05/06/2026
Owning a pet often starts as a manageable monthly expense. Around $200 a month is what most people expect, and on the surface, it fits comfortably into a typical budget.
Where it becomes more complex is outside of those regular costs. Veterinary care has been rising at 6% to 8% per year, and with only about 3.8% of pets insured, most households are paying these costs out of pocket. That means when something unexpected happens, the cost isn’t gradual, it tends to come all at once.
What tends to matter more is not the expected monthly cost, but whether there’s a buffer in place for the unexpected. About 53% of Canadians say they wouldn’t be able to cover a $1,000 emergency vet bill, even though Canadians spend over $9.3 billion annually on pet services. It’s a reminder that costs don’t always show up gradually, and most people aren’t prepared when they come all at once.
Not sure if your current budget has enough flexibility for unexpected costs?
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Source: Money.ca (2025), citing Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
03/19/2026
$1.7 million😲That’s the number Canadians say they need to retire comfortably.
In B.C., it’s even higher - around $2.2M.
Millennials say $1M would mean financial independence, but average savings are closer to $126K. Those numbers come from the latest BMO Retirement Survey.
We check these numbers every year, and here’s what we find interesting: the number keeps changing. A few years ago, it was lower, partly due to recent inflation. But that wasn’t the only reason: concern about the economy or the state of the world has resulted in folks to feel more insecure about how long their savings will last them.
In reality, retirement planning doesn’t start with a national average. It starts with your income needs. Your lifestyle. Your housing situation. Your pensions. Your tax structure.
For some families, $1.7M may be exactly right. For others, it may be more than they actually need. The risk isn’t that the number is too big. The risk is assuming the same number applies to everyone.
A survey tells us how Canadians feel. A written plan tells you where you stand.
📌 Book a consultation to explore what aligns with your goals:
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Source: BMO Retirement Survey (Feb 2025); Advisor.ca, Jonathan Got (Feb 24, 2026).
03/18/2026
For Canadians aged 30–34, the average Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) balance sits around $16,700, according to CRA statistics from the 2023 contribution year. The same data also shows the average unused TFSA contribution room is still over $60,000 for this group.
In other words, even though millions of people have opened a TFSA, a large portion of the available tax-free space is still sitting unused.
Part of the reason may be that early in a career, the conversation often shifts toward RRSP contributions as income rises and the immediate tax deduction becomes more attractive. In that process, the TFSA can sometimes be underused in the early years.
The TFSA was designed to be one of the most flexible tools in Canada’s financial system. It can support long-term investing, create tax-free income later in life, or simply provide flexibility when opportunities or unexpected expenses come up.
In your experience, how early should someone start using the TFSA as an investment account rather than just a savings account?
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