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Published by Bob Lai and Nelson Smith
Join hosts Bob Lai and Nelson Smith as they talk about wealth creation strategies, investing tips, and much, much more, all from a fiercely independent (and Canadian!) perspective.
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This week on the pod Bob and Nelson are joined by Kristy and Bryce of Millennial Revolution. Kristy and Bryce are the OG Canadian early retirees, hanging up the proverbial skates more than a decade ago. They've kept busy with travel, writing, parenting, and so much more. We discuss their life as early retiree expats who have traveled to dozens of different countries, what it's like to travel with young kids, whether earning income as writers makes them truly retired (Kristy's response to this was terrific), and how lessons they learned about early retirement transferred to parenting as well. For more on Kristy and Bryce check out their site https://www.millennial-revolution.com/ and the Amazon page for their latest book, Parent Like a Millionaire. https://link.amazon/B0iPxQdqe .
We know, we know. Bonds aren't a very sexy asset class. You're not about to impress a potential mate with your bond portfolio. They're boring and offer limited returns. But maybe things are changing. U.S. Treasury bonds are suddenly offering 5%+ yields, which is more than a lot of dividends. There's a certain appeal to putting all your money in Treasuries and heading to the beach. We discuss the pros and cons of that plan from a Canadian perspective, and offer a more balanced look at the role bonds might play in your portfolio -- including why they might be most valuable as a ballast, as a source of fresh capital to put to work when stocks are down. We also go over the dangers of chasing yield in the bond world, how what look like super generous payouts are riskier than they seem.
You want stocks? You got it! This week Bob and Nelson give our opinions on 10 different stocks, everything from U.S. tech giants to Canadian rails, plus thoughts on Enbridge, A&W, Intact Financial, Granite REIT, and more. Then, after that, we're tackling a subject every financially responsible parent has pondered at least once or twice -- just how do you raise money smart kids. We debate whether this important topic should be taught in schools, and what parents can do to give their children a leg up.
Get your library cards ready! This week on the pod Bob and Nelson discuss our favourite finance books, which will likely include some of your favourites -- and potentially some new ones, too. We also discuss one that is popular in the community, but is unloved by at least one of us. We're hiding deep in our respective bunkers just in case y'all get *real* excited about that one. Let us know in the comments which finance books you like. Bonus points for a little more obscure ones. We also tackle one of the great debates in finance -- should you invest a lump sum immediately, or dollar cost average over time? The experts say one thing, but we explore all the options.
Our first guest of season 2 is a good one. Bob and Nelson welcome early retiree John Champaign to the show to squash the various early retirement myths you see floating around social media. Do you really need $5M to retire? Will you be forced to kill time in front of the tv, just waiting to die? We put these myths (plus more!) to the test, and lean on John's experience as someone who retired early and stayed retired.
In this episode, Bob and Nelson look back at some of the lessons we learned from season 1, but we go even deeper. We talk about how important it is to write down your thoughts, so there's a record of what you were thinking when you make certain decisions. Then we dive deep into the topic of coast FIRE, pointing out the pros and cons of this intermediate step towards financial independence. It might be just the thing you're looking for if you're on your way to full financial independence, but want to take your foot off the gas pedal a bit. Finally we tackle Canadian banks. Are they overvalued? Should you be buying or selling today? We go through what we think of these wonderful forever stocks.
Your favourite podcast is back, baby! In season 2 Bob and Nelson are ready to tackle everything of interest for DIY Canadian investors. This week's episode we start out with a quick recap of season 1 and what you can expect for season two. Then we pivot to discussing what types of investments belong in which account, the perils of overoptimizing for taxes, and an interesting dividend strategy that has a history of beating the TSX over the long-term.
This week's episode was special. Not only is it our season finale, but we took your questions LIVE on Twitter. We covered all sorts of things, including what we do when a company cuts its dividend, whether currency hedging is a good idea, and, of course, some dividend stocks we think might be interesting today. Thanks everyone for a great season 1, and we'll see you again in the fall.
"I think a life properly lived is just learn, learn, learn, all the time. And I think Berkshire's gained enormously from these investment decisions by learning through a long, long period." -- Charlie Munger This week's episode is a special one. Bob and Nelson discuss some of the most important investing lessons we've learned recently, including the importance of growth, feelings of FOMO as seemingly everyone else embraces the AI bubble, and how some of the most important investing lessons have impacts far away from the portfolio.
