TFSA

ottawsimofol

I keep putting money into my TFSA (Canadian here) and the value I put in is wiped out the next day 😂😭 the balance is never going up! Lmao

Miserable-Pilot8841

lol I’m still holding my .40 avg. almost threw up when I looked at my TFSA

Mr__Cuddles_

Nervous first time investor here... So today I decided to dip my toe in the stock market, I opened a TFSA account on Wealthsimple, bought 0.5 share of microsoft, 2 shares of Rio tinto and 8.61 shares of the Vangard All Equity ETF.I also bought myself 1k in bitcoin valued at like 95k something. I aimed to diversify my holdings a bit, but I have no ideas if I chose a bad day and I wanted to know if any of you people more knowledgeable people could calm my nerves about what I just did, or give me advice as to what I should do next, thank you for the responses in advance.

BiggieMoe01

I’d say $20,000 representing 40% of my TFSA is quite good risk as a student with no income.

bigred1978

In Canada; TFSA accounts are most similar to Roth Individual Retirement Account (Roth IRA). FHSA accounts are First Time Home Buyers Accounts. Tax-free investment/savings accounts are meant to be used for the purchase of a first home.

BiggieMoe01

205 shares in my TFSA and 30 shares in my FHSA.

kakikata

Man, you basically just deleted your RRSP/TFSA contribution room. Do dumb shit in your margin account, not your registered ones!

Price-Efficient

Im holding 63,000 shares. 1/5 in TFSA but mostly RESP. Holding long term.

UncouthMarvin

How often do you trade in your TFSA. Any risk with CRA deeming it active and taxing your gains?

Jamrocc33

I am 37 years old and never done any kind of investing in the past. I am about te receive a substantial tax free settlement payout and I want to actually do something good with it instead of wasting it so looking at investing. I have a TFSA that is barely used and has very minimal (under $100) in it and almost 100k in contribution room. I am also interested in an FHSA since my wife and I will be looking at buying our fist home in the next 3-5 years. I want the TFSA to be invested in such a way that a portion of it is in something more long term and some of it is more short term. With the TFSA I'm not specifically saving for anything right away just trying to make my money work for me in the best way possible while still keeping some available to withdraw if we decide we want to do something like take a trip or whatever. I hope this makes sense. For instance if I have 10k in there I can commit to leaving say 5k in there not touched for long haul investing and the remainder would be in something not quite as volatile for more short term (1-2 years) spending. Then have an FHSA to save for a house. I went to the bank today (BMO) and spoke with an advisor and she showed me ETFs and mutual funds with MER of 1.7-3% but then I look on here and people say to not go through a bank because those fees are crazy. I'm not sure where to start because I don't want to get ripped off not knowing any better. Lots of suggestions to open a Questrade or Wealth simple account but I'm not confident enough to start placing money in my own with no help from someone I trust who knows better. Any suggestions

Idkpinepple

Those are account types TFSA - Tax-Free Savings Account - what it says on the tin, capital gains and dividends aren’t taxed in this account FHSA - First Home Savings Account - similar to TFSA, but also deducts contributions from your income for income tax purposes, but additionally can only be used as a down payment for your first house RRSP - Registered Retirement Savings Plan - retirement account, defers taxes until you withdraw, and also has tax-deductible contributions

Idkpinepple

Oh, those are account types TFSA - Tax-Free Savings Account - what it says on the tin, capital gains and dividends aren’t taxed in this account FHSA - First Home Savings Account - similar to TFSA, but also deducts contributions from your income for income tax purposes, but additionally can only be used as a down payment for your first house RRSP - Registered Retirement Savings Plan - retirement account, defers taxes until you withdraw, and also has tax-deductible contributions

Envirant

The way I avoid losing all my money is only trading my TFSA and leaving RRSP in index funds. FHSA I just used as a quick tax wash before I bought a condo.

Elegant_Sale

Dude wtf in the TFSA ? are you generate ? Your life is honestly fucked

Financial-Cod-1985

TFSA is the only one that shows up on TradingView lol

Ill-Ad1603

You’re down 93.58% on your TFSA?!

DonyKing

Isn't day trading in a TFSA bad? You can't count losses against gains and the government can deem it as you using it to gain income and tax you on it.

