From the Mozaic blog

The Mozaic blog

Long-form notes on Canadian personal finance, calm software, and the design choices behind Mozaic. New posts every couple of weeks.

21 essays · ~177 min total reading

Registered accounts

Guides to TFSA, RRSP and FHSA rules, plus how Mozaic estimates and tracks your contribution room.

A glass jar of coins on a sunlit windowsill, an education fund kept in plain view.
8 min read

How much to put in an RESP: the grant-efficient amount for a Quebec family in 2026

For a Quebec child, one number does most of the work: $2,500 a year. Here is why it fills both the federal and provincial grant, and how to pace it so no grant is left on the table.

The Montreal Biosphere under a bright sky, standing in for the early-spring RRSP deadline that lands after the calendar year ends.
7 min read

The RRSP contribution deadline, explained: the first-60-days rule and the dates that matter (2026)

The RRSP is the one registered account with a first-60-days rule, so its deadline lands in early March, not December 31. Here are the dates, why the rule exists, and the reporting trap.

A quiet Quebec coastal town at low light, standing in for the patient, multi-year planning an RRSP rewards.
7 min read

RRSP contribution room vs deduction limit: the difference Canadians get wrong (2026)

Your RRSP deduction limit and the amount you can still contribute are not the same number. Here is the difference, worked out with the two lines on your Notice of Assessment, plus the $2,000 buffer.

The Montreal Biosphere geodesic dome, standing in for the two-part structure of a spousal RRSP.
6 min read

Tracking a spousal RRSP: whose room, whose account, and the 3-year rule (2026)

A spousal RRSP splits ownership from contribution room, which is exactly what makes it easy to mis-track. Here is who owns what, the 3-year attribution rule, and how to keep the two sides straight.

Montreal skyline at dusk, standing in for the year-end deadlines that govern how a TFSA overcontribution penalty accrues.
7 min read

TFSA overcontribution in 2026: worked examples, the 1% penalty, and how to fix it

How the TFSA overcontribution tax actually works in 2026, calculated month by month with real dollar figures, plus the two-step fix and how to ask the CRA to cancel the penalty.

A jar of coins refilling slowly on a windowsill, standing in for TFSA room that only returns the following January.
7 min read

TFSA recontribution after a withdrawal: the timing trap that costs Canadians a penalty (2026)

Money you withdraw from a TFSA comes back as room on January 1 of the next year, never the same year. Here is the recontribution timing rule, in plain English, with worked examples.

Montréal skyline at dusk, deciding which registered account to fund first.
6 min read

FHSA vs RRSP vs TFSA: which account should you fill first in 2026?

A plain-English decision order for Canada's three registered accounts in 2026, covering when the FHSA wins, when the RRSP match comes first, and where the TFSA fits.

A glass jar of coins on a sunlit windowsill, saving for a first home, kept in plain view.
11 min read

FHSA contribution rules in 2026: what to track and what to ignore

The 2026 First Home Savings Account rulebook in plain English. Annual room, lifetime cap, carry-forward, the 15-year clock, and what to keep an eye on.

Net worth

Track everything you own and owe in one place — across accounts, institutions and currencies.

Investing & brokerages

Work out your real return and cost basis across every brokerage you hold.

App comparisons

How Mozaic stacks up against the budgeting and portfolio apps Canadians are switching from.

Privacy & security

How your financial data is protected, and what Canadian privacy law means for it.

Founder notes

The occasional personal essay on money decisions, written from the driver's seat.