Nick Raffoul
Founder and Lead Analyst, Best Canadian Stocks
How this started
I began investing in the first weeks of 2020, just before the COVID-19 crash. I was fortunate with the timing. I bought into one of the sharpest market declines in recent history and stayed invested through the recovery that followed.
I started Best Canadian Stocks in 2022 to teach myself. Researching companies and writing up what I found was how I learned to do this properly. By 2024, my portfolio was up 153%.
That experience changed how I think about what investing is for. It isn’t about watching a number on a screen go up. At its best, investing buys you options later in life: the ability to retire earlier, work less, help your family, travel, or simply have more control over how you spend your time.
That’s what the site is for now. I take what I’ve learned investing my own money and try to make it useful to someone else. Not by telling them what to buy, but by doing the research, explaining what I find, and giving people what they need to decide for themselves.
The goal is simple: help people make better financial decisions, reach their financial goals and live a better life.
What I cover
Canadian and US markets, and the rest of what decides how much money you actually keep.
I write from Windsor, Ontario, across the river from Detroit. Most Canadians think of the US market as somewhere else; here it is a bridge away, and that shapes what I cover. Buying US stocks from a Canadian account, what happens to a US dividend inside a TFSA versus an RRSP, converting dollars without paying a broker’s spread: those are everyday questions on the border, and they are the same questions every Canadian investor runs into the first time they buy something listed in New York.
That means individual stocks on both sides of the border, dividend investing, ETFs, and the registered accounts Canadians use to hold them. It extends past investing into personal finance: how to earn more, spend less, use the right accounts, keep taxes from eating the difference, and make your money work harder over time.
Since 2022, that has come to more than 240 articles and 35 research pages.
How I research
I prefer going to the source.
When I write about a company’s financial results, I use the company’s own filings and financial documents wherever possible. If I report a bank’s return on equity, I want that number to come from the bank’s Supplementary Financial Information or Report to Shareholders, with the source document and page cited.
For market data, share prices and analyst estimates, I use established data providers and say which. For interest rates, contribution limits, tax rules and legislation, I go to the organizations responsible for them: the Bank of Canada, the CRA, Statistics Canada, Justice Laws.
If I can link you to the original source, I do.
Who I am
I have a degree in Business Administration and more than a decade of professional writing experience.
I’m not a portfolio manager, investment advisor or financial planner. I’m a writer and an investor who spends a lot of time reading filings and working out what the numbers actually mean.
I don’t know your income, your tax situation, your goals, or how much risk you can afford to take. That’s why the work here is meant to give you information and a way of thinking about it, rather than tell you what you personally should buy.
My own investing
I invest my own money, and that inevitably shapes how I look at companies and markets.
My results are my own. They don’t make my approach right, and they don’t mean anyone else will do the same. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
What I can do is show the reasoning, show the numbers, cite the sources, and let you decide.
Corrections and contact
If you find something wrong, outdated or unclear, I’d rather hear about it than leave it there. You can reach me through the contact page.
Best Canadian Stocks is independent, and no company pays to appear on it. The editorial policy explains how the site is funded, how commercial relationships are handled, and how corrections are made.
The information on Best Canadian Stocks is general information and opinion, not personalized financial advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. It cannot account for your individual circumstances, tax position or risk tolerance. Consider speaking with a qualified financial professional before making investment decisions.
Disclaimer: The content on bestcanadianstocks.ca is for informational and entertainment purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Always consult a qualified financial advisor before making investment decisions.