Minimum_Method_8823

Why no TFSA?

BullyMog

Why not in your TFSA coward?

SomeGuyFromCanada23

I wish we would've been taught this kinda stuff in school man. I'm gonna be honest I don't have a ton of in depth investing knowledge, but from reading over your post I kinda understand your point. I feel like there are so many different ways to go about managing an investment account, whether that be having a particular "strategy" that directs you to certain companies that align with your goals. Or you can do more technical analysis type investing, where you pick stocks based on charts and like what this whole post is talking about. Or you can do more "value investing" where you pick investments based on brands/products you get a lot of use from/know others get a lot of use from or has a great deal of intrinsic value. I used to be pretty good with picking up different mathematical concepts in high school (before I started smoking weed lol) and I feel like I would've found learning this kinda stuff much more interesting. Could've even used those websites that allow you to do "practice investing" seeing as we wouldn't have been old enough in high school to be opening a TFSA.

Cautious_Tip_2072

I have some oil. Junior gold and silver (mostly gold) make up more than 40% of my portfolio. and my margin account is using my TFSA as leverage and my current leverage ratio is 2.15x on my life savings I'm probably green tomorrow, maybe margin call. A ridiculously good week for me is +30% but I have had weeks too.

BullyMog

Jesus I hope this isn’t in your TFSA

Bignosebomber

I just lost $240 on my TFSA because of this. I bought 20 shares of Aphria at the high price of $40/share, they merged with Tilray and I got an adjustment of 16 shares. Now, after the reverse split, I have 1 share at a whopping $479 and my other 6 shares are gone.

Obligation_Still

I really appreciate that and maybe could even benefit from having someone like you in my life as well. I'm 41 using an FA. I went through a bit of a stretch with my own corp, now direct employed so tax strategies became an important factor. My fees paid are a percentage and work out to just under 2K a year. My own investments are simply VEQT and VGRO which have both trended well over time, as the market has. Where I get a little worried is managing the downs. On my own I had a tendency to spook easily and sell or not invest at all where as if I have someone to talk things through then I stay the course, it's a practice of discipline that I struggle with personally. This year for instance was trying to figure out the TFSA vs RRSP contributions for tax benefits, my accountant is great but he's very cautious as well like me. I've certainly seen the figures of how much I could save over a lifetime by investing independently but I also could save a ton of money by not having car insurance...But that one time things go real bad I'll feel it, is my argument. Happy to have you burst that bubble.

stupidber

Actually its in a TFSA so I can't even do that

bobby1128

TFSA for growth and RRSP for efficiency is a solid combo. Wealthsimple makes it east, but personally I also adding exposure outside public equities such as private real estate or Fundrise has helped me balance volatility long-term.

Get_dat_money

Just think, Quick 10x on that TFSA from some 0dte's and you can retire.

BiggieMoe01

I have 203k in my TFSA in which I gamble and $1300 in my checking account. It’s not enough to cover my rent and I refuse to withdraw.

OwnParticular9672

TFSA it is buddy eh

BullyMog

As if $2500 is worth a post. This regard should've put it into his TFSA at least

BullyMog

Put it in your TFSA coward!

CreepyTip4646

Worse stock for me was Canopy Growth not a lot in vested . 3 Grand which l will probably never get back it's sitting in TFSA so not point it using for a loss. So unless it becomes a meme stock who knows. Otherwise it's the only dog l own.

Dampish10

Don't be a TFSA... god please don't be...

Old-Discipline-2802

Currently I’m in VEQT QQQ and BTC all in my TFSA. Horizon is long long term like 20+ years. I’m putting in a solid amount at the moment, since I have unused TFSA room and my expnses are low. Canada btw

AssetKonnect

First off, I’m really sorry about your dad. That’s a lot to deal with at a young age, and honestly it sounds like you’ve handled it in a very thoughtful way. From the outside, your plan actually looks pretty solid. You’re keeping tuition money safe, planning to max your TFSA, keeping an emergency cushion, and investing more when your income is higher. That’s mature thinking. As for putting everything in VFV — over 10–20 years, broad S&P 500 exposure has generally rewarded patience. But “guaranteed” isn’t a word that exists in markets. There can absolutely be ugly years (or even multi-year stretches) where it feels terrible. The bigger thing working in your favor isn’t the ETF — it’s your age, income growth, and consistency. That matters more than finding the perfect fund. Overall, this doesn’t look reckless. It looks disciplined. Just perspective — not financial advice.

