What Canadians Are Really Asking About Money Right Now

Today’s episode is a bit different from the usual format.

I want to take some time to speak directly to you — to say thank you, to reflect on what you’ve been listening to most, and to ask for your input on what would be most helpful going forward.

Recently, Unconventional Wisdom was listed near the top of several Canadian financial podcast rankings, including #4 of the Best 10 Canada Podcasts (all categories), #3 of the Best 10 Canada Financial Planning Podcasts in 2026 and #2 of the Best 10 Tax Podcasts in Canada in 2026 by Million Podcasts. Our podcast also just surpassed 100,000 unique downloads.

I mention that briefly, not as a personal achievement, but because I know how overwhelming it can be to decide what’s worth your time. 

Podcast listeners are perfect for me because they tend to like in-depth insights on valuable topics while commuting, working out or walking. Independent recognition can be a helpful signal that a show is focused on quality and substance rather than hype.

What matters much more to me, though, is why people listen, and what your listening behaviour tells me about what you actually find valuable.

When I look at what people have watched, shared, and consistently returned to over time on this channel, some very clear themes emerge.

One of the strongest is retirement timing and government benefits: questions around CPP, OAS, GIS, and whether to start early or delay. These are high-stakes, largely irreversible decisions, and it’s clear many people are worried about getting them wrong.

Another major theme is retirement risk, especially where common explanations don’t fully reflect reality. 

Topics like sequence of returns risk, Monte Carlo simulations, and popular retirement myths consistently attract attention. That tells me people want to understand risk clearly, not just be reassured.

There’s also strong engagement around evidence-based investing, particularly where it challenges conventional wisdom. 

Discussions around equity exposure, outperforming, dividend investing, and long-held assumptions resonate because people want to know what actually provides the most reliable long-term, tax-efficient growth when you look at the data.

A fourth theme is tax and leverage strategies.

Things like the Smith Manoeuvre, mortgage deductibility, RRSP Meltdown, Rempel Maximum, and cash dam strategies, new accounts like the FHSA, and regulatory changes. These aren’t beginner questions. They reflect people trying to structure their finances more intelligently over time.

And finally, there’s consistent interest in big-picture questions.

Questions about financial independence, how much is enough, how people become wealthy, and what really creates long-term financial security and freedom, not just short-term optimism.

Taken together, this tells me something important.

People listening here aren’t looking for predictions or shortcuts. They’re looking for clarity around complex, high-stakes, real life decisions, grounded in evidence rather than fear or sales.

That’s exactly what I try to focus on.

Which brings me to the most important part of this episode.

I’d like to hear from you.

If there’s a financial decision that feels unclear or stressful right now, let me know.

If there’s a topic you wish more advisors would explain plainly without pressure, product bias, or oversimplification, I’d like to hear that too.

You can comment where you’re listening, reply to my newsletter, YouTube channel, or reach out through my website.

This channel works best when it reflects what people are actually dealing with, not just what sounds good in theory.

Thank you for listening, for sharing the show, and for asking thoughtful questions.

I appreciate it more than you may realize.

Ed