DIY Wealth Canada Podcast
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.
Episodes
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 ...
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 ov...
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 bu...
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 agai...
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 neg...
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 devalui...
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!) ...
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...
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.
This week on the pod Bob and Nelson welcome a very special guest, Mike the Dividend Guy. He's one of the best dividend investors out there, so we're extra excited about this one.
We discuss Mike's specific version of dividend investing, including why he places more of an emphasis on growth than most, the importance of what Mike calls the dividend triangle, and a whole lot more.
Plus we answer the question so many of you are asking.....
"Why don't y'all use a financial advisor?"
This week's episode of the pod is a little more reflective than most.
Bob and Nelson spend a lot of time talking about the 'how' part of DIY investing, helping to educate y'all on just exactly what we do and how we do it. This week's episode focuses more on the why, and why Canadians might distrust the financial advice industry.
This week on the pod Bob and Nelson tackle one of the toughest questions in the investing world.
Just when should you sell a stock, anyway?
The short answer is this. It's complicated and most investors suck at it. They sell when a stock gets back to break even, or when it hits some target price they've pulled out of the sky.
We share some thinking that has worked for us. Maybe it'll work for you, too.
Just what should you do with your cash, anyway?
We're not talking about investments here, but cash. That is money in your emergency fund, or that's been put aside for a big purchase in the next 6-12 months, or perhaps a reserve waiting to be invested.
Most folks will default to the highest yield possible, or put their money into an asset that might appear safe but actually has hidden risks.
This week on the pod Bob and Nelson dive de...
One of the most common questions we get involves online brokerages. Which one should I use? Which ones stink?
This week on the show Bob and Nelson attempt to answer this question once and for all, but the conclusion isn't necessarily the same for every investor. Some will want a lot of features, while others are just looking for free trades.
We go through each and list the pros/cons, plus we each choose the one that we think is best...
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