VisualWeek5189

honestly what you’re feeling is pretty normal, especially if you’re newer and this is one of the first longer red stretches you’ve seen. markets don’t move up in straight lines, and when you’re heavy in tech it usually feels more intense because those names swing harder than the broader market. the main thing to think about is your timeline. if you’re still 6+ years out, short-term corrections are kind of part of the process, not really something you can predict or manage perfectly. most people who try to sell and buy back end up just stressing themselves out more. also if seeing big red days makes you uncomfortable, that’s usually a sign your allocation might be a bit more aggressive than you’re mentally comfortable with — nothing wrong with adjusting if it helps you stick with the plan long term. for the TFSA, a lot of people just keep adding gradually instead of trying to guess the bottom. boring approach but it tends to work better emotionally. you don’t need to nail the timing, you just need to stay in the game.

Distinct-Yak-7385

This is normal market volatility, not something unusual. Corrections happen, especially after strong runs, and with six years left you still have time. Instead of trying to time it, keep investing regularly and focus on diversification since heavy tech exposure can feel rough during pullbacks. If you’re adding to your TFSA, broad low-cost ETFs can help smooth the ride. Staying consistent usually beats jumping in and out.

BullyMog

Put it in your TFSA coward

Malice-May

I love TFSA.

Torontokid8666

Hitting 70k for me was significant because my account started to earn what my max contribution was yearly on my TFSA. When I hit 100k I was generating 10k a year ish when again my contribution limit was 7k. Getting to 100k was definitely the hardest. It seems I have gone from 100k to 300k in the same time but it has actually probably been a few years less. Compound interest is very powerful. I should have just south of 3 mil come retirement plus my pension. It just takes consistency and a emergency fund so you do not have to withdraw your money machine.

northstarflash

And the million could be earning interest if it’s invested. Fill up the TFSA account to max contribution every year. You can functionally do what the second option is, in a better way with the services of a financial advisor.

flaminhotcheetos_

I hope this isn't your TFSA/FHSA/RRSP

AdEnvironmental1749

New to investing. I am closer to 60, and was wondering how a VBAL TFSA would look, or alternatively 80 percent VBAL and 20 percent VOO. This would be for the next 15 years. I would put 30 grand in and add 400-500 monthly. Also how does XBAL stack up, or VGRO? Example VBAL and then VGRO for 20 percent as another option. Any advice would be welcomed.

jimmyfah

I have a TFSA with RBC that I use for long term index and dividend growth. I could use that account. Did you do an account transfer?

Gradieus

Not that I care about OP, but it's in a TFSA which is the Canadian tax free savings account.

jenlou289

Anyway to get 80 mile in Canada? In TFSA?

Easy_Bar8701

I over contributed to my TFSA and got a warning that I’ll be taxed, so transferred a bunch of my holdings to my non-registered. It wasn’t some massive gain

DismalScreen6290

I don't want to either but I do individual stocks on TFSA so even with USD going down, US stocks present better opportunities

DismalScreen6290

My entire TFSA is in USD :(

ineedmorefunds

It's 5% of my TFSA & I've lost $207 so far... I was so optimistic when it hit $258 too. I suppose waiting's the best move. Should've just bought more MU @ 311. Beginner's lessons are painful lol 🤷🏻‍♂️

