Canadians have fantastic options when it comes to registered accounts. Registered accounts are beneficial for many reasons, the main reason being that they are tax advantaged. Tax advantage accounts are those that allow you to grow your money tax-free or allow you to defer paying taxes until later. However, all registered accounts are not created equal, and before you invest, you want to read our detailed TFSA vs RRSP guide to better understand what these two registered accounts can do for yo...| Million Dollar Journey
An RESP, or Registered Education Savings Plan, is a registered tax-deferred investment account designed to help pay for a child’s education. In other words, RESPs are the best possible way to pay for your child’s eventual college and/or university bills! RESPs are eligible for government grants (re: Free Money) of up to $7,200. In this post, we’ll fill you in on all the basics of RESPs, from how (and where) to set up an RESP, and how to maximize your RESP contributions. What is an RES...| Million Dollar Journey
If you’ve been following MDJ for a while, you will come to learn that I’m a fan of two investing strategies, index investing and investing for income through Canada’s best dividend stocks. I like index investing (also known as passive investing) for its ease, low cost, and ability to beat most active mutual fund returns over the long term. I use this strategy for: my spousal RRSP; the international portion of my RRSP; and, the education fund (RESP) that I set up for my two kids. Divid...| Million Dollar Journey
Most Canadians know the Canada Pension Plan as a government account they pay money into every month when they are working, and then when they retire, CPP means a cheque or automated deposit that arrives every month. Sounds simple enough right? Well… There are many layers to CPP! It’s one of those topics in Canadian personal finance where you might be just fine with the broad outline for now, and then come back to you when you need specific details. When I first set out to write about...| Million Dollar Journey
Canada’s all-in-one ETFs (also called portfolio ETFs) have been the single most important investment product innovation since I’ve started writing about this stuff nearly two decades ago. The Vanguard, iShares, and BMO all-in-one ETFs are the perfect marriage of index investing strategy, convenience, asset allocation math, and behavioural safeguards. These ETFs - which are actually a collection of smaller ETFs - are so diverse that they actually include several of the Best ETFs in Canada,...| Million Dollar Journey
Old Age Security - better known as OAS - is one of the least understood aspects of Canadian retirement planning that I’ve come across. In order to full wrap your head around OAS and how you can get the most out of it for your particular situation, this deep dive is going to cover: (use the table of contents below to jump to the section that pertains to you) OAS Eligibility (Who gets full or partial OAS) What is the OAS Clawback? (How Do I Keep My Whole OAS Cheque?) How Much OAS Will I Get? ...| Million Dollar Journey
As we look ahead to summer and the second half of 2025, it’s time for an updated look at the Best Online Brokerages in Canada. With RRSP season in the rearview mirror – and what might be shaping up to be another round of “tariff season” drama ahead – now’s the time to lock in the easy DIY investing wins. I’ve been writing about Canadian online brokers for nearly 20 years, and the changes in the space have been massive. Fees have plunged, platforms are smoother than ever, and com...| 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