The long game

Strategy for the long run: staying invested through the noise, avoiding the urge to time the market, and letting compounding do the heavy lifting.

30 articles in this topic

Miss the worst days, miss the best ones too

The biggest single-day gains in market history all happened during periods that felt like the world was ending. Here's why that matters.

7 min read

Best way to track your portfolio in Canada

We built a portfolio tracker, so we're biased. But here's an honest look at every approach: spreadsheets, brokerage tools, bank-linked apps, and more.

8 min read

Can't keep up with personal finance? It's not you

New accounts, new rules, new tax treaties that only apply to some accounts. Personal finance keeps changing, and nobody's sending you a memo.

7 min read

Do you know how your portfolio is actually doing?

Most investors can't answer this. Your brokerage shows a number, but it might not mean what you think. Here's what's really going on.

7 min read

Do you know what you actually own?

Most people can't tell you their portfolio breakdown. Exposure drifts silently. You think you're diversified but you might be 60% tech.

5 min read

Do you even need a portfolio tracker?

Maybe not. If you have one account and one ETF, your brokerage is fine. But the moment things get complicated, here's when a tracker starts to matter.

5 min read

Dollar-cost averaging vs. lump sum investing

Vanguard's research found lump sum investing beats dollar-cost averaging about two thirds of the time, with an average gap of 2.3 percent. What the study says, what it leaves out, and which approach fits your situation.

8 min read

Home market bias: over-investing in Canada

Canada is 3% of global markets. How much of your portfolio is Canadian? Here's why most of us over-invest at home, when it makes sense, and when it costs you.

8 min read

Your house is not a retirement plan

An entire generation built their retirement around rising home prices. That playbook is breaking down, and the next generation needs a different one.

9 min read

How much do you actually need to retire in Canada?

There's no single number. But there are frameworks, rules of thumb, and Canadian-specific factors that help you figure out your own answer.

9 min read

If you're waiting for a crash to buy in, you probably won't

A lot of people say they'll invest when the market drops. But crashes don't feel like sales. They feel like the world is falling apart. That's why the plan never works.

7 min read

Investing a non-profit's reserves in Canada

Most Canadian non-profits keep their reserves in a basic savings account. GIC laddering, HISAs, and a few small changes can make that money work harder without risk.

7 min read

Just buy XEQT? The one-ETF strategy explained

'Just buy XEQT' has become the go-to answer in Canadian investing. Here's what XEQT actually holds, why it works for most people, and when you want more.

9 min read

Most millionaires are boring

The largest study on millionaires found that most earned under $100K, never took a business loan, and just contributed to their retirement accounts. The Canadian version of this story is even more accessible.

8 min read

Rebalancing: what it means and when to do it

Your portfolio drifts over time, and if you never fix it, you might be taking on way more risk than you signed up for.

7 min read

Small percentages, big differences

Why 0.9% and 0.05% look like the same number but aren't. How fees are written in a format designed to look small. The eyes-skip-right-past-them problem.

5 min read

The multi-account problem

TFSA here, RRSP there, spouse's account somewhere else. No single place shows you the whole picture. You're making decisions without seeing the full board.

6 min read

The trades that got you here

You remember the losses. You remember the panic. But what about the trades that worked? Most investors never look back at what went right.

5 min read

Time-weighted vs. money-weighted returns, explained simply

Two ways to measure your investment returns. They can tell completely different stories. Here's what each one means and which one matters more for you.

5 min read

Time in the market beats timing the market

Staying invested through downturns almost always beats trying to buy low and sell high. Here's why the boring strategy wins.

9 min read

We budget our coffees but not our portfolios

People track small spending obsessively but ignore the financial decisions that actually matter. The latte math everyone does vs. the fee math nobody does.

5 min read

What a market crash looks like from the inside

What do market crashes actually look like in the numbers? How bad do they get, how long do they last, and what does the historical record say about recovery?

8 min read

What 'I'm up 3%' really means

Why headline returns hide more than they reveal. One stock climbing masks another's decline. Fees, dividends, and timing all muddy the picture.

5 min read

What to look for in a portfolio tracker

Most portfolio trackers are really just balance aggregators. Here's what actually matters if you want to understand how your investments are doing.

6 min read

What your brokerage app isn't telling you

Your brokerage shows you a number. But it's missing context that changes how you'd think about your investments. Here's what's left out.

5 min read

What a bad month teaches you

A bad month in the market isn't an intellectual exercise. It's a full-body experience. Here's what panic actually feels like, and what reviewing your worst moments teaches you.

6 min read

Why most portfolio trackers want your bank login

It's not just about convenience. Here's how bank linking actually works, what happens to your credentials, and why some trackers skip it entirely.

5 min read

Why you should keep a record

The case for documenting your investment decisions. Years of history vs. 'I think I bought that in 2019.' One of those is useful.

5 min read

You don't need a live bank sync

The obsession with real-time bank syncing misses the point. What matters is having years of investment history you can learn from.

6 min read

Your portfolio is one thing, not five accounts

You don't have five portfolios. You have one portfolio spread across five accounts. That mental shift changes how you make every investment decision.

5 min read

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