Total-Being4977

Please tell me this is in your TFSA account😂

Krstnzz

Good morning everyone, and apologies for the incoming wall of text! I have recently started investing for the first time in my life, around July 2025 and have been doing a lot of reading on the investing subreddits, trying to educate myself but mostly just further confusing myself lol. I started with $6k and I went up about $750, which I was quite proud of($4.5k of this was through the roboadvisor and my self directed one was $1.5k). I wish I started sooner as I am obsessed with checking it each day but ah well! I am a 36-year-old Canadian. I make about $60k per year before taxes, husband makes about $110k. I think we are just wanting to work on saving for retirement and likely our daughter's education in the future(she is only 4.5ish now, so we have some time). Maybe 14-15 years or so until she is in post-secondary, if she decides to go that route. We have been doing semi-high risk so far I think. I will list my current holdings - please be gentle as I have been doing alot of what I have seen on reddit as well as things I actively use - likely it looks like a total mess. My husband also has some of his own investments, but sticks to Canadian banks mostly. We have a $620k mortgage currently at 4.05% interest as well as a car loan currently $26k at 2.99%. I did not realize that TFSA's could be investing accounts so I recently transfered my TFSA(it was not much, only $7k) to Questrade and have been buying some stocks there as well - I am now wondering if I should be selling all of my stocks and putting it all in the TFSA? Currently, I am at about $17.5k total. I have been reading so much about any of the stocks I see are "strong buy", trying to buy more Canadian to diversify a bit and honestly I find it all overwhelming but like I said I wish I had started sooner. Two of our accounts are the robo investors with Questrade and they have been doing well so far, I don't think I could continue that in a TFSA though. Sorry for rambling, I appreciate any and all advice or even just reading. Thank you! Have a good day. (Also, in case I do get any responses I work night shift so if I don't respond right away I am not ignoring) \[Self directed account current stocks(some of these were just purchased)\](https://i.imgur.com/a9oGzyl.png) \[Our robo-advisors current stocks\](https://imgur.com/a/oLqSnv0)

ExplanationNormal339

Nice recovery! It’s always a wild ride, but remember to keep an eye on those correlations; they can change quickly. If you want to track broader trends, here’s a useful resource: https://aimytrade.io/ticker/TFSA?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=comment&utm_campaign=smallstreetbets.

FeelingPromise8257

Well actually, I used my high interest TFSA as a saving account and didn’t realize when I pulled money out of it counts toward contributions so I believe in 2023 that’s how went over. However I paid the penalty and now it says I have limit.

emorejmailliw

Had you contributed to your TFSA at all since turning 18?

CheapComb

Its in a TFSA (Canadian tax free account). What you see is what I take home. 

crazybitcoinlunatic

Wow another Canadian regard daytrading on a TFSA account.

TSLA4LIFE1

Hope thats not in a TFSA lmao

Zorkonio

It's still funny because you'll pay the tax on it this way if u don't buy house . Gambling should always be done in TFSA for times like this

RoaringPity

you lose the room if you do it in a TFSA and get rekt tho

Fractoos

TSX was laughably undervalued last year. You should hold TSX holdings in your TFSA for investments that pay dividends anyway.

Zorkonio

You know you can make trades in a maxed TFSA right

BullyMog

Is it a hard concept to grasp that he likely has his TFSA maxed and invested, as well as his FHSA?

Zorkonio

Lol I'd do my moonshot gambling on the TFSA but hey you can pay as much tax as you want don't worry about it

Zorkonio

Ya that's funny because you could have it in TFSA

lsdc86

Hopefully this will make me a TFSA millionaire.

DuketheLabradane

Hi folks, A long lost family member is giving an inheritance to me and my 3 sisters: $50,000 each (this is legit). I am 32 years old, married, no kids and not having any. I’ve been reading this sub and learning lots and would like to obtain your advice on my plan. I currently make approximately 130k a year, $1500 bi-weekly total expenses + $750 bi-weekly loan payment at a low interest rate (sub 4). No short or long term savings. My job is steady and the risk of losing it is very minimal at this point. I anticipate having to replace the roof on my house in 2-3 years (15k), though there is a high probability (80%+) that I will be moving before then and would be open to using a line of credit if I need to gap between a market crash. This is what I had in mind, all in a TFSA except the HISA: 3k: HISA 15k: savings etf (Total 18k secure for 6 months living expenses and in case I need to use some for roof repairs or other) 10k: bitcoin ETF 12k: conservative ETF 5k: blue chip stocks 5k: higher risk stocks I also plan on investing an additional $250 bi-weekly in the conservative ETF and rebalance every 6 months with the intention to increase exposure to higher risk stocks. I don’t plan on prepaying the loan. Am I on the right track? Is it too much risk? Is it too conservative? Is a bitcoin ETF within a TFSA preferable to buying Bitcoin directly outside of a TFSA? Any recommended ETFs for any of my needs or alternative suggestions? Thanks a lot for any advice or guidance you can provide. Jen

egirl226

CASH.TO is essentially a money-market–style ETF in Canada. It holds high-interest deposit accounts at major Canadian banks, pays monthly interest, and keeps the unit price around $50. It’s commonly used to park cash short-term (like a HYSA), especially inside a TFSA, since returns come from distributions rather than price growth. Risk is low (bank deposits, not equities), liquidity is high, and yield generally tracks BoC rates.

