Build Wealth Canada Podcast

Sean Cooper, licensed mortgage broker and bestselling author of Burn Your Mortgage, explores the forces shaping Canadian mortgage rates and housing markets. He compares fixed and variable options, explains the Smith Manoeuvre and its use of home equity, and weighs reverse mortgages against downsizing and HELOCs for retirement planning.

Kyle Prevost, Canadian personal finance writer, educator, and Canadian Financial Summit founder, joins a candid conversation about reaching financial independence. They compare frugality, side income, index investing, career choices, and geographic arbitrage. They also revisit mortgage paydown, buying a home too soon, and the surprising realities of life after work becomes optional.

Kenneth Doll, a Certified Financial Planner with nearly 30 years in Canadian financial planning, joins Matthew Lahey to explore retirement income planning. They discuss assessing readiness, moving from investments to income, the limits of the four-percent rule, infinite banking risks, and why personalized advice can beat generic calculators. They also unpack planner compensation, conflicts of interest, credentials, and building a flexible, tax-efficient plan.

In this episode, Mark Seed from My Own Advisor shares how he and his wife reached Financial Independence and officially retired early in Canada in their early 50s. Discover how Mark structured his portfolio, the investment choices that got him to his number, and how they set up their investments to live off portfolio income for the long run. We also compare Mark's approach to other early retirement paths in Canada to help you choose the right financial independence strategy for your goals. In this episode, you will learn: How Mark transitioned from planning early retirement to retiring this year The specific portfolio structure and assets that funded his early retirement How Mark and his wife plan to draw down and live off their investments long term Why there is no single path to FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) in Canada Key investing and personal finance lessons Mark learned from running My Own Advisor for 17 years Thank you to our sponsors: Saily Discount Link for 15% Off Their Data Plans: https://saily.com/buildwealth BMO ETFs: https://www.bmo.com/en-ca/main/personal/investments/etf/ ETF Market Insights YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ETFMarketInsights Views From The Desk Podcast: Apple Podcasts - https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/bmo-etfs-views-from-the-desk/id1504919404 Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/0r82489eCvVh1AyWPFQs43 Additional Resources: Investing Guide: What I Invest In and Why? (Kornel's Portfolio): https://www.buildwealthcanada.ca/guide/ Podcast Website: https://www.buildwealthcanada.ca Mark's Websites and YouTube Channel: https://www.myownadvisor.ca/ https://www.cashflowsandportfolios.com/ https://www.youtube.com/@myownadvisor

A couple recounts retiring in their 30s and 40s and traveling the world while managing portfolio withdrawals. They explain building cash cushions and fixed income strategies to guard against market crashes. The conversation covers budgeting routines, mortgage investment funds as steady income, and emotional shifts from frugality to finding fulfillment through travel, volunteering, and hobbies.

Dr. Steph Zhou, physician and creator of U of T’s mandatory financial literacy curriculum, improves economic mobility through practical money education. She discusses core personal finance pillars like cash flow, debt, investments, emergency funds and insurance. She also covers simple expense tracking methods, when to split between paying debt and investing, and practical systems for busy professionals.

Danielle Neziol, ETF educator at BMO who explains index and ETF basics. Chris White, Head of Research at 5i Research and Canadian MoneySaver contributor. They discuss ETF liquidity and what it really means. They cover bid-ask spreads, when to use limit versus market orders, building with all-in-one ETFs versus multiple ETFs, dividend and covered-call tradeoffs, and low-volatility ETFs versus bonds.

Leigh Tynan, Director of Online Security at TELUS who specializes in consumer cyber security and identity protection. She outlines hardened account access like MFA and password managers. She reviews device hygiene, VPN use, and antivirus. She warns about AI threats, voice deepfakes, and tax-season scams. She highlights monitoring services, dark web scans, and practical tools to protect financial accounts.

Sean Cooper, licensed mortgage broker and bestselling author of Burn Your Mortgage, breaks down 2026 mortgage rule shifts and what they mean for Canadian homeowners. He explains how stress test changes make switching lenders easier. He compares fixed vs variable choices, when breaking a mortgage can pay off, and how re-advanceable strategies let you invest while managing risk.

Thuy Lam, Certified Financial Planner with 20+ years building retirement and cashflow plans. She talks about why the 4% rule can mislead. She explains bucketing for short, mid and long-term needs. She covers stress testing plans with Monte Carlo and modeling what-if spending ceilings. She outlines timing drawdown actions, tax-aware withdrawals, and when to adjust spending after market shocks.