Articles

Many Canadians have been experimenting with Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools, whether it’s a chatbot, like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, Perplexity, or it’s an AI-built application like video editors, content creation, audio translation, note-taking apps, etc. It has become a fast-evolving space, and we believe the tools will continue to grow at a rapid pace, but even in these early days of widespread AI, we feel there are many ways to utilize AI as a finance companion.

In terms of net worth, what does it take to be considered rich today? In the HBO series Succession, loosely based on the Murdoch family, naïve Cousin Greg boasts that he expects to inherit $5 million from his grandfather’s will, and he’ll be “golden”. “You can’t do anything with five million,” a wealthy relative tells him. “Five is a nightmare. Can’t retire. Not worth it to work. It will drive someone ‘un poco loco.’”.

In September’s issue of Canadian MoneySaver, I presented a list of eight questions to consider asking your financial advisor, and a basic overview of the sorts of answers you should be looking for. If you haven’t read that article yet, I’d suggest you go back and review it before diving into this one.

Investors interested in buying high and selling higher should hold shares of companies in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) sector. In its simplest sense, AI uses computer algorithms to sort through billions of bits of data to recognize patterns, then analyzes the patterns to make decisions and predictions, while, if employing machine learning, simultaneously learning from mistakes. The learning process means AI programs may become more intelligent over time, causing doomsayers to worry that eventually AI will be able to take over the world.

Very long-time Canadian MoneySaver readers may recall that I wrote several articles between 1994 and 2003. Back in the day, I wrote about contrary investing and the Dow Jones Industrial Average (“Beat the Dow”). Years later, I contributed stories talking about the inclusion of Private and Alternative Equities in your investment plan. After a five-year hiatus, I’m delighted to be back.

On Saturday, September 13, 2025, the Canadian MoneySaver team was excited to take part in The Toronto MoneyShow at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. This marked our 13th consecutive year attending the event - a tradition we’re always proud to be a part of. This year’s theme, The Great Canadian Money Reset, could not have been more timely. It was reflected throughout the show in engaging sessions on topics including making the case for investing in Canadian Energy, exploring the growing influence of financial influencers, examining where we stand in the current economic cycle, discussing the hot topic of AI, and much more.

Recently, Canadians have soured on the United States as a vacation destination. Canadians are going south less and re-exploring the beauty of Canada. To me, there is much here in Canada, from the amazing beauty of Cape Breton to the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia and Alberta, and so much in between.
We Canadians love our country, our culture, and our diversity. So, many of us are shopping at home now, snowbirds are moving back, and U.S. expats living in Canada are wondering if maintaining their U.S. citizenship with costly tax filing compliance is worth it.

While we are typically an optimistic bunch, it is always good to think about the risks that lurk around the corner and understand the implications it may or may not have on our finances and portfolios. Being too focused on the risks can lead to someone simply hiding under the covers and ‘doing nothing’ which is a risk in and of itself, but if we are going to talk about the dangers that are out there, what better time to do it than in October where we embrace our fears and take to the streets dressed as zombies and monsters! We have curated a few spooky charts that should be on Canadian’s minds currently.

I’m in a bit of a bind. I lost my job in late 2023, I just turned 60, and I unfortunately panicked and sold about 80% of my stock portfolio when the tariff wars started. I have always been a successful buy-and-hold investor, but somehow it really felt like this could be a repeat of the financial crisis of 2008/09, and I wanted to avoid losing a lot of money. Luckily, my wife is still gainfully employed, and we own our house outright.