Five accounts. One decision tree. Built for operators, not salary earners.
TFSA, FHSA, RRSP, RESP, and a non-registered investing account — that's the whole map for most Canadians under 50. We wrote it twice: once for the salaried reader (what every other guide does) and once for the incorporated operator (what almost no one does well).
Your priority order (typical 25-45-year-old salaried Canadian)
- Free money first — RESP if you have kids. The CESG match is 20% on the first $2,500/yr = up to $500/yr free. Federal pre-tax compounding. Open the RESP guide →
- FHSA if you might buy a home in the next 15 years. Tax-deductible going in, tax-free coming out, can roll to RRSP if you don't buy. Open the FHSA guide →
- TFSA for flexibility. $7,000/yr in 2026, withdrawals add back to room next January. The most flexible investment account a Canadian has. Open the TFSA guide →
- RRSP for tax deferral, especially if your tax bracket today is higher than your retirement bracket. 18% of earned income to a $33,810 cap in 2026. Open the RRSP guide →
- Non-registered investing once 1-4 are filled. Open the investing guide →
Your priority order (incorporated solo operator, year 1-3)
- Step 0 — Decide salary vs dividend mix. Pay yourself a salary up to YMPE ($71,300 in 2026) to max CPP — guarantees future CPP pension. Top up to ~$180K total salary if you can afford it (fully funds $33,810 RRSP room). Above that, additional compensation as dividends. Read the salary-vs-dividend section →
- Free money first — RESP if you have kids. Same as employees. Open the RESP guide →
- FHSA — the underused move: even if you'll never buy a home, you can roll FHSA to RRSP later, gaining $40K of extra deductible room beyond your normal RRSP. Open the FHSA guide →
- TFSA — more important for you than for salaried employees because dividends paid out of your CCPC don't generate RRSP room. Fill TFSA aggressively. Open the TFSA guide →
- RRSP only on salary income (not dividends). Use carry-forward strategy: contribute now, deduct in a higher-income future year. Open the RRSP guide →
- Investing inside the CCPC — corporate retained-earnings investing, capped at $50K/yr passive income to preserve the Small Business Deduction. Open the investing guide → §3
Each has both reading paths.
TFSA
Tax-Free Savings Account. The most flexible investment account a Canadian has. $7,000/yr in 2026, $109,000 cumulative if eligible since 2009.
FHSA
First Home Savings Account. Tax-deductible going in, tax-free coming out, can roll to RRSP if you don't buy. The hidden $40K of extra deductible room.
RRSP
Registered Retirement Savings Plan. 18% of earned income to $33,810 cap. Salary-vs-dividend section for incorporated operators.
RESP
Registered Education Savings Plan. 20% CESG match up to $500/yr per child. Catch-up rule lets late starters recover lost CESG.
Investing
The Canadian Couch Potato thesis. All-in-one ETFs (XEQT, XGRO, XBAL). Wealthsimple Trade vs Questrade. Plus the corporate-investing section for CCPC owners.
Set a $200 / 2-week auto-buy of XEQT into your TFSA. Three minutes. Done.
Pre-authorized transfer + auto-purchase of one ETF every payday. Both Wealthsimple Trade and Questrade support it. Set it once, never touch it. This single behaviour beats stock-picking, beats market-timing, beats trying to identify the "best year" to invest. If you only do one thing from this whole tab, do this.
How to set it up →From education → personalized planner → operator co-pilot.
This page is Phase 1 (read on your own). Phase 2 (Q3 2026) is a customer-portal interactive planner that reads your intake fields and generates a year-by-year plan: salary vs dividend split, which account to fill first, expected refund, which broker to open. Phase 3 (Q4 2026) is WEALTH.AI as a standalone sub-brand.