More Canadians are DIY investing, but many could be making big mistakes

Oh, hi again. This week, I bounced between conferences, and I’m still soaking everything in. One panel, though, stuck with me long after it ended. It was a conversation about DIY investing that got at how quickly the rules of money are changing. Let’s dive in.

Dangers of DIY

The financial industry has made it easier than ever to invest. You can buy a stock from your phone, purchase fractional shares with a small amount of money, and find endless advice online in seconds.

That was one of the clearest themes to come out of a panel this week at a conference held by the Ontario Securities Commission. Across the conversation, panelists kept returning to the same tension: Investors have more access, more tools and more information than ever before, but that does not always translate into better decisions.

The discussion touched on how dramatically investor behaviour has changed in a short period of time. Younger investors, in particular, are growing up in a world of low-friction trading, social media recommendations and constant digital influence.

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Many are comfortable doing it themselves, wary of traditional advice, and looking for faster ways to build wealth. At the same time, there was a real sense that this shift is creating new risks: more exposure to fraud, more confusion about what is trustworthy and a blurrier line between investing, speculation and entertainment.

Shannon Lee Simmons, a certified financial planner and panelist, said that people increasingly want to choose their own experts, often through social media, rather than rely on traditional institutions. Ryan Denis, another panelist and the host of the What The Futures Podcast, said many investors are not looking decades ahead any more. They are thinking about right now, and in some cases taking bigger risks because they feel financially behind.

Still, the discussion did not turn into a hand-wringing session about young people and their supposed inability to manage money. There was also real recognition that younger investors are navigating a completely different financial landscape, and in many cases, are educating themselves far more than previous generations ever had to.

Panelists talked about the need for better education, more accessible advice and smarter guardrails, such as limiting suspicious orders, built into the platforms where people are actually making financial decisions.

The big question hanging over the conversation was not whether investing is changing. It is. The question is whether Canada’s financial system can keep up, and whether it can do so without leaving newer investors to figure it out alone.

The Calculator

300,000

The number of personal support workers in Canada, most of whom lack access to workplace retirement benefits, according to Common Wealth, a group retirement provider.

What’s new: A new federally funded pilot program aims to change that. Backed by a $29.9-million investment, it offers eligible PSWs up to $7,500 in retirement savings bonuses over two years.

The Retirement Receipt

Should a 61-year-old retiree commute a $1.3-million pension or stick with guaranteed income?

The situation: A 61-year-old is considering early retirement while their spouse, who is 10 years younger, plans to keep working for another five years. Their defined benefit pension is valued at about $1.3-million but is not indexed to inflation and offers limited survivor benefits. They are weighing whether to take a commuted value of about $900,000 and manage it themselves. They will also receive roughly $210,000 in additional payouts from a bonus and unused vacation time, and still have unused RRSP contribution room.

The advice from a financial planner: Keeping the pension provides guaranteed lifetime income, which can be especially valuable if both spouses live a long time. Commuting it offers more flexibility and the potential to leave money to heirs, but it also comes with investment risk and requires careful withdrawal and tax planning. If they go the DIY route, strong portfolio management and a clear income strategy will be key. Given the complexity, and the stakes, getting professional advice before making a final decision is crucial.

Best of the Rest

💸 Retirees can’t get enough of TFSAs. As they draw income in retirement, many are still contributing and leaning on tax-free withdrawals for big expenses as it’s a flexible, no-tax alternative to dipping into RRSPs or RRIFs.

🏗️ Canada’s biggest pension fund may be eyeing new opportunities at home, including defence. The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board CEO says it’s “open for business” as the country ramps up spending on national security, while also looking at infrastructure, energy and other large-scale domestic investments.

🏡 Sharing a home can save money, but it can also get complicated. As more Canadians turn to multigenerational living, families are having to navigate everything from tax rules to financial agreements and personal boundaries.

👷 Canada’s aging population is hitting the work force. In New Brunswick, roughly 20 per cent of workers are expected to retire within a decade, forcing employers to rethink how they attract talent, and even bring retirees back.

Try This

💡 Watch out for this investing red flag. In a panel at the OSC conference, Ms. Simmons said that completely frictionless trading can lead to impulsive decisions. To gut check your decisions, create your own “speed bumps,” such as waiting 24 hours before a trade or limiting how much of your paycheque you invest at once.