This is a column by our resident real estate expert Rachelle. I actually live and work in the Toronto area, in Ontario and this post is about different kinds of properties you can invest in and the benefits and pitfalls of developing a portfolio of properties that is not residential. Law Residential Property The law in Ontario for residential property is not kind to investors. Landlords are not protected and a lot of waiting is required before being able to get non-paying tenants out. Twice I...| Million Dollar Journey
Options are one of the best ways to capitalize on market trends and enhance profitability - if you get your prediction right. While buying options has a limited downside on a per contract basis, it is also one of the “best” ways to lose your money in the market - or as WSJ put it “More Men are Addicted to the Crack Cocaine of the Stock Market”. Options trading is not for the faint of heart, and shouldn’t be used by novice traders. Honestly, the average Canadian investor has no need ...| Million Dollar Journey
Investing on your own is not an easy task. From mutual funds to robo advisors and individual stocks, there are a wide range of strategies, information services and trading platforms to choose from. It can quickly become overwhelming. This is where the simplicity of dividend investing really shines. I started investing in mutual funds when I was 16-year-old. Since then, I evolved into a mix of ETFs and dividend growth investing strategies. This was the beginning of a long investing jou...| Million Dollar Journey
I’ve been writing about the “Dogs of the TSX” Canadian investing strategy for about twelve years now. I can’t claim that I was the creator of the idea though. In fact, no Canadian can really lay claim to the “Dogs’” principles. The Dogs of the TSX can trace its roots back to the “Dogs of the Dow” strategy in the USA. The first place that I saw the idea being applied to Canada was when MoneySaver magazine started writing about the BTTSX or Beating the TSX Dividend Stock Strat...| Million Dollar Journey
If you have been like many investors and sticking with an easy, passive all-in-one ETF, but looking to try out something a bit more active, investing in commodities in Canada could be just the thing to scratch that itch. Commodities are consumer products such as energy, metals and agriculture tend to fare particularly well in times of high inflation. As inflation rates continue to rise worldwide, we can expect commodities to continue to surpass stock returns. So, now is the perfect time to co...| Million Dollar Journey
I am a cautious investor given that I am in the semi-retirement stage. While I would acknowledge that growth is important for a retiree or near-retiree, I want most of our equity positions to be in the quality or high-quality camp so that I can sleep easy at night. That’s why a portfolio that invests in wide moat stocks such as grocers, railways, and utilities - plus a couple of semi-wide moat stocks - are a great fit (and one that I have a lot of confidence in). This low-risk mix has off...| Million Dollar Journey
Dividend earning stocks are appealing for a number of reasons. They can help you earn passive income, are generally more stable in a volatile market, and are a great hedge against inflation. If you are thinking about investing in Canadian telecom dividend stocks, now might be the right time. Canadian Telecom companies have historically been a great choice when it comes to dependable dividends. They might not seem as exciting as some of the other options out there, but with all of us increasin...| Million Dollar Journey
Investing in Canadian REITs can help investors include real estate investments in their portfolios without radically changing their way of life. Sure, you can buy a property and become a landlord, but if that’s not your bag (or if you don’t have that kind of time, energy, and, let’s face it, cash), you can invest in Canadian REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) and gain exposure to the real estate market in bite-sized chunks. Canadian REITs are fairly easy to invest in, given that they...| Million Dollar Journey
The two best Canadian railway stocks are part of an exclusive club in Canada. According to Morningstar Canada, in 2023 there were only five Canadian wide moat stocks. The list is short: RBC, TD, Enbridge, and then our two Canadian railway dividend all-stars: Canadian Pacific Railway (CP) and Canadian National Railway (CNR). The Morningstar wide moat list heading into 2024 includes RBC, TD Bank, Waste Connections and Canadian National Railway. I would certainly suggest that when you look at ...| Million Dollar Journey
Investing in Canada’s best energy stocks have been a key part of my investing strategy for some time now. A lot of people don’t remember this, but it wasn’t so long ago (August 2020) that a lot of folks were asking if Canada’s energy dividends were in trouble? Of course, that was before energy prices and energy stocks dominated the headlines for the next couple of years. At the time, Canadian oil prices were about $30 a barrel and energy dividends were under a lot of pressure due to...| Million Dollar Journey
With more and more options available, choosing the best chequing account in Canada isn’t as easy as you might assume. When was the last time you wrote a cheque anyways? You’re probably not pulling out a cheque book at the grocery store or using it to settle monthly bills. I’d reckon you’re paying most bills these days via e-transfer, with a credit card, or with a mobile banking app. While we no longer spend hours each month writing cheques or balancing our checkbooks, the need for...| Million Dollar Journey
Now that second quarter earnings are in, I felt like it was an optimal time to update our 2024 Canadian bank stocks article. Ever since I started this website back in 2008, Canadian bank stocks have been reader favourites. The slow-steady-dependable nature of these companies makes them a natural fit for dividend lovers and Canadian retirees, and that’s why several of the banks occupy prominent spots on our Best Canadian Dividend Stocks List. Interest rates can’t go down fast enough for Ca...| Million Dollar Journey
Picking the best Canadian Dividend Stocks for 2025 isn’t an easy task! After such a stellar year in North American equities in 2025, there is much more room to move down than up. That said, my dividend stocks portfolio is all about long-term cash-flowing companies with large financial moats to protect them. Each month I take a look at the stocks that I highlighted at the beginning of the year, and I focus on the following key dividend stock comparison points: Dividend Yield Dividend Growth ...| Million Dollar Journey