Blog
Simple money,
honestly explained.
Honest, plain-language ideas on planning, investing, and building a financial life you actually understand — with a little real life mixed in.
Not All Investment Returns Are Taxed the Same
Whether it’s tax time or not, taxes are often on the minds of Canadians. When it comes to our investments, this is also true. And while some accounts offer tax-free returns (TFSA), not all investment…
8 min read
Women Can Money Virtual Summit 2025 - All the Details
After hosting the Women Can Money Virtual Summit for 2 consecutive years, I took a year off in 2024 to pursue my QAFP designation . I’m extremely happy to share that the Women Can Money Virtual…
8 min read
How To Pick an ETF
With over 1000 ETFs listed on the Canadian market, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and get stuck on analysis paralysis. But I’m here to help, so let’s dive into How to Pick an ETF. Disclaimer - the…
6 min read
Getting the Right Type of Life Insurance
I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting to be of a certain age, surrounded by a type of echo chamber , or because I’m studying to be a Qualified Associate Financial Planner. But the topic of life…
8 min read
All-in-One Investing Solutions - Keep Investing Simple
When I first learned about investing in the stock market, it seemed confusing. But after years of learning, I’m here to tell you that investing doesn’t need to be complicated or time-consuming.…
9 min read
I Bought my First Dividend Stock
The first investment I ever bought was a mutual fund with Tangerine Bank. My parents were invested in mutual funds, I knew that I “should be investing,” so I did what they did. This was back when I…
7 min read
Qtrade vs Questrade - Which Online Brokerage is Better?
If you’re anything like me, you may have heard of Qtrade Direct Investing™ and Questrade and thought they were the same. Everyone abbreviates everything. Makes sense right? If you were like me with…
8 min read
5i Research Review - Get an Investing Advantage
As a DIY investor, it is easy to want to gain an advantage with your portfolio. After all, no advisor or other financial professional is watching over your money. A large portion of our investment…
7 min read
Having Anxiety Over Spending Money on Yourself
Do you have anxiety over spending money on yourself? If so, you are not alone. Chrometophobia is the clinical term for fear of spending money or, more specifically, fear of money in general. And…
12 min read
3 Ways to Start Investing in the Stock Market
Thinking about investing in the stock market can feel daunting. But not all stock market investing is the same, and you don’t always have to do it alone. There are ways you can start investing in…
8 min read
No, I’m Not Investing in Bitcoin
It’s hard not to hear about the recent rise of Bitcoin. My social media feeds are full of people talking about it. And the hype is starting to also leak into mainstream media. But as popular as…
6 min read
Creating a Will in Canada Can Be Simple and Affordable
Creating a Will can seem complicated. And expensive. But it doesn’t have to. There are many options available to help you through the process. Let’s look at some of these options and the mistakes…
12 min read
Why You Need a Will, and What Happens If You Don’t Have One
When it comes to personal finance, for the most part, I don’t believe that there’s any room for judgment. How you choose to save and spend your money is up to you. But if you’re an adult and don’t…
6 min read
How To Focus On Gratitude During the Holidays
As someone who values experiences over stuff and things, the holidays can be very overwhelming. My family loves to buy things, and at times it makes me extremely uncomfortable. But I’ve found a way…
6 min read
ABCs of Canadian Personal Finance
November is Financial Literacy Month in Canada. But we cannot just depend on one month a year to become financially literate. So the school teacher in me has compiled this A to Z guide of all things…
19 min read
RESPs in Canada - All Your Questions Answered
Canada’s Registered Education Savings Plan can be a great tool to help save and pay for post-secondary education. But in order to get the most out of the plan, you need to first understand how an…
18 min read
Financial Inertia - Friend or Foe?
It’s happened to all of us at one point or another, getting too busy with “life” and neglecting our finances. Or maybe we intentionally have our head in the sand because ignoring managing our money…
12 min read
Personal Saving Rate - Why it's Pointless to Compare
Comparing your personal saving rate to someone else’s may leave you feeling happy or depressed. But saving rate is a number and there are so many ways of calculating it that comparing it to someone…
14 min read
Free Credit Report in Canada - Why You Need It
When it comes to money, there can be a lot of emotions attached. Often we ignore our finances and credit history out of fear, shame, or embarrassment. But reviewing your free credit report can be…
13 min read
How to be Comfortable DIY Investing
Learning how to invest for yourself can feel very daunting. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Momma, I’m going to walk you through how to be comfortable DIY investing. First, you will have to…
10 min read
Personal Investment Policy Statement - What You Need to Know
I first heard about personal investment policy statements on the ChooseFI podcast; episode 097 to be exact. Prior to that, I had no idea what a personal investment policy statement was, or even that…
9 min read
Your Financial Advisor is Not Your Friend
When it comes to investing, your financial advisor is not your friend. It may sound cliché, and maybe you have heard it a hundred times, but nobody cares more about your money than you do – not even…
9 min read
She's Working for $ 6.36/hour - a Teacher Pension Case Study
When I first announced to some of my coworkers that I intended on retiring early, their immediate response was that I would not earn my full teacher pension. All I could think of in response was that…
9 min read
Our $ 13,000 Tax Mistake & How You Can Avoid It
The year was 2016, but we never realized the tax mistake until 2017. 2015 was a huge turning point for us. We had paid off our mortgage in 2014 and then decided to invest in real estate. In 2015…
6 min read
Parkinson's Law and Your Money
Parkinson’s law, made famous by Cyril Northcote Parkinson, states that “work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.” If something is to be done in a year, it will be done in a…
11 min read
How to Avoid a Transactional Christmas
As a young child, I remember the lead up to Christmas morning. My parents would buy gifts and then try to hide them so that we would not find them. But my sisters and I were very clever and loved…
9 min read
A Complete Guide to Your RRSP
There is more than one RRSP benefit available to you. In order to fully understand these, you should have a good understanding of RRSP's in general. A RRSP is a registered retirement savings…
18 min read
Financial Freedom Mindset
Financial Freedom Mindset - The Catalyst At the age of 32 and a half (I know, a weird age to reflect on), it hit me. If I was going to work until the traditional retirement age of 65, I would have to…
16 min read
The newsletter
Get new posts in your inbox.
Be the first to know when a new blog article is posted. Unsubscribe anytime.
No spam. Ever.