Two Girls Investing Podcast

In this TGIF (Two Girls Investing Friday) episode, Jess & Colleen catch up on Jess’s music studio recording process. They then explain private equity by contrasting private vs. public companies, using examples like Dragon’s Den and startup investors, and describe how everyday investors can access private equity indirectly by buying publicly traded private equity firms or ETFs that hold them, noting higher potential returns but higher risk and suggesting it as a small, advanced allocation. They answer a question about investing as a single mom by emphasizing a strong foundation including an emergency fund and paying off high-interest debt, and discuss budgeting and portfolio planning using percentages, plus using credit score tracking as a way to gamify debt payoff and motivation.
00:00 Welcome to TGIF
00:34 Studio Recording Recap
00:54 Click Track Check
03:28 Karaoke
04:58 Private Equity Basics
08:10 How You Can Invest
10:56 Returns and Risk Talk
14:47 Portfolio Percent Allocations
16:54 Single Income Listener Question
19:10 Budgeting in Percentages
21:36 Credit Score Motivation Game
23:33 Wrap Up and Next Week

Jess & Colleen discuss unexpected “hidden costs” in investing, homeownership, and business operations. Jess shares surprises from a newly purchased up/down duplex rental property, including an unfinished backyard, choosing gravel over grass to reduce tenant maintenance, and contractor quotes for wood privacy fence and gravel. Colleen shares hidden business costs, moving from manual Excel payroll calculations to scheduling/time-tracking and payroll platforms costing about $70–$80 per month to save time and reduce errors. The episode explains Canada’s First Home Savings Account (FHSA): contributions reduce taxable income like an RRSP, withdrawals are tax-free for a first-time primary home purchase without repayment, the annual limit is $8,000, and the lifetime limit is $40,000; they note investing choices should reflect a homebuying timeline and plan to discuss private equity next episode.
00:00 Welcome to TGIF
00:34 Weekly Catch Up
00:51 Rental Hidden Costs
01:55 Fence Quote Shock
05:43 Business Payroll Costs
07:56 FHSA Basics Explained
10:33 Investing Timeline Tips
12:18 FHSA Limits and CRA
14:43 Primary Home Rules
16:17 Landlords and Balance
17:17 Next Week Preview
17:34 Wrap Up and Follow

Jess and Colleen discuss balancing summer adventures with finances, praising Jess’s discipline after a big Africa trip and her plan to do mostly local activities in Yukon, with only a short, costly trip to Haines, Alaska, while saving vacation money for winter travel. They compare this delayed-gratification approach with the other host’s summer expenses for children, including costly camps ($400–$600 per child per week) and $1,500 in activity fees, noting the childcare challenges for working parents. They share listener comments about the podcast’s global reach and Canadian focus, then answer a question from Kelsey about what to do after maxing TFSA, RRSP, and FHSA: pay down high-interest debt, invest in a non-registered personal account (taxed on sale via capital gains), optionally adjust payroll taxes via TD1, consider real estate or REITs, RESPs for kids, and potentially private equity with higher minimums. They plan a future FHSA episode.
00:00 Welcome to TGIF
00:34 Summer Spending Choices
03:12 Kids and Camp Costs
06:33 Listener Love and Reach
08:12 Maxed Accounts Next Steps
09:14 Non Registered Investing Taxes
11:24 FHSA Explained Briefly
12:07 Real Estate and RESP Options
13:45 Private Equity Teaser
14:57 Wrap Up and Next Episode

Jess and Colleen, hosts of TGIF, Two Girls Investing Friday share a personal update about Jess recording original music in a studio for the first time, then continue their investing discussion from the prior episode by outlining what you can hold inside registered accounts like a TFSA, RRSP, and FHSA (and also non-registered accounts): stocks, bonds, ETFs (including all-in-one stock/bond ETFs), high-interest savings accounts, GICs, and REITs that can pay monthly distributions. Colleen explains ETFs using a fruit analogy to highlight diversification and reduced risk versus individual stocks. They also clarify how tickers work, including suffixes like “.U” for USD-traded versions, and how to search for Canadian options by looking for TSX listings in Wealthsimple to avoid currency exchange fees, while emphasizing research, readiness steps, and robo-advisor alternatives
00:00 Welcome to TGIF
00:30 Studio Recording Plans
01:42 CDs to Spotify
03:32 Wealthsimple Investing Options
04:29 Stocks vs ETFs Explained
05:42 Why Diversification Wins
07:27 REITs and Dividends
08:10 Ticker Symbols Demystified
09:47 Finding Canadian ETFs
12:23 TSX vs NYSE on Wealthsimple
15:26 Robo Advisors and Readiness
16:20 Wrap Up and Next Episode

In this episode of TGIF: Two Girls Investing Friday, Jess and Colleen catch up and share some massive weekly wins! One paid off a huge chunk of personal debt in about three months by focusing on lowering credit utilization and tackling higher-interest balances, while the other successfully claimed airfare compensation after an overnight delay (pro-tip: delays over three hours may qualify!).
They then walk through setting up automated, recurring investments in a Wealthsimple RRSP to help reduce taxable income, explaining ETFs and key index concepts along the way. Using examples like VFV (Vanguard S&P 500 ETF), VDY (high dividend Canadian ETF), and adding XAW (global equities), they demonstrate exactly how to select “buy on a schedule,” choose your frequency and start date, and ensure your purchases occur inside an RRSP or TFSA rather than a non-registered account.
Finally, they preview a future episode on investment options and portfolio considerations so you can keep building your confidence!
Note: In the episode, we refer to a global ETF excluding North America as "VI"—the correct ticker symbol is VIU!
Connect with us on: TikTok: @twogirlsinvesting Instagram: @twogirlsinvesting
00:00 Welcome to TGIF
00:34 Sunny Catch Up
01:04 Debt Payoff Win
02:01 ADHD Debt Strategy
03:35 Investing for Taxes
04:08 Flight Delay Payout
05:55 Automation Setup Intro
06:47 VFV and Index Basics
08:23 VDY Dividends Explained
09:01 Recurring Buys Walkthrough
10:17 Add Global ETF XAW
12:13 Next Episode Teaser