Welcome to First Year Canada — the money guide nobody gave us
When I landed in Canada, I overpaid my bank ~$500 in the first month converting USD to CAD. I picked the wrong first credit card. I missed the FHSA contribution window in year one. I learned what Norbert's Gambit was two years too late.
Every one of those mistakes was avoidable. The information existed somewhere — buried in r/PersonalFinanceCanada threads, in 90-page PDFs from the CRA, in advice columns written for people who'd been here for decades.
What didn't exist: a clear, tactical, first-year-specific guide written by someone who'd actually just done it.
So I'm writing that guide. Weekly. Free.
What you'll get every Sunday
- Real-money tactical tips — not "diversify your portfolio" advice; actual "use Wealthsimple's Cash USD account to hold your USD and convert via Norbert's Gambit when CAD weakens" detail.
- The decision trees that actually matter in your first 1-5 years — TFSA vs FHSA vs RRSP (and when each wins), which credit card to apply for first, how to file your first Canadian tax return without an accountant.
- Stuff nobody warns you about — taxation on RSUs if you transferred from a US tech company, what happens to your foreign 401k, how to support family back home tax-efficiently.
Who this is for
- Recent PR or work-permit holders
- Tech / professional workers in their first 5 years
- People who arrived with savings in another currency and need to deploy them efficiently in Canada
- Spouses navigating spousal RRSPs, OWP work authorization, joint tax filings
Who this isn't for
- Born-and-raised Canadians who already know which CRA forms to use
- People looking for "how to budget" basics (lots of better resources for that)
- Get-rich-quick crypto / day-trading content
I'll publish my first real issue next Sunday. The topic: TFSA, FHSA, RRSP — the decision tree for someone earning $100K+ in their first year. Subscribe below to get it directly in your inbox.
— Sush