harpswtf

Max out your TFSA and invest it into broad market index ETFs. If you change your mind you can always sell the investments and keep your tax-free gains and pull the money out to be spent. But realistically you'll be better off if you just invest every penny you can in tax-advantaged accounts as long as you have no expenses.

BiggieMoe01

CELI is french for TFSA!

BullyMog

That better be in your TFSA regard

picklecheese2180

i’m 19 and opened a TFSA with my banking branch with an unrealized gain of 0.38% ($1649 invested) Somebody apart of the bank manages my portfolio for me. I’m not too knowledgeable in investing and I am aware that it takes time to see growth, however I was wondering if anyone has any insight or advice on if I’d be better off investing myself through for example wealthsimple. It’s only been a couple of months since I opened my TFSA, is this a decent amount of growth to see or would I do better investing myself. A different question, would now be a good time to invest another 2-3k into my TFSA as a bulk contribution in addition to adding $100 every 2 weeks, or should I just keep doing my smaller bi weekly investments? Any help appreciated thank you!

Sebdall

As a matter of fact it is completely illegal and against TFSA laws to day trade in it. Yall need to do some research 🥲. Bro is gonna get a hit with a massive tax bill by the cra

Scary-Elephant2831

I need to hold, it’s in my TFSA

DopeBook

You can trade in a TFSA in Canada and withdraw from it tax free.

Nervous_Estate1253

Sorry to hear your situation. I trade my TFSA with mostly ETF's to avoid this shit from Fucking CRA. I use my RRSP and / or margin account for options, as I just don't want to lose that tax free gains after 10-15 years of investing. As you know these fuckers are soon be taxing equity on our houses which we are paying / paid for after paying taxes to those mother fuckers for all these years, mortgage interest, property taxes just to name few. God forbid if we are ahead in our home  equity game these fuckers are eyeing on it, if and when we sell our house. There is nothing for regular Joe here in Canada. I live in Edmonton,AB in a nice neighborhood. Our property taxes went up 6% this year and we never had once , not even once snow plowed this year so far. Even though we have about 5-6 times of snow fall this year compared to other years. I hate fucking CRA and our dear government religiously. Fucking currption every where. 

mferly

Come get me. I'll be waiting in my TFSA.

TravellingBeard

# Question for Canadians: TFSA and RRSP balancing of mix of options and stocks? Slowly beginning my journey into options. However, the bulk of my savings are in RRSP, which has a favorable tax treatment with US stocks and options. I know in the US, people move between tax deferred and tax free (taking the penalty). Because of the tax favorability with the U.S. on RRSPs, best to keep all US investments there, and save my TFSA to add more towards my Canadian holdings? I know in the US some folks can migrate from tax deferred to tax free, while taking the tax hit, but with TFSA's having a US withholding tax, I would also be paying double tax it seems?

Scribble_Box

Is it a TFSA? If so, I don't think the CRA likes day trading very much in those accounts lol.

stupidber

If you've never blown your OSAP gambling in your TFSA you aren't really 🇨🇦

hannyayoukai

If you realize losses in a TFSA that contribution room is gone forever

hannyayoukai

FHSA only lasts 15 years from when you open it, and you also have to pay back whatever you spend. I would stick to TFSA like you originally said, pick an etf relative to your risk tolerance, and focus on maxing out your TFSA as soon as you can. Then, the following year you can contribute $583.33 to your TFSA to maximize contribution room each year and invest in your non-registered taxable account, and set that up for your retirement.

useful_tool30

I'm glad to hear that. Still though. According to their guidelines, that can still be considered active trading if you started generating outsized returns and they felt like fuckin with you. That's a bridge to cross at a later time. Tbh the real issue with screwing around in your TFSA is the long term ramifications down the line. No idea what your FP is or age but it's an extremely powerful tool for your retirement years and heavily damaging it now could really dampen ones retirement goals. I understand this is WSB and loss porn like this is almost a sick rite of passage to some but, you're better off using a margin account as a proving ground for any sort of trading system. Losses like that over 20 trading days is defcon 1 level shit and highlights a systematic issue if this isn't just yoloing ( which is even crazier with your tfsa!) Just food for thought from an ex FP turned trader.

mykeedee

FHSA has stronger tax deductibility than TFSA, unless you're so broke you might need the money as an emergency fund I'd fill FHSA first.

