Hot stocks: Canada’s top performers in Q2 2026

The rise and fall of BlackBerry was so dramatic that they made a movie about it. But moviegoers would be mistaken to leave the Waterloo, Ont.-based smartphone pioneer for dead. To the contrary, BlackBerry was the top-performing mid- to large-capitalization stock on the Toronto Stock Exchange over the second quarter of 2026, posting a 90-day gain of 268%.Of course, BlackBerry is no longer in the handset business. It develops software for cars and mobile security and has a growing artificial intel

In the minds of investors young and old, artificial intelligence (AI) is an investing theme or trend that seems to be right up there with the birth of the internet and the dot-com craze, or indeed the long-ago Industrial Revolution. But over the last 12 months, according to a recent webinar on the topic, market reaction to AI seems to have morphed from enthusiasm about an “unstoppable trend” to fear of the imminent bursting of an alleged “AI bubble.”Our old friends,

When Liza Akhvledziani moved to Canada as an international student, she quickly realized that money worked differently here. From building a credit history to understanding how debt could affect her financial future, she had to learn a new set of rules while rebuilding her financial life from scratch. Those experiences eventually led her to study economics, work on Bay Street and, later, co-found Chexy.Today, as the company’s CEO and co-founder, Akhvledziani is focused on helping Canadians

When the mercury begins to rise, Jeffrey Siegel sinks into a routine. Windows facing the east are covered in the morning before those in the west are shrouded in the afternoon, his fan gets switched on, more of his cooking moves to the barbecue, and a clothesline is brought out whenever there is laundry to dry. These summer habits help keep his house cool, delivering relief to the University of Toronto civil engineering professor—and his wallet.“On a day when I hear most of our

Growing up, I heard one saying repeatedly: the early bird gets the worm. Like so many childhood proverbs, I accepted it without much thought—one of those quiet truths adults repeat often enough that children stop questioning them. For most of my life I assumed it was a lesson about hard work. Wake up early, start before everyone else, stay disciplined, and success will eventually follow. Lately, though, I have begun to wonder whether I misunderstood it entirely. Maybe it was never abo

Here’s a round-up of news for Canadian investors this week.
CogecoElectrovayaBlue Ant MediaLoblaw-EQBFeatured RRSP Accountsfeatured EQ Bank Build your retirement savings with 1.50% interest, tax-deferred contributions and zero fees. go to site featured Registered GIC rate Earn a guaranteed 2.75% in your RRSP when you lock in for 1 year. go to siteBest RRSP rates See our ranking of the best RRSP accounts and rates available in Canada. read now
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Here’s a round-up of news for Canadian investors this week.
CogecoElectrovayaBlue Ant MediaLoblaw-EQBFeatured RRSP Accountsfeatured EQ Bank Build your retirement savings with 1.50% interest, tax-deferred contributions and zero fees. go to site featured Registered GIC rate Earn a guaranteed 2.75% in your RRSP when you lock in for 1 year. go to siteBest RRSP rates See our ranking of the best RRSP accounts and rates available in Canada. read now
Why trust us
MoneySense is an award-winning ma

My wife and daughter say “tuh-MAY-to,” and I still say “tuh-MAH-to.” We have joked for years about whether my pronunciation would eventually win out, but living in North America, I suspect I never really stood a chance. Pronunciation, though, is not what fascinates me. Meaning does.What intrigues me is how we can all speak the same language, use exactly the same words, and still mean entirely different things by them. Words carry context, culture, and a whole set of quiet

Moving to Canada as an international student comes with a long financial to-do list, and building credit is one of the most important items on it. Your credit history from home typically doesn’t transfer, which means you may need to start from scratch when applying for a credit card, phone plan, apartment rental or loan.Fortunately, building credit in Canada can be relatively straightforward. Many banks, including RBC, offer credit cards specifically designed for students and newcomers, ma

Reverse mortgages were at one time considered the Wild West of financial products, associated with aggressive and even predatory sales tactics targeting seniors in the United States. Fairly or not, that reputation has instilled some wariness in Canada, where regulations have long been more stringent than they were during the industry’s early days south of the border. Nowadays, some experts say they’re an option worth considering for older Canadians who are house rich, cash poor,

I have come to believe that one of the clearest signs of progress is our willingness to ask questions. Not necessarily the big, life-changing ones, but the quieter questions that make us stop and wonder whether the way things were is really the way they should still be. Every question we ask becomes a pillar on which we construct a future version of ourselves.Sometimes those questions shape our own lives, and other times they shape how we show up for the people around us—how we parent, how

Vinyl records are spinning again. Film and digital point-and-shoot cameras are back in fashion. Paper planners, fountain pens, and watercolour kits are finding new homes with consumers who grew up with smartphones as an extension of their arm.The trend has become so widespread that it’s earned its own name: the “analog economy.” And it’s not just hype. In Canada, sales of vinyl and other physical music formats climbed 34.5% between 2021 and 2023, reaching nearly $85 milli

Some cell phone costs may be tax deductible, but what you can claim depends on your employment status and whether you or your employer paid the costs. Claiming your cell phone as an employeeEmployees who are required by their employers to use their cell phone for employment purposes and who have a Form T2200 Declaration of Conditions of Employment signed by their employer may be eligible to claim a portion of their cell phone costs. This presumes they were not reimbursed by the employer.Can

