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Building wealth can feel overwhelming, especially at the beginning. But similar to planting seeds in a garden, financial growth takes time. A thoughtful plan, attention, consistency, and patience can help you work toward lasting financial security.

For younger Canadians, it’s never been more challenging to get into the housing market. Despite the dream, the reality is that rates of home ownership are falling sharply, with nearly a quarter of Canadians ages 18 to 34 owning a home today, down from nearly 50 per cent in 2021. Beyond the down payment, keeping up with mortgage and maintenance costs is becoming more onerous. Mortgage default rates for under-30s are seven times higher than for the rest of the population, based on data from TransUnion.

A great deal of financial advice is built for couples. People with a significant other benefit from two incomes, shared mortgage or rent, split bills, and certain tax advantages. When things go sideways, they have someone to look across the table at and say, “We are in this together, honey.” In a world where inflation remains a persistent and challenging part of reality, those benefits matter. Trying to apply the same advice when you are single does not always quite work.

I have spent much of my professional life looking at how financial systems treat consumers. However, some of the most painful financial stories I hear don't start in a bank office or an advisor's boardroom. They start at home, with a partner whose money habits quietly undermine everything a couple is trying to build together.

There used to be an assumption that tying the knot also meant tying funds into one family pot. During a time when people married at younger ages, sometimes even before graduation from college or a first job, joint finances grew organically alongside their march into adulthood.

Deciding whether to buy back pensionable service can be complex. When you’ve taken time away from work, such as a parental leave or a sabbatical, you can end up with gaps in your pensionable years. It’s common to wonder if you should put money back into the plan to make up for that time.

More than 1.2 million Canadian households will face mortgage renewals this year, and many of them will be renewing at a higher rate than they’re paying now. Consumer debt in Canada also hit a historic high in February 2025, driven by more Canadians carrying debt than before, with the list of in-debt Canadians expanding to include younger Canadians (Gen Z). Credit card debt also hit a new high in Canada this year. Needless to say, debt is impacting many Canadians today.

The Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) and the Standard & Poors 500 Index (S&P) both delivered strong returns in 2024, on top of strong returns the preceding year, with both exchanges ending 2023 and 2024 on a high note. Markets so far this year have performed less steadily, and investors may be experiencing losses. But losses, under certain conditions, could present a hopeful prospect: Tax-loss selling.

When your family circle grows, there are financial implications. Whether it is due to the birth of a child or grandchild, the start of a common-law relationship, or celebrating a marriage, there may be opportunities and challenges that result.