Gorgenapper

Bruh losing in your TFSA? aka. the supercharged Canadian Roth IRA? What are your holdings?

Duff57

Yep. Convo started regarding daytrading in TFSA/FHSA, so if you decide to go the corp. route then you wouldn’t have access to a the tax-free profits TFSA/FHSA has, or the tax deduction from FHSA.

crimeo

RRSP is better if you have high income, TFSA is better if you have low income

AlarmingAdvertising5

I'm not making much revenue because I'm studying mostly so I've opened it in 2025 but I'll wait until I'm working after my master's done to start actually contributing to it (putting into my TFSA first with what I have)

Prometheus013

I blew up 130% of my TFSA in 2020. I over injected and did energy calls then they shut down the world and oil went negative.... I almost took myself out. Tough lessons to learn. 13k to CRA in penalties.

dreamgreener

You will get taxed if you make a profit in a standard account I only trade in my TFSA and RRSp so they don’t really care as it’s tax free

Northern_89

Everyone saying don’t gamble your TFSA are pu**ies. Just make back what you lose.

PtboFungineer

Tbf that FHSA is still above the lifetime contribution limit so it's not like you're doing badly here. That TFSA though, oof...

yodaspicehandler

No, what I said is correct. You will be taxed at a higher rate for any TFSA withdrawals if you are considered to be day trading in your TFSA: https://wealthawesome.com/tfsa-day-trading-taxes-and-penalties The CRA has explicitly said day trading isn't allowed in TFSAs regardless if the money stays in the account or is withdrawn. Though they are vague at what they consider day trading.

yodaspicehandler

No. You cannot for the same reason you can't in a TFSA: the gov missing a chance to tax your profits. But you can day trade your heart away in an RRSP as you'll be taxed on anything you take out.

AlarmingAdvertising5

Can you daytrade in a FHSA? I don't have one yet because I'm 22 and in uni so there's no real point yet, but I'm wondering if it's the same restrictions as the TFSA

BroChochOooo

Sorry I don’t know all the terms. It’s not a margin account it’s a standard account just not a TFSA

BroChochOooo

Question for any fellow Canadians here. In my margin account I play with stocks but don’t want to get smoked when it comes tax time, I put money aside on the money I have made but am wondering what I can get away with, I have a full time job making ok money But did well on some weed stocks. I will take a large sum of money and jump into a stock and halt out as I have been crushed in the past. I have a TFSA where I lost a crap load sitting and marrying certain stocks Any advice would be great

EntropyAccount

Just curious what % of your investments/savings are in weedstonks? I like to tabulate everything quarterly (not including defined pension). Looks like I have 1.23% in RRSP and 3.83% in TFSA accounts. It used to be sooo much more like 4 years ago but thats how i fucked my accounts up. Thank god for Google and Trumps's DOJ really, that helped restore my shit. Anyways, I got some GTI and some CGC call options for Jan 2028, plus like 100 MSOS for a trade. If this gap closes, I'll probably add MSOS as a trade but also maybe long dated CRON calls. I've liked Kovler from the start ( bought these back in like 2019 or whatever before covid and before MSOS) but not sure if the MSOs and state-by-state thing will work long-term for S3 and FDA. I could be wrong, but I'm holding the best MSO operator so I dont need them all. I also feel like a strong alcohol/tabacco/pharma company will know how to navigate this well so hence CGC/CRON calls. What's your strategy and how much % are you betting on this sector?

ProbablyUrNeighbour

$75k in my TFSA. It’s ok though, we can rebuild.

throwawaywhiteguy333

Doing this in a TFSA - you belong here