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Oliver Buchannon
Eric T

DIY investors building wealth to live life to the fullest!

💡 ETFs Insight

Best S&P 500 ETF in Canada: VFV vs VOO vs VSP

Jun 1, 2026

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8 min read

Best S&P 500 ETF in Canada: VFV vs VOO vs VSP

Compare VFV, VOO, and VSP to see how currency, hedging, taxes, and account type affect the best S&P 500 ETF choice for Canadians.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

Filtering the Market Noise

May 26, 2026

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4 min read

Filtering the Market Noise

Will the S&P 500 underperform? Will the TSX overperform? How should you read the tea leaves?

Eric T
Eric T

🎯 Inner Circle

Portfolio Update - April 2026
LockSimple

May 18, 2026

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2 min read

Portfolio Update - April 2026

The updates are live. April was about doing nothing and seeing the portfolio bounce back.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

The Real Challenges of Portfolio Management

May 7, 2026

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5 min read

The Real Challenges of Portfolio Management

How do you manage a portfolio without getting lost in the noise? The real challenge of investing isn’t finding stocks. It’s managing decisions, emotions, and capital over time.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

Top Holdings of Superinvestors: The Patterns Behind Their Top Holdings

Apr 25, 2026

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6 min read

Top Holdings of Superinvestors: The Patterns Behind Their Top Holdings

Explore the top holdings of well-known superinvestors and learn the recurring investment patterns that drive long-term portfolio performance.

Eric T
Eric T

🎯 Inner Circle

Portfolio Update - March 2026
LockSimple

Apr 10, 2026

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5 min read

Portfolio Update - March 2026

The updates are live. March was about seeing DRIP at work. Slow but a start.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

Volatility is the Price of Admission

Apr 2, 2026

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5 min read

Volatility is the Price of Admission

Most investors fear volatility. The best accept it. Here’s how to stay invested, build conviction, and navigate markets with a clear framework.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

A 3 ETF Portfolio for Retirement: Simple, But Not That Simple

Mar 24, 2026

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8 min read

A 3 ETF Portfolio for Retirement: Simple, But Not That Simple

Not all simple portfolios are well-designed. This review of a 3 ETF strategy (XEQT, HDIV, ZDB) explains where it works, where it breaks, and how to think about income vs total return in retirement.

Eric T
Eric T

🎯 Inner Circle

Portfolio Update - February 2026
LockSimple

Mar 16, 2026

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5 min read

Portfolio Update - February 2026

The updates are live. February was about setting up the foundation.

Eric T
Eric T
How the Stock Market Works: A Simple Guide for New Investors

Mar 14, 2026

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9 min read

How the Stock Market Works: A Simple Guide for New Investors

The stock market can seem confusing at first. Prices move constantly, financial news is full of jargon, and many people assume investing is complicated. In reality, the stock market is simply a marketplace where investors buy ownership in businesses. Once you understand that idea, the entire system becomes much easier to grasp.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

The Myth of Forever Dividend Stocks

Mar 11, 2026

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14 min read

The Myth of Forever Dividend Stocks

Can you really hold dividend stocks forever? Learn why “forever dividend stocks” are often an illusion and how slower growth can quietly reduce long-term returns.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

A Plumber, a $3M Portfolio, and What We Can Learn

Mar 2, 2026

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10 min read

A Plumber, a $3M Portfolio, and What We Can Learn

A real-life $3M retirement portfolio story and the lessons behind it—saving discipline, dividend investing, tax efficiency, and why having a clear retirement number changes everything.

Eric T
Eric T
The Layer Cake Portfolio Strategy

Feb 23, 2026

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12 min read

The Layer Cake Portfolio Strategy

Learn how the Layer Cake Portfolio Strategy structures your investments by role, not ratio — and how to adjust your portfolio through every life stage.

Eric T
Eric T

🎯 Inner Circle

Portfolio Update - January 2026
LockSimple

Feb 19, 2026

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4 min read

Portfolio Update - January 2026

The updates are live. January is about the Corp Account.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

Your Retirement Number Isn’t an Exit — It’s a Signal to Switch Gears

Feb 9, 2026

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11 min read

Your Retirement Number Isn’t an Exit — It’s a Signal to Switch Gears

Your retirement number isn’t about quitting work. It’s the signal to shift from accumulation to strategy and start planning a resilient, flexible retirement.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

+1

TBNK vs Canadian Bank Stocks: A Simpler Way to Own the Big Six Banks

Feb 2, 2026

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8 min read

TBNK vs Canadian Bank Stocks: A Simpler Way to Own the Big Six Banks

Managing Canadian bank stocks is harder than it looks. Learn how TBNK simplifies Big Six bank exposure with a rules-based, low-maintenance ETF approach.

