Helping Canadians with Personal Finance Since 2006 Learn how to save money, build an investment portfolio, and become financially independent - from a middle-class Canadian who has actually done it! Get Started Index Investing Dividend Investing Banking Robo Advisor Retirement Portfolio Smith Manoeuvre Tax Minimization Reviews Credit Cards All Categories As Featured On Toronto Star Forbes CBC The Globe and Mail Global The Financial Post Most Recent Articles all Articles Best 2025 Broker Promo...| Million Dollar Journey
If you’re considering buying Royal Bank stock in 2025, then you need to be aware of not only the company’s individual performance, but also RBC’s current valuation, and the general prospects for Canadian banking as well. For more information on comparable investments check out our article on the Best Canadian Bank Stocks, and to decide if you’d rather go with a passive investing strategy rather than picking individual stocks, take a look at the Best ETFs in Canada. WANT TO BUY RBC SHA...| Million Dollar Journey
I like the idea of owning real estate - but I don’t want the headaches of being a landlord. If that sounds like you, then you basically have two options: Invest in Canadian Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) Or Invest in Canadian real estate stocks. Personally, I’m a massive fan of investing in Canadian bank stocks, and that gives me enough exposure to Canadian real estate - which is why I have three of the banks amongst my picks for best Canadian dividend stocks. Canadian Real Estat...| Million Dollar Journey
With the market shifting to defensive mode, Canadian industrial stocks are back in style. Investors are clearly in the mood for solid (boring?) dependable earnings that can keep up with an inflation-heavy environment. While Canadian railroad stocks and Canadian airline stocks are technically considered Canadian industrial stocks, we decided that they needed their own articles. While the Toronto Stock Exchange isn’t exactly teeming with great industrial stocks - aside from the railway d...| Million Dollar Journey
When I first wrote about the Smith Manoeuvre (18 years ago!) - a method to transform your mortgage into a tax-deductible loan - I never imagined it would become one of our most popular topics, racking up hundreds of comments. Even though I kicked off my own Smith Manoeuvre at practically the worst time in the last half-century (back in 2007), it still turned out pretty well for me. As we move into 2025, it’s becoming clear that high mortgages might be coming down a bit, the days of ultra-lo...| Million Dollar Journey
Many people love investing in dividend stocks for their predictable income stream. One of our most popular articles is our best Canadian dividend stocks list. Many investors are looking in particular for the best high yield Canadian stocks, so each year we provide the updated list below. You may notice we haven’t picked the stocks with the absolute highest dividend payouts and may be curious why we wouldn’t simply load up on those. Well, different investors have different goals. Some in...| 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
While Canadian technology stocks have been some of the fastest growing stocks on the Toronto Stock Exchange over the last decade (especially during the pandemic), they are still a relatively small part of our investing ecosystem. We have a lot of great Canadian dividend stocks, Canadian bank stocks, Canadian energy stocks, etc. But when it comes to tech stocks in Canada, they only make up about 5-6% of our publicly traded stocks. (That’s according to the FTSE Canada All-Cap Index.) By co...| 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
A blue chip stock refers to stocks of high value companies. Think companies that are household names, have a widely recognized brand and are so big that they are unlikely to fail. The top blue chip stocks in Canada include companies from a wide range of sectors; utilities, industrial, financial and consumer staples. These companies often have very little - if any - competition, which is a great thing if you are one of their investors. On top of having a large market capitalization, and the ...| Million Dollar Journey
Most Canadians never stop to consider when low risk investments are the most appropriate use of savings versus when higher-risk long-term investments are the better route. The truth is that most Canadians choose their investment by “gut feel.” You likely don’t need me to tell you, that’s not an ideal process. When choosing between higher risk and low risk investments, it’s important to consider your personal goals and risk tolerance. Personally, I think that if you need your money i...| Million Dollar Journey
The best Canadian high interest savings accounts for 2024 combine a mix of high interest rates, with no-fee banking, and elite user-friendly platforms. One thing to note right off the top: If your savings goal is more than 6 months in the future, you should likely be checking out our Best GIC Rates in Canada Comparison instead of using a high interest savings account. That said, our top HISAs are an excellent short term investment option when it comes to saving for a trip, storing an emergenc...| 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
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
Should you worry about re-working your whole portfolio around the idea of choosing the best Canadian inflation stocks? Probably not. Of course that’s easier said than done as we proceed through stubborn inflation trends in 2023. When we started 2022, inflation was only being mumbled about by a very small cohort of market experts (shout out to Larry Summers). We then proceeded to see central banks fall further and further behind the inflation curve, before finally realizing that they had...| Million Dollar Journey
Investing in Canadian Dividend Kings (sometimes known as Dividend Aristocrats) tends to come back into fashion when bond yields and GIC rates start to go down. With safer assets generating so little income, dependable dividend payers begin to look more and more attractive. Of course, staying committed to dividends can be a challenge when stocks like Nvidia are soaring. The real test for any dividend investor is sticking to the plan through thick and thin. Click here to jump directly to my 202...| Million Dollar Journey
It is no secret that the Canadian stock market is not very well diversified by sector. Canada is largely financial, energy and materials, with all of that other stuff in between. By investing in Canadian retail stocks, investors can add some much-needed diversification. Canadian retail stocks can also help investors profit during times of economic strength and certain types of retail stocks can offer a nice hedge against periods of slow growth or recessions. A certain segment of Canadian ...| Million Dollar Journey
The cost of transferring money internationally to a bank account abroad – or just exchanging one currency for another – is likely to be higher than you think. The true cost of an international transfer from Canada can be shockingly high for those who don't understand how those type of fees are structured (as the markup is a hidden fee, banks don't clearly show it to unknowing customers). For that, many people are mistaking the flat fees of an international wire, which vary between $15-$50...| Million Dollar Journey