities provide stable income. Inflation gradually reduces purchasing power over time. Many insurers offer annual payment increases or inflation-linked contracts, but these features reduce the starting monthly payment. For this reason, many retirees combine annuities with diversified investment portfolios that continue growing over time. ⸻ The “Floor and Growth” Strategy Many retirement specialists recommend combining guaranteed income with long-term investing. Income Floor Cover essential living expenses using: * CPP * OAS (if eligible) * Employer pension * Lifetime annuity Growth Portfolio Leave the remainder invested in diversified ETFs through a RRIF to provide: * Long-term growth * Inflation protection * Liquidity * Flexibility * Estate value This approach combines certainty with opportunity. ⸻ Before You Buy Before purchasing an annuity: ✓ Compare quotes from several insurers. ✓ Decide whether single-life or joint-life coverage is appropriate. ✓ Consider whether inflation protection is worth the lower starting payment. ✓ Decide whether a guaranteed payment period is important for your estate. ✓ Compare annuity income with your planned RRIF withdrawals. ✓ Consider using an annuity to cover essential expenses while keeping the remainder of your portfolio invested. ⸻ Who Should Consider an Annuity? An annuity may be an excellent choice if you: * Want guaranteed income for life. * Worry about outliving your savings. * Prefer predictable cash flow. * Value peace of mind. It may be less appropriate if you: * Need ongoing access to your capital. * Want maximum long-term growth. * Intend to leave the largest possible estate. * Enjoy actively managing investments. ⸻ Final Thoughts Annuities aren’t designed to outperform the stock market. They’re designed to solve a different problem. They convert retirement savings into a guaranteed paycheque that continues for as long as you live. For many Canadians, the strongest retirement plan isn’t built entirely around investing or entirely around guarantees. It’s built by combining both. A lifetime annuity can provide confidence that essential expenses will always be covered, while a diversified ETF portfolio continues pursuing growth, helping offset inflation, and building wealth for future generations. ⸻ Quick-Reference Ratings Category Rating Lifetime Income Security ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Protection Against Outliving Savings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Market Crash Protection ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Simplicity ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Financial Strength of Canadian Insurers ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Inflation Protection ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Liquidity ⭐☆☆☆☆ Estate Preservation ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Growth Potential ⭐⭐☆☆☆ Peace of Mind ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Bottom Line Annuities are not a replacement for investing—they are a powerful complement. Used alongside CPP, OAS, workplace pensions, RRIFs, and diversified ETFs, they can help create retirement income that is secure, predictable, and built to last a lifetime. Of course if you have an RRSP you can transfer all or part of it into the Saskatchewan Pension Plan for annuitizing with options.read more
An easy math formula for a Sunday morning. This infographic does not surprise me at all. Too many low and middle income families buying brand new pickups to fill the void of their thirsty egos. Charlie Munger said a man would go broke over ladies, liquor and leverage. Behind all of these is just a sad, insecure dude trying to massage a broken ego with a toy truck. If you don’t need a truck for work, don’t buy one! If you have zero or one child, you likely don’t need a full size SUV. If you have a high income, then proceed as you like. We still need folks to buy new cars! Unless we want the used car market to be unaffordable again! If you currently spend over 10% of your income on a vehicle, I’d encourage you to cut that in half, plug that $ figure into a compound interest calculator and let the reality sink in for a moment. Your ego will thank you. read more
I started maxing out my TFSA 6 years ago. At the time, I chose to invest into Canadian bank, Apple and SP500. I turn out Canadian bank grew much quicker then I expected. I did nothing complicated and that put me 5400 on probably more then 200 000 max out TFSA on Wealthsimple. Time in the market beat timings the market.
1. My biz 2. Content 3. Email list 4. One-page site 5. Digital products 6. Bitcoin (DYOR) You can reach financial freedom 30+ years sooner, but you’ll bear more risk along the way.read more
I recently had a comment that got me thinking… ”Die With Zero” gets it half right. 💰 The idea: don’t hoard money you’ll never spend. Enjoy your life. I’m 100% on board with that part. But here’s what the book misses, it treats your portfolio like a fixed pile you’re drawing down. Spend it or lose it. That’s not how compounding works. If your growth rate is outpacing your withdrawal rate, you’re not choosing between “enjoy life” and “die with a pile of unused cash.” Your portfolio is paying you more than you need, while still growing. I’m not withdrawing to zero. I’m living well AND watching the number go up. Both at once. 📈 The real question isn’t “spend more or die with money on the table.” ✨✨It’s: is your withdrawal rate below your sustainable growth rate?✨✨ If yes, you’re not being deprived. You’re being paid by your past decisions, and the “surplus” isn’t waste. It’s optionality. Cushion for bad years. Room to spend more later without fear. Legacy if you want it. Boring, diversified, long-term investing did this. Not magic. Not luck. Just time + compounding + not touching it. 🐢 Enjoying the fruits of your labor and having your portfolio outgrow your needs aren’t opposites. You can have both. Just my opinion, dyor read more
