Tools & Resources

What Your Habits Are Costing Your Retirement

I'm not telling you to stop. I'm just showing you the number.

Try an Example

Click a preset to fill in the fields, then adjust to match your situation.

Your Habit

What's the habit? (optional - personalises your results)

How often?

Amount per occurrence ($)

Your Timeline

Current age

years

Retirement age

years

Expected annual return (7% is a common long-term equity estimate; not a guarantee)

The Real Price Tag

Monthly Equivalent

per month, every month

Total Spent

over 0 years

If Invested Instead

at retirement

What Compounding Adds

on top of what you contributed - the compounding premium

How This Works

Two questions sit behind every number on this page.

What does it cost you directly?

Simple: your monthly equivalent multiplied by 12 months multiplied by years to retirement. No tricks.

What would it be worth if you invested it?

The future value formula for monthly contributions: FV = PMT x [((1+r)^n - 1) / r] where r is the monthly rate and n is the number of months. This is what a TFSA or RRSP contribution of the same amount would be worth by retirement, assuming a consistent annual return.

This is not investment advice. Past returns don't guarantee future results. The 7% default is a commonly cited long-term estimate for a diversified equity portfolio - it is not a promise. The real number for your situation depends on your actual investments, fees, and timing. Talk to a qualified financial planner before making decisions. But the math is real.

This Isn't About Guilt

This calculator isn't designed to make you feel bad about every latte or fishing trip. It's designed to make the invisible visible.

Most of us don't feel the cost of small recurring habits because we never add them up. This tool does that adding. What you do with the number is between you and God.

A few men I've walked through this with decided nothing needed to change. Others were genuinely surprised. Either way, knowing the number is better than not knowing.

A Note on the Return Rate

The default 7% is a rough long-term average for a diversified equity portfolio - often used in Canadian financial planning illustrations. It's not a guarantee, and fees matter. A low-cost ETF inside a TFSA might get close to this over decades; an actively managed fund with high MERs might fall short.

Try adjusting the rate to 5% or 6% for a more conservative picture. The gap between "spent on habit" and "invested instead" is still striking at lower rates.