Show Notes
Student debt is a growing problem in Canada - one that’s set to get worse in the coming years. And although tuition has crept higher, it’s the soaring cost of rent and everyday living that's causing the trouble. So what should students consider before making decisions for their post-secondary lives? Paul Kershaw, founder of Generation Squeeze and a professor at the University of British Columbia, describes how expensive student life has become - and how students are coping. We also hear from a 33-year-old who graduated 10 years ago with $40,000 in student debt, which she’s still paying off. Plus, The Globe’s personal finance reporter Erica Alini shares how rent in both large and small cities is changing the Canadian student experience.
More from Stress Test
As more Canadians buy homes later in life, homeownership is increasingly competing with another major financial goal: saving for retirement.
Tensions between Canada and the U.S. are at an all-time high, and some young Canadians are questioning whether they still want to invest so much of their money south of the border. We hear from a millennial investor who dramatically reduced his U.S. holdings. Then Rob Carrick and financial planner Aravind Sithamparapillai discuss the risks and potential benefits of scaling back U.S. investments, and what investors should weigh before making a change to their portfolios.
When are you ready to buy a home? To have a kid? To quit your day job and become your own boss? In 2026, financial milestones look different than they used to.
Retirement can feel overwhelming when headlines insist you need millions before you can stop working. But is that actually true? In this episode, we hear from young Canadians with very different visions of life after work. Then retirement reporter Meera Raman sits down with financial planner Moira Rose Váně to challenge some of the biggest assumptions about retirement. Together, they explore why so many younger Canadians feel behind before they’ve even begun, and what a more realistic path to retirement can look like.
More than half of young Canadians say they’d want a prenup if they got married or entered a common-law relationship. But only a small share have actually signed one. So what’s stopping them? In this episode, we look at the gap between interest and action and why prenups may still be harder, pricer and more emotionally charged than many expect. We hear from a Toronto woman who says getting a prenup with her husband became the most difficult part of wedding planning. Then, Aimee Schalles, lawyer and co-founder of Jointly.ca, breaks down what happens if you don’t have a prenup, why more young Canadians want them, and why so few actually sign.