A YYZ Mortgage Guide · No. 05
Money Smarts, Toronto Edition
Everyday moves for getting ahead in Canada's most expensive city
Who it's for: You live (and spend) in the GTA and want the boring, effective habits — not crypto tips.
Download the PDF — 31 pages, 780 KB
Free, no email required. Every figure is sourced, and nothing in it is a sales pitch.
The short version
- Automate money the day after payday — the system remembers so you don't have to.
- Emergency fund first: $1,000, then 3–6 months of must-pays. Kill 20% credit-card debt before chasing 7% returns.
- The account order: employer match → FHSA (if a home's possible) → TFSA ($7K/yr, up to $109K room) → more RRSP.
- Kids? The RESP grant is a guaranteed 20% — up to $7,200 of free money per child. Don't leave it on the table.
- Sleep on everything, verify everyone (FSRA/CSA lookups are free), and phone to confirm wire details. Urgency is the tell.
Before you download
This guide was checked in August 2026. Program rules and dollar limits change, so the sources are listed at the back of the book and the links there always beat the printed page. All the people and numbers in the examples are illustrative, not actual clients.
The rest of the library
- Keys, Please! — Buying your first home in the GTA, step by step.
- The Big Switch — Selling and buying at once — penalties, porting, bridges, renewals.
- Your House, Your Backup Plan — The honest HELOC handbook: the tool, the trap, the payback plans.
- The Family Money Talk — Reverse mortgages, care costs, POAs — for adult kids and their parents.
This content is general information, not financial, legal or tax advice. Mortgage products are subject to lender approval (OAC). Speak with a licensed mortgage professional about your situation.