There is a very good chance we're going to look stupid, but screw it. Predictions are fun! In this episode of the pod, Nelson and Bob make all sorts of wild predictions. We opine on whether the stock market will continue to perform, what'll happen with interest rates, which companies will cut dividends, and a few *really* interesting wildcards at the end.
So-called "one decision" stocks are fantastic choices for long-term investors. You only need to make one decision -- when to buy -- and the rest takes care of itself. But what stocks belong on such a vaunted list? Join Bob and Nelson as we go through such stocks in our portfolios, sharing the best of the best in sectors such as Canadian banking, utilities, REITs, and even some U.S. tech. Your portfolio might never look the same again.
This week Bob and Nelson are talking bubbles. More specifically, the AI bubble. We talk about how you might want to invest if you worry about a bubble, some other bubbles we remember, and steps you can take to protect yourself if you just can't resist speculating on something frisky. And, as a bonus, Nelson goes off on an old-man-yells-at-cloud anti-AI rant that he's been holding inside for a long time.
Both Bob and Nelson have a simple retirement plan. We want to live off the dividends while the underlying shares continue to go up in value. This method has a ton of advantages. It's worked well historically. It's simple. And it comes with much lower taxes than you might first assume. But that doesn't mean it's a perfect solution for everyone. This episode we dig deep into the concept and point out not just the positives, but the negatives as well. If you plan to retire on just the dividends, you won't want to miss this one.
What's the point of retiring early if you're not going to use that extra time to travel? This week's episode dives into how Bob and Nelson use travel hacking to save serious money on flights, hotels, and more. Bob shares how he used points to save a ton of money on a recent trip, including ways to accumulate those points quickly in the first place. We also look at some of the negatives, including how companies are constantly devaluing points and how it's harder than ever to get the really good deals.
Real estate investing is as old as time itself. You buy a place, rent it out, and pocket the profit after expenses. It's been a solid way to make money. But in 2026 we're not sure we agree. In this week's episode Bob and Nelson tackle the topic. Nelson passes on his personal experience (including why he sold his physical properties in 2022), and we weigh on a way to get the same kind of exposure with a fraction of the work.
Another week, another guest! Mark Seed joins Bob and Nelson on the pod again. This time the subject is finfluencers, folks who might have good intentions but often operate in a grey area outside of regulator control. We debate whether finfluencers are a good or bad thing for DYI investors, how to tell if someone is worth listening to, and much more. If you're looking for more Mark, check out My Own Advisor .
This week Bob and Nelson welcome another excellent guest to the pod. Anthony is the Newcomer Investor on X (@newcomerinvest), who absolutely loves the game of business. After starting out as primarily a dividend growth investor, Anthony has evolved into primarily a growth investor -- but don't worry dividend lovers. He still owns a bunch of dividend stocks. We talk about Brookfield, Thomson Reuters, and Franco Nevada, (plus more!) while Anthony also discusses things like how his research process has evolved and why he mixes individual stocks and ETFs. Another great episode. You guys are going to enjoy this one.
It used to be that if you had one million dollars, you were rich. But things are different today. In a world where seemingly everybody is in the seven-figure club and $1M doesn't even buy a nice house in Toronto or Vancouver anymore, is it really enough to retire on? Or do Canadians need to save more? Bob and Nelson tackle these questions on the pod this week, taking a math-based approach to the whole situation. We argue that you may not need as much as you first think, and there are additional variables to consider. There's no easy solution to the question, which is what makes it so much fun.
We had so much fun talking dividends last week that we decided to do it again. We cover some of our favourite stocks in the energy sector, pipelines, gold, REITs, and a whole lot more. Plus, a little look at a company that has quietly become a pretty interesting buy. For more on REITs, visit Bob's look at 5 of the best REITs in Canada
In this week's episode we talk stocks. Dividend stocks, of course. We cover a bunch of different names, including Telus, Canadian banks, Capital Power, Brookfield, and more. A great show for anyone looking for stock ideas. For more research on Brookfield Asset Management, visit Canadian Dividend Investing .
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Observed November 4, 2026.
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