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The years seem to go by faster every year, and once again, it is hard to believe that we are starting a brand-new year, with 2025 now in the rear-view mirror. While 2025 started a bit bumpy with tariff drama in the first quarter of the year, most Canadians are hopefully content with how the year progressed, at least from an investment perspective. To take stock of what 2026 might hold, we need to take a bit of inventory of where things stand and how the prior year progressed.

Canadians may welcome a new year with a new diet or a just-released book or movie, but for investors, buying into a new company is generally a bad idea.
Of course, those who’d been clever enough to buy even a single share of the world’s largest companies at the time of their initial public offerings (IPOs) would have no regrets. One share of Microsoft, for example, that could have been bought for US$21 when the company launched in March 1986, is worth US$141,697 today, figures from Nasdaq show. A single share of Apple, which went public at US$22 in December 1980, is now worth US$62,353, Amazon’s issue in May 1997 at US$18 is now worth US$55,963, and Nvidia, launched at US$12 in January 1999, is worth US$84,725.

A practical Canadian starter kit: which accounts to open first, simple investing, and the small habits that actually matter.

When it comes to investing, what is the most important thing? Asset allocation? Stock picking? Market timing? The answer is: None of the above. Historically, the best guarantee of good investing returns is simply time in the market. There are two, possibly three reasons for this:

I interviewed 50 smart people around the world for my annual Rich Thinking® research paper to be released on March 8, 2026. My central research question was “What’s your healthiest habit?” I also asked these men and women from diverse professions and cultures “How much do you spend on this habit?”.

Q: I would like to get your opinions on what investors should do given possibly an inevitable market correction. Many portfolios have gone up over 25% this year, which likely is not sustainable. Should we move to bonds? If so, where?

Can a judge set aside a post-nuptial agreement? Short answer: Yes. So, be careful that your post-nuptial agreement does not go too far.

In my last article, I introduced the Health Spending Account (HSA) as a unique and simple tool for corporations of 1-through-10,001-and greater employees to either augment or define the foundation of their health benefits plan, using tax-preferred funds. In this issue, we’ll dive deeper into unique planning strategies for business owners to help identify the most efficient plan structure to suit their needs.

Over the years, several people have offered their thoughts about tax refunds and what to do when we get them. The first thing that most commentators point out is that a refund is a de facto admission that you have overpaid through tax withholdings and/or instalments over the previous tax year. Calibrating the amounts you’ll need to remit regularly and then paying accordingly helps. It is important to incorporate not only your income level, but also the deductions you are likely to incur along the way.