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Q: A dark 2025/2026 scenario would be a mild recession in Canada, and a more serious recession in the U.S., both deepened at some point by a U.S. dollar crisis due to massive deficits and chaotic politics. How should a TFSA be positioned to weather this? Dividend stocks versus bonds? How much of portfolio in gold stocks? How big a cash allocation? What else?

Imagine this: it’s late at night and your phone rings. You don’t recognize the number but pick up anyway — you would hate to miss an important call.

“Grandma, can you hear me? It’s me.”

For the most part, we are aware of what we should do with money—save regularly, spend wisely, and avoid debt when possible. This is particularly true for people who read Canadian MoneySaver magazine. But if you've ever made a purchase you regretted, avoided opening your credit card bill, felt a wave of anxiety after looking at your bank balance, or hesitated to buy or invest in something you need, you’ve probably already sensed that money isn’t just about math—it’s about emotion, memory, and identity.

Like many Canadians, I am doing my best to boycott U.S. products given current tense relations. I would also like to diversify my investments outside of the U.S., and I wonder what my global alternatives are for investments in fine wine.

I’m a 32-year-old single woman, about to get married, and I plan to start investing my savings of $100,000 in the equity market. My fiancé and I will have separate finances. My time horizon for investing is very long at this point, so I know I don’t need to concern myself overly with market volatility. On the other hand, you have probably seen many “rookie” mistakes over the years—what do you suggest I avoid doing?

The Jetsons, a 1960s cartoon featured “Rosie the Robot” who worked as a household maid who refused to be taken for granted, “I may be made of metal, but I don’t have sawdust for brains!” Today’s robots have CPUs for brains and can do a lot more than sweep floors. Artificial Intelligence (AI) and machine learning are dramatically changing healthcare, and not a moment too soon.

Are you one of the extremely fortunate investors sitting on significant accrued gains generated during the market run-up over the last few years? Nvidia is a common name which has skyrocketed over 750% in the past 2 years alone. Are your gains from stocks such as Apple, that you have fortunately held for many years? Couple these returns with the currency gains, and you are even further ahead.

The markets were exceptionally kind to investors in 2024. Nvidia (154%), Palantir, (344%) MicroStrategy (500%+), and Bitcoin (all-time high of USD $73,000+) are just a few examples. Recency bias leads us to believe the good times will roll into 2025 and beyond. On the surface, things look rosy. The interest rate regime is dovish with regular quarter-to-half-point drops. A more business-friendly stance and a looser regulatory environment from the U.S. government are likely to give small-to-midsize companies the boost they’ve been waiting for, and possibly pull up the other 493 companies in the S&P 500 that missed the capital bonanza. What could go wrong in these halcyon days?

Last summer I interviewed more than 50 leaders (male and female) in the global finance industry across 31 cities and 25 countries in research commissioned by Kensington Capital Partners. The focus was on alternative investments as a class, and the alt subsectors that appealed the most to women investors.

It wasn’t a surprise to me that although women also prefer to invest in causes and concerns that matter to them, their main focus is to make money!