When it comes to building wealth, most people focus on investments, debt levels, or market performance. But what if the real threat to your financial future isn’t any of those? According to Co-authors of Money Together, Heather and Douglas Boneparth, the biggest risk is hiding in plain sight: the conversations couples aren’t having about money.Today, financial decisions are intertwined with daily life, relationships, and long-term goals. The ability to communicate openly about money

Should you consider adding bitcoin (BTC), ethereum (ETH), or other cryptocurrencies to your investment portfolio? For long-term investors who can tolerate significant volatility, a small allocation—sometimes around 5%—is increasingly part of the conversation.Crypto’s appeal lies in its growth potential and its ability to diversify a portfolio, but it comes with sharp price swings and uncertain long-term outcomes. The key question isn’t just whether it might boost returns,

The Canadian exchange-traded fund (ETF) industry’s growth has been substantial and is picking up steam. According to the Canadian ETF Association, Canadian-listed ETFs collectively managed approximately $790 billion in assets as of March 31, 2026. At that time, there were 1,526 ETFs offered by 49 different sponsors listed on Canadian exchanges.But not every ETF will survive. ETF providers are businesses, and ETFs themselves are products. The goal of launching an ETF is ultimately to gather

My house, as I told my insurance broker recently, is the Canadian housing equivalent of ancient. Built in the 1910s in Saskatoon, this house has many foibles. To hang pictures, I have to use wood screws lest regular nails bounce off of the layers and layers of paint. My basement is a little more than a horror movie-esque concrete box. Perhaps its most damning feature until last year was its lack of a wheelchair lift. One grant, and more than $20,000 later, that has been rectified. The administra

Nobody moves to Canada excited about price matching. When my family immigrated in 2019, I expected to spend countless hours learning about taxes, credit scores, saving plans and all the other financial building blocks that make this country unique. I knew there would be a learning curve, and I was ready for it. Those were the things I assumed would shape my financial life here. Price matching never once crossed my mind.Like many newcomers, I spent my first few months trying to make sense of a fi

One of the biggest fears consumers have is losing a credit card, but a lost card is usually detected quickly and the account frozen. A bigger danger may lie in using your credit card to make payments online—especially if you are unfamiliar with the vendor or using a public Wi-Fi network that can be hacked. In those situations, your credit card information could be intercepted or stolen without you realizing it.Fortunately, there are simple tools that can enhance the security around credit

If you’re someone near or at retirement, has a column like the one you’re now reading ever “finfluenced” any of your financial decisions? Increasingly, many Canadian investors are turning to a new generation of voices online, a trend that regulators are starting to watch more closely. A finfluencer is simply a financial influencer, a contraction similar to my own “findependence” for financial independence. And while I’m tooting my own horn here, let

When you buy a bond, there’s a chance the borrower might not be able to pay you back, but bonds also carry a different kind of risk. 
Duration, or interest rate risk, is related to a bond’s sensitivity to changes in interest rates. When interest rates go up, you won’t be able to sell a bond for the price you paid, says Will Gornall, an associate professor at UBC’s Sauder School of Business. “Because they’re traded, if you have a 3% bond and now the g

An unincorporated sole proprietor must contribute to the Canada Pension Plan (CPP) when they file their personal tax return. These contributions can be up to $9,292.90 for 2026. Some taxpayers may not even notice this, but line 42100 on a T1 tax return is CPP Contributions Payable on Self-Employment Income and Other Earnings. Contributions are calculated on Schedule 8 or Form RC381, whichever applies.Most self-employed individuals must pay CPP contributions, but there may be alternatives. W

As destination weddings rise in popularity, guests face a financial dilemma: how to celebrate loved ones without derailing their own financial futures. When the wedding invitation arrives with a picture of a tropical beach or a European castle, it carries an unspoken price tag that can often reach $3,000 or more. For many, especially younger adults who might be juggling multiple invitations in a single year, the question isn’t just whether they want to attend, it’s whether they can a

An inheritance can raise questions about taxes, family law, and how to manage the money. This article focuses on the income tax considerations for married and common-law couples who invest inherited funds.Taxation of an inheritanceFirst off, the receipt of an inheritance is generally not taxable. Most or all tax is paid by the estate of the deceased, and the after-tax proceeds are distributed to the beneficiaries. There can be exceptions. If you inherit real estate and sell it later, subseq

Zena Amundsen didn’t realize how tight finances could be for a single-income household after she and her husband welcomed their first baby. She quickly had to learn to keep track of every dollar, recalled Amundsen, a Regina-based certified financial planner at Astra Financial Services.For the first seven years as a parent in the mid-90s, Amundsen stayed home to raise two young children while her husband became the sole provider for the household. About 30 years later, she still draws

At long last, the FIFA World Cup has kicked off in cities across North America. If you’re not fazed by single-ticket prices in the four figures, may we offer a word of caution: stalwart footy fans are not the only ones attracted to events like this. So are scam artists. Cyber-criminals love big-ticket, high-demand events, whether it be between national soccer teams or a Taylor Swift concert. When people think this is their chance to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience, their decision

For many Canadians relocating to the United States, one of the first financial questions that surfaces is whether they should convert their Canadian investments into U.S. dollars. The answer is usually no, and acting too quickly can cost you more than you might expect.The instinct to “go American” makes sense but can be expensiveWhen London accepted a new job opportunity in Seattle, he assumed one of the first things he would need to do was convert his Canadian investment portfolio i