Eric T
Eric T

📓 Investor's Log

Thoughts on 2025 Popular Canadian Stocks

Jan 26, 2026

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8 min read

Thoughts on 2025 Popular Canadian Stocks

Investing is more about emotional comfort than risk or safety. Risk and safety are words used to actually capture your emotion comfort.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

The Biggest Investing Mistakes That Quietly Kill Long-Term Wealth

Jan 22, 2026

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16 min read

The Biggest Investing Mistakes That Quietly Kill Long-Term Wealth

The biggest investing mistakes aren’t obvious — they’re behavioural. This guide breaks down the quiet decisions that slow compounding, explains why most investors underperform despite good intentions, and shows how a simple, structured plan can outperform constant activity over time.

Eric T
Eric T

💼 Portfolio Management

+1

Life Annuities in Canada: When Guaranteed Income Matters Most

Jan 8, 2026

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10 min read

Life Annuities in Canada: When Guaranteed Income Matters Most

Life annuities aren’t investments — they’re insurance against outliving your money. Learn when guaranteed income matters most in a Canadian retirement plan.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

Where to Park Cash in Canada: Safe Interest-Only ETFs (Quick Guide)

Jan 7, 2026

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6 min read

Where to Park Cash in Canada: Safe Interest-Only ETFs (Quick Guide)

Holding cash and not sure what to do with it? This quick guide explains safe cash ETFs in Canada, how they work, and when they actually make sense.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

The Chowder Rule Explained: Balancing Dividend Yield, Growth, and Total Return

Jan 4, 2026

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8 min read

The Chowder Rule Explained: Balancing Dividend Yield, Growth, and Total Return

Learn how the Chowder Rule balances dividend yield and growth to support long-term total return—and how to use it wisely as a dividend investor.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

Wealth Portfolio vs Income Portfolio: Why Your Investing Strategy Must Change Over Time

Dec 17, 2025

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8 min read

Wealth Portfolio vs Income Portfolio: Why Your Investing Strategy Must Change Over Time

Your portfolio must match your purpose. Early on, you need a wealth-building portfolio for growth; later, you need an income portfolio for reliable cash flow. Mixing the two too early is one of the most common and costly investing mistakes.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+1

How Long Does It Take to Double Your Money?

Dec 9, 2025

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9 min read

How Long Does It Take to Double Your Money?

Doubling your money isn’t luck — it’s predictable. Most people have no idea how long it will actually take them, but you can calculate your exact 2X timeline in minutes.

Eric T
Eric T

🌱 Beginner Academy

+1

The Truth Banks Won’t Tell You: Mutual Funds Are Costing You a Fortune

Nov 29, 2025

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6 min read

The Truth Banks Won’t Tell You: Mutual Funds Are Costing You a Fortune

Mutual funds are still the #1 product pushed by Canadian banks. Not because they’re good for you, but because they’re extremely profitable for them. With management fees often 20x higher than ETFs, most mutual funds fail to outperform the market and quietly drain your long-term wealth through avoidable fees.

Eric T
Eric T

🪴 Achiever Academy

+2

CDRs Explained: A Simpler Way for Canadians to Invest in U.S. Companies

Nov 23, 2025

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8 min read

CDRs Explained: A Simpler Way for Canadians to Invest in U.S. Companies

Invest in U.S. companies without U.S. dollars. This guide explains CDRs, pros and cons, and when they make sense for Canadian investors. Includes a full list of available Canadian CDRs.

Eric T
Eric T
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a smart investing journey

Smart investing strategies to build wealth, reach your financial goals, and create the freedom to live life on your terms.

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A smart investing journey is not a licensed financial advisor, planner, or securities dealer. The content on this website is for educational and informational purposes only and reflects our personal opinions. It should not be interpreted as financial, legal, or investment advice, and it may not be suitable for your specific situation. Always do your own research and consider speaking with a qualified professional before making financial decisions.

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