Wealthsimple is one of Canada’s fastest growing and most trusted money management platforms. The company offers a full suite of simple, sophisticated financial products across managed investing, do-it-yourself trading, cryptocurrency, tax filing, spending and saving. Wealthsimple currently serves 3 million Canadians and holds over $70-billion assets. The company was founded in 2014 by a team of financial experts and technology entrepreneurs, and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada. To learn more, visit www.wealthsimple.com.

Wealthsimple Advisors

Wealthsimple is one of Canada’s fastest growing and most trusted money management platforms. The company offers a full suite of simple...

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Plus: Japan • copper • future expectations

Why you shouldn’t compare your returns to the S&P 500 | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

Brigette McCabe

Why you shouldn’t compare your returns to the S&P 500

— Originally published as Investor Insights newsletter July 2025

Markets went back to normal — sort of | Weathsimple Advisor Insights

Markets went back to normal — sort of

A quarterly performance update

As you surely need no reminding, the first half of this year was marked by heaps of geopolitical uncertainty and volatility in asset markets. The third quarter, in contrast, was calm — by 2025’s standards anyway. Over the past three months, inflation continued to ease while the global economy remained on track for 3% real annual growth in 2025, which is roughly in-line with the pre-pandemic years. (The Canadian economy bucked the growth trend by contracting 0.1% in June before expanding 0.2% in July, putting it on pace for 1% GDP growth in 2025.)

Plus: How big should your emergency fund be?

Why cash might be your riskiest investment | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

Why cash might be your riskiest investment

Cash is handy to have around. You can use it to pay for boring, essential stuff — like your mortgage and groceries — and for super-fun things, like a shiny new jetski. It’s also smart to keep some cash in a savings account to ensure you’re able to cover unexpected expenses, like car repairs. That way, you don’t have to take on wealth-annihilating credit-card debt to get by.

What the world doesn't get about alternative investments. Plus: a flow chart!

Are alternatives right for you? | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

What the world doesn't get about alternative investments

Plus: a flow chart!

There have been a lot of headlines recently about financial companies giving individual customers access to alternative investments like private equity (taking stakes in private companies) and private credit (loans to companies made outside of the banking system). Some of the coverage is positive, and some takes a more skeptical approach. As a place that’s offered alternatives since 2021, we continue to believe it is in investors’ best interests to make private-market investing more public. (If you’re wondering if alts are right for you, we put together a flow chart at the bottom of this newsletter to help you figure that out!)

The risk of living in interesting times. See how our portfolios performed in Q2 of 2025.

Q2 managed investing portfolio performance | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

A look at Q2 performance for our Managed Investing portfolios

We sure do live in interesting times

The expression “may you live in interesting times” sounds a lot nicer than it is, since “interesting” can mean a lot of things. Last quarter, for instance, sure was interesting.

Plus: emergency funds • Hong Kong • Jim Cramer?

Don't let the markets control your strategy | Advisor Insights | Wealthsimple

Don’t let the markets control your strategy

What investors should know about liquidity risk. Plus: EVs, Warren Buffet, U.S.

What investors should know about liquidity risk | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

What investors should know about liquidity risk

Plus: EVs • Warren Buffet • U.S.

— Originally published as Investor Insights newsletter May 2025

Whether it’s a tax refund or an inheritance, unexpected windfalls are basically shortcuts to future wealth — but only if you can resist the temptation to spend them. Here are four steps to think through (in priority order) the next time you come into some extra money.

How to be smart with your tax refund | April 2024 | From the Advisors

How to be smart with your tax refund

What should you do with extra money?

Two-thirds of Canadians will get tax refunds this year (the average is around $2,100). If you’re one of them, you may be wondering just how guilty you should feel if you blow the money on a nice vacation. While I’m not here to guilt you, I can help you think through the smartest ways to use your extra money. From there, it’s up to you.

Wha gold's recent runup means for you. Plus, real yield, bonds, and U.S. markets

Gold’s recent runup | Advisor Insights | Wealthsimple

Gold’s recent runup — and what it means for you

Real yield • Bonds • U.S. markets

Nobody knows what the lasting effects will be on the economy, much less the world, but massive changes and uncertainty tend to lead investors to consider making drastic changes to their portfolios.

How to handle market uncertainty | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

Are tariffs and other unsettling news making you jittery?

How to handle market uncertainty

This year has already had plenty of attention-grabbing headlines: tariffs, geopolitics, tariffs, market uncertainty, tariffs. And now we have a new federal election coming, too. Nobody knows what the lasting effects will be on the economy, much less the world, but massive changes and uncertainty tend to lead investors to consider making drastic changes to their portfolios.

Many of our portfolios posted strong returns in Q4 as asset markets, particularly U.S. stocks, continued their epic rally.

Q4 portfolio performance | From our CIO | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

Q4 performance of our Managed Investing portfolios

From our CIO: A look back at the end of 2024, and what’s ahead

Many of our portfolios posted strong returns in Q4 as asset markets, particularly U.S. stocks, continued their epic rally. It was one of the best years on record, in terms of both returns and return-to-risk ratio, which means the market more or less went up with little volatility. Here’s what happened in our managed portfolios and funds.

We don't like to attempt to predict where the markets are heading, and we explain why.

Why you can't trust market predictions | Wealthsimple Advisor Insights

And how to prepare your portfolio for 2025

Why you can't trust market predictions

When it comes to starting off the year, one thing we did not do to was attempt to predict where the market is heading. And clearly we're in the minority there: every financial institution and analyst seems to be weighing in, and their expectations are all over the place. Some say the markets will be up 20% this year, while others say it’ll be down 20%. This is not a new game, of course. Ever since there have been markets (and new years), people have tried to guess where things are headed and how to take advantage of it through their investments.

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Why you shouldn’t compare your returns to the S&P 500