The 20 Best Financial Independence and Early Retirement Blogs In Canada

To achieve financial freedom, you can earn more money with a side hustle, or you can forget and relearn everything you think you know about money. Canadians have questions, and they turn to places like Reddit or personal finance blogs for advice built for life in Canada. FIRE, which is the acronym for Financial Independence, Retire Early, is the financial revolution taking the world by storm. So, if you’ve ever dreamed of escaping the nine-to-five grind for a better life but don’t know how, here are the best Canadian FIRE-related blogs you need to read.

1. Mr. Money Mustache

Get everything you need to know about FIRE straight from the guy who started it all when he retired at the age of 30. Canadian expat, Peter Adeney, is the financial firecracker that set the world ablaze when he decided to share the secret to his success. Peter cuts through the noise with some loud hard truths, like the solid fact that living beyond your means is just irresponsible. 

On the Mr. Money Mustache blog you will have an epiphany about life and traditional finance. You will be indoctrinated into the religion of budgeting, frugality, money-saving hacks and sound investing advice from someone who has hacked the system and beat the odds. Find resources for stock index funds, student loans, mortgages and a ton more.

2. Millennial Revolution 

Basically celebrities in the FIRE world, bloggers Kristy and Bryce achieved financial independence and retired early at just 31 years old. These two computer engineers, and children’s book authors, hacked the FIRE fundamentals by renouncing the cult of homeownership. That’s right. They’ve never had a mortgage and never will.

Instead, they leveraged their position as renters to maximize their investing potential. On their site, Millennial Revolution, you will find everything you need to know about, well, everything. They’ve created an investing crash course that covers it all like ETFs, dividends, dollar cost averaging, portfolio allocation, taxes, inflation, and the list goes on. They’ve even written a book, “Quit Like A Millionaire.” This blog is definitely a must-read.

3. Tawcan

On his “quest for a joyful life & financial independence,” Bob Lai became a heavyweight blogger in the FIRE scene. He originally started his blog to chronicle his journey while raising two young kids on a single income in one of Canada’s most expensive cities. His wealth of knowledge and down-to-earth voice of the everyman made him one of the most popular personalities in this space.

On his site, Tawcan, you will find extensive information on dividend and ETF investing, budgeting hacks, the best credit cards for your FIRE goals, estate planning, and so much more. Bob also offers personalized one-on-one FIRE coaching tailored to your specific situation. This site is basically the Costco of personal finance; come for information on one thing, leave with a lifetime supply of FIRE resources.

4. My Own Advisor

Founder and CEO, Mark Seed, is a FIRE veteran who already surpassed his $1 million dollar net worth goal. When you see his site, you’ll understand that he is bringing his A-game. Mark has set new goals and is sharing his journey, expertise and resources with all of you.

Mark used the FIRE fundamentals to invest vigorously in low-cost ETFs and dividend-paying stocks. On his site, My Own Advisor, you will find extensive information and resources on things like how to invest for inflation, minimizing money management fees, tax efficiencies, index investing, mortgages and the list goes on. If you need information, his site is guaranteed to have it. No FIRE journey would be complete without this powerhouse blog in your toolbox.

5. Million Dollar Journey

The Frugal Trader, as they call themselves, started the Million Dollar Journey Blog in 2006. They began investing in mutual funds at 16 years old! One could say they were already ahead of the rest of us! From 2006 to 2014, they grew their initial portfolio of $200,000 into $1,000,000.

Their website addresses many relevant questions for those on the path to financial freedom. You will find content about the Smith manoeuvre, safe withdrawal rates, reviews of ETFs, etc. You will also find information about the best Canadian brokers, robo-advisors and dividend stocks.

6. Boomer & Echo

Robb Engen started his blog in 2010. He also offers financial planning services. Although he is a a self-taught money expert, he obtained the QAFP certification. The man behind Boomer & Echo started investing in mutual funds at age 19. The Tax Free Savings Account (TFSA) hadn’t been invented yet! Later, he turned to blue chip stocks, then realised that passive investing was a sound strategy!

As an advocate for investors and consumers, you’ll find blog posts about some of the traps that everyday people fall into when dealing with a bank, financial advisor, insurance broker, or retailer. But he also helps you find debt reduction strategies, set short-term savings goals, learn budgeting and investing basics, and prepare for retirement.

7. Eat Sleep Breath FI

Chrissy did it! She achieved FIRE in October 2021. Her blog shared it all. Her passion for helping others achieve financial independence is palpable. As a stay-at-home mom of two living in one of the most expensive cities in Canada, she still brings a fresh and relevant female perspective to an often male dominated space.

Chrissy has designed a free Financial Independence course. Her site Eat Sleep Breathe FI is well organized and broken down into categories such as frugality, parenting, lifestyle, etc. She’s even taken the time to create a glossary of financial terminology to help you understand the more technical terms in finance. Chrissy has lovingly created the FIRE family you’ve been looking for.

8. Modern FImily 

It’s not just a cool name for a FIRE blog. Modern FImily is the brainchild of Courtney and Nic, a couple who retired in their thirties but continue to work on their own terms. Court even coaches people on how to achieve their own financial independence. The Modern FImily blog keeps it real and details how Court and Nic, and others, are continually managing their goals. In fact, they recently achieved independence. They are only spending 2% of their portfolio because they do not need more for the moment. They give you hard facts and numbers about ratios, rates, income and other money. The blog is engaging and Court and Nic also offer chances for people to guest post on their site.

9. Our Life Financial / The Dividend Income Newsletter

Melissa is a 49-year-old retiree from Ontario living off the dividends of her investment portfolio. Her FIRE journey began in her early 20s, when she and her husband started investing in real estate. Melissa’s blog is a wellspring of financial education with an emphasis on developing a healthy relationship with money and addressing toxic money habits.

She offers educational resources on rental income properties, dividend/passive income, growth investing as well as what to look for in companies when picking stocks. One of our favourite blog posts on Our Life Financial is a fantastic piece about dividend reinvestment plans (DRIPs). Among her best recommendations is the book “The Behavior Gap” about investing without emotion; a critical skill for any investor

10. Dividend Growth Investor

If you intend to reach FIRE by investing in dividend stocks, the Dividend Growth Investor blog should be your favorite. You’ll find detailed information about many companies and historical changes in their dividends. The blog explains everything you need to know to generate a sufficient stream of passive dividend income to cover your expenses.

Although the author is not a licensed investment adviser, they know a great deal about stocks. The blog also explains how to value dividend stocks and provides readers with a Dividend Aristocrats list, which tracks companies in the S&P 500 that have increased dividends for at least 25 years in a row. 

11. Dividend Income Investor

Graham is a popular part time blogger from Toronto. He has been featured on major blogging outlets such as Campfire Finance and Making Sense of Cents. Graham has already achieved partial financial independence and is now working on his long-term goal of building passive income through dividend investing. The Dividend Income Investor site is focused mainly on follow-ups on his strategy and how much dividends he gets.

12. Incoming Assets

Inspired by FIRE founder Mr. Money Moustache, Cel and Steph have forged their own path to financial freedom and are documenting it every step of the way. They’ve even written a book detailing money saving hacks you can apply to almost every aspect of your life. And they’re doing it all from Vancouver.

Cel and Steph show us how even in the second most expensive city in Canada you can still carve out your own piece of the pie. On the Incoming Assets site you’ll get access to their monthly financial statements and resources for budgeting, financial minimalism and frugal cooking hacks.

13. Fire We Go

Bloggers Kristine and Gean started their journey in 2019. They were carrying a combined debt load of $60K when they realized their spending habits were holding them back from financial independence. In the first year of their FIRE journey they were able to eliminate that debt and refinanced their mortgage to maximize their dividend investing strategy.

The Fire We Go blog is tailored to older Canadians who are new to the FIRE movement with a shorter time horizon. Here, you will find monthly net worth updates with a complete breakdown of assets, liabilities, and investment income from dividends. They show you exactly what stocks they’re invested in, how much, and how well the stock is performing. They also have a YouTube channel!

14. The Dividend Guy Blog

Honest about some of the mistakes he made on his journey to FIRE, Mike still managed to retire by age 35. He did not start The Dividend Guy Blog, he bought it from the previous owner in 2010. Mike also built a separate dividend investing platform called Dividend Stocks Rock. His success might come from the time he put it to research and study the stock market. Over the years, he tried many different investing styles. He is now a dividend growth investor, with a twist! He has a core portfolio following a buy & hold strategy with solid companies. Then, he has a growth portfolio containing stocks with a strong growth potential over a relatively short period (18 to 24 months). He shares his knowledge – and portfolio – with you on the blog.

15. Freedom 35

This graphic designer turned blogger call themselves Liquid Independence. Financially independent since 2020, they talk about their investments on the blog. What’s especially interesting is that they did not stop or slowed down writing once they reached independence. Instead they set a new goal for themselves, which is to have a $10 million net worth. Follow Freedom 35 to learn about what wealthy individuals successfully practice to become and stay rich.

16. Cut the Crap Investing

In case you thought most FIRE people all worked in tech, here’s another creative mind for you: Dale Roberts, former advertising writer and creative director. He started Cut the Crap Investing in 2018. He is a regular contributor to Seeking Alpha, a well-known investment site with news, data, analysis and groups. Cut the Crap Investing addresses stocks and ETF-related topics such as asset allocation and AI-powered investing.

17. Mrs. Money Hacker

Meagan was born in Quebec, Canada. She has lived in Canada and Ireland with her husband Mr. MH. They live on Mrs. Money Hacker‘s part-time income, in semi-retirement. The blog is divided between Irish and Canadian posts, which is helpful when searching for topics such as taxes! Follow the blog to get updates on their Canadian and Irish investments, including her analysis for return on investments and considerations for purchases, and to learn hacks to save money and invest. If you’re interested in living abroad, this blog shares information about remitting rental income tax in Canada for ex-pats and selling property from abroad.

18. Dividend Daddy

Daddy is a financially independent 45 years old Canadian. However, he chose to keep his 9 to 5 job and owns many rental properties. What he does not own is a car. Currently living in a large city, he uses his bike, walking and public transit. Read the Dividend Daddy blog to learn more about his income breakdown: dividends and rental income. You’ll also find tips if you’d like to buy a vacation property like he did. If you’re curious about the stocks in his portfolio, it’s all there.

19. A Wealth of Common Sense

Ben Carlson, CFA, is not retired at all. But his blog might well be the one you need to read for your retirement. He is the Director of Institutional Asset Management at Ritholtz Wealth Management. Ben is a well-known financial advisor featured or quoted in a number of publications such as Barron’s and The Wall Street Journal. A Wealth of Common Sense is full of relevant and detailed information about the stock and the housing markets. For instance, you’ll learn about the difference between market timing and risk management, how to better interpret charts, and loss aversion.

20. Dividend Strategy

Matt was trained as a medical doctor and practiced emergency medicine for 14 years, until he achieved financial independence in 2018. He describes himself as an avid woodworker, backcountry camper and fisher. Dividend Strategy is meant to help you understand how dividend investing works or how to implement a sound dividend-based strategy. According to Matt, dividend investing offers excellent historical returns, extremely low fees, tax efficiency and inflation protection. If you are a professional looking to improve your financial literacy, Matt offers a course called